Survey: Workplace dating losing stigma

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CHICAGO, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Nearly 20 percent of the people queried in a U.S. Valentine's Day survey said they have dated co-workers at least twice in their working career.

About one third of those who did so ended up marrying a person they dated at work, said the annual CareerBuilder Valentine's Day survey of more than 3,900 workers.

"Workplace relationships no longer carry the stigma they once did, as 65 percent of workers said they aren't keeping their romance a secret," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at Chicago-based CareerBuilder. "Especially in this economy, workers are spending more time in the office and the lines between working and socializing are being crossed."

Haefner said workers who do so should make sure such romances don't interfere with their work or the work of others.

The survey said when it comes to dating superiors, women are more likely to do so then men. It said one third of women said they dated a superior at work, while 20 percent of men have done so.

Haefner warned those who would date co-workers to know their company's policy on office dating. She also said it might be wise to inform your boss and co-workers you are dating a fellow employee to reduce gossip.

The poll was conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder by by Harris InteractiveC from Nov. 15 to Dec. 2. Its margin of error is less than 2 percentage points.