Prague, April 30 (CTK) – Up to one-third of Czechs have ever had a workplace romance and 94 percent admit that they are flirting with someone at work from time to time, according to a STEM/Mark poll released to CTK.
Forty percent of men and 27 percent of women have experienced an intimate relationship at work.
However, similar polls do not focus on how such affairs end.
Experts warn against the risks of love affairs at workplaces.
“By their relationship, the partners create a different, independent unit in the middle of a team, and thereby they partially exclude themselves from the team at the same time,” psychologist Alexandra Hrouzkova said.
The situation is even more complicated in the case of a relationship between a subordinate and her/his superior.
“Other fellow workers will always perceive such a relationship as a preferential treatment,” Hrouzkova pointed out.
Opinions polls confirm her view as almost 30 percent of those who had an affair with their boss felt it as an advantage for their work.
However, almost 80 percent of love relationships at work develop between colleagues on the same level in the firm’s hierarchy, which is easier.
Their new positive energy may even bring benefits to the firm.
Big firms with a sufficient number of departments and teams have an advantage in such cases. Some companies even support close relationships at work.
“The team atmosphere is very important for the operation of our restaurants, this is why team building is part of our policy. Besides, most of our employees are very young. Partnerships naturally appear and even marriages are concluded in our firm,” McDonald’s human resources manager Linda Sefcikova said.
The firm registers several weddings of its employees’ couples every spring.
“Our general director sets a positive example since he met his future wife during a summer job in McDonald’s years ago,” she added.
However, smaller firms cannot afford problems caused by love affairs in their teams.
Both experts and employers recommend to solve the situation as soon as possible. The best solution is if one of the couple leaves the firm or is at least redeployed to another section.
