Office Romance the GenZ Way.

If you have worked in any corporate setting before, you will agree that  July is probably the hardest month for HRs and Team leads for two reasons. One, the company has or is still recruiting, which means that the HR is busy with onboarding schedules and various training programs for the new hires—that is what I have seen on our end. HereThe onboarding process is smoooth. Smoother than a baby’s bottom. Kudos to HR and our very able Team leads. We are proud of you!

Another thing that gives them a hell of a time is workplace love.  There seems to be a strange connection between a company getting new hires and the number of office relationships shooting astronomically. Every organization has these, and the lovers are known. Well, they try to keep it under wraps, but our hawk-eyed sleuths (collogues)  sniff it off from them even before the thing is born, and they share it with us, so yes, we know. We wouldn’t want you to know that we know …but let’s not discuss that today. Let’s go back to the lover birds.

As I was saying, you have probably encountered a couple or two- of these office lovebirds. They sometimes decide to don matching outfits and look so good or sit next to each other and chat away as they work. It’s so much bliss, and it makes me jealous. When will mine come?

That brings me to the big question- would you date a college?

I will let you ponder my question as I  slap you with some findings from the internet on office romance. I found the following information when reading on this topic and clustered the data into various relevant groups that you can see:

Prevalence

According to a 2024 survey of working professionals in Kenya, 53% reported being involved in a romantic relationship with a co-worker at some point in their career.

This represents a slight increase from the 49% rate reported in 2023.

Company Policies

• A 2024 review of the top 100 companies in Kenya found that 77% now have formal policies regulating office relationships, up from 71% in 2023.
• Of those companies with policies, 86% prohibit relationships between managers and direct reports, compared to 82% the previous year.
• However, only 49% of employees say their company’s policy is effectively enforced, a modest improvement from 44% in 2023.

But why are people falling in love with work buddies so quickly?

The thing is, this digital age has brought with it a lot of change—change that has spilled over into the workplace.

For one, younger generations, Gen Z, more open to blending personal and professional lives, now comprise a more significant part of the workforce. They may be more comfortable with the idea of office romances compared to older generations. Couple this with the many hours that we spend in the office and the fact that there has been a gradual cultural shift towards more open discussions about relationships and personal matters in professional settings, thus reducing the stigma around office romances and making employees feel more comfortable pursuing them. Moreover, some companies have implemented more transparent policies and support systems that manage and guide office romances. Employees who understand the boundaries and expectations may feel more secure in pursuing relationships with colleagues.

 So what will business institutions do about them? One thing for sure is that they will put in structures that should ensure that this relationship does not negatively impact one’s performance at work, like having the involved parties work in different departments and have them report to different line managers.  The administration can only do so much, but ultimately,   you must embrace professionalism to minimize distractions and potential gossip in the workplace.

So, would you date a workmate? Let me know in the comments section!