Page 26 - Office VIBES® Magalogue

LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Rewind almost 6 years ago and Covid lockdowns meant working from home and no face-to-face contact with your colleagues. Gone were flirtatious glances over the water cooler, playful after work drinks and dressing to impress the person of your desire. The good news for singletons is that the office romance is set to return.
Lovehoney’s annual sex-trends report predicts that after the dominance of swiping right or left on dating apps, 2026 will see people going back to good old fashioned face-to-face dating. Getting to know someone off-screen at work will be welcomed as people enjoy a whole new social space to meet new connections.
With global companies like Amazon,Tesco, HSBC, Barclays, Dell and IBM enforcing back-to-office mandates this year, the new 9-5 will not only boost productivity but it could fire up your love life. Back in the day, a whopping 25% of couples found love at work but amazingly some Gen Z may be experiencing office culture for the first time. Lovehoney's data shows that the number of people
who have met a romantic or sexual partner at work has waned, decreasing from 41% of Boomers to 19% of Gen Z.
Lovehoney's sex and relationship expert Annabelle Knight said “From a psychological perspective, face–to–face encounters activate non–verbal cues we've lost online. With body language accounting for around 50% of our overall communication, it's easy to see why people want more... eye contact, body positioning, scent, and the general 'vibe' of a person all help to build attraction more authentically than any algorithm can.”
Make sure to be familiar with your company’s workplace dating rules, there is likely to be a policy in place to ensure that fraternising doesn’t cause conflict, gossip or any legal issues. There is no law to prohibit office romances but it would be advisable to follow these guiding principles:
• Know Your Company Policy: always check your employer's specific rules as violating them can lead to disciplinary action or termination
• Professionalism: Maintain discretion and keep your romance separate from work tasks to avoid conflicts of interest
• Maintain Professionalism: your new relationship should not be the reason for going to work. Don’t allow it to distract you from your job, avoid public
displays of affection (PDA) and try where possible to keep it on the down low to prevent colleagues from being distracted and gossiping about you
• Separate Work and Personal Issues: arguments happen so don’t let disagreements or a breakup affect your work performance, morale, or team dynamics
• Disclosure: if your company policy mandates it, report your relationship to your manager or HR department as soon as it becomes serious
•Risk Assessment: consider potential career impacts and have a plan for how to manage the relationship if things don't work out
Workplace dating is so on trend that there is even a new comedy movie - Office Romance - coming to our screens soon. Jennifer Lopez stars as Jackie, President and CEO of Air Cruz who runs a tight ship in her business, including a rigid anti-fraternisation policy for all her employees. When a new sexy lawyer begins working for her, that policy is seriously tested.
The workplace is the ultimate dating pool - no swiping, no catfishing, just getting to know someone over emails and coffee breaks. Swiping fatigue and mistrust of online dating means we will be seeing the resurgence of office crushes and relationships. Love will most definitely be back in the air.
Source: dailymail.co.uk | www.thesun.co.uk
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