Thirty-six percent of workers in 2017 reported dating a co-worker — down from 41 percent last year.
That's also down from 40 percent in 2008, a 10-year low, according to an annual Valentine's Day survey conducted by CareerBuilder.
"Thirty-seven percent of men say they have dated a coworker compared to 35 percent of women, while one in five male workers (20 percent) say they have dated someone at work two or more times in their career, compared to just 15 percent of their female colleagues," CareerBuilder's report says.
The survey was conducted online from Nov. 28 to Dec. 20, 2017. It included a sample of 809 full-time workers across various industries in the U.S. private sector, CareerBuilder said.
"Office romance is experiencing a dip and whether it's impacted by the current environment around sexual harassment or by workers not wanting to admit the truth, the fact remains that office romance has been around forever and will continue to be," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. "To avoid negative consequences at work, it's important to set ground rules within your relationship that help you stay professional in the office and keep your personal life private."
Some who have dated in the office have gotten married: 31 percent said they did. But 24 percent said they had an affair with a colleague, an affair in which one of those involved was married at the time.
"Six percent of workers have left a job because a romantic relationship with someone at work went sour (9 percent of women compared to 3 percent of men)," the report says.
