Affair at the workplace: German-speaking Swiss in top position
Working life has long since revolved around more than just meetings, presentations and deadlines. Even in the Internet age, the workplace remains one of the most important partner exchanges. For one in four German-speaking Swiss, an affair with someone from the same company has already caused additional tension in their professional lives - the top figure in the German-speaking world.
Furtive glances behind the computer screen, fleeting touches in the coffee kitchen: for one in five German-speaking Swiss, an affair at work even turned into a committed relationship. These are the findings of a representative study commissioned by the online professional network XING. On its behalf, the market and opinion research company Marketagent.com surveyed a thousand working people in German-speaking Switzerland on the subject of love at work. Here are the most important results:
One in four has had an affair at work
There is a sizzle in Swiss workplaces. Almost one in four German-speaking Swiss (24 percent) have already had an affair with someone from the same company. Men are somewhat more active: 28 percent of them say they have already spiced up their working day with an erotic adventure. Among women, the figure is 20 percent. The atmosphere in German-speaking Switzerland seems to be much more conducive to office romance than in our neighbor to the north. Only 15 percent of Germans say they have ever had an affair with someone from their own company. In Austria, the figure is 21 percent.
If you want to have an affair at work, it's best to look for your next job in the Mittelland. In this region, 26 percent of respondents say they have already had an affair with someone from their own company. The working climate is apparently less conducive to a fling in eastern Switzerland. The figure there is the lowest at 22 percent.
Every fifth affair begins at the company party
The German-speaking Swiss most frequently have an affair at work with colleagues (in 62 percent of cases). Women tend to be more upwardly oriented in the hierarchy: 13 percent of female respondents who had ever had an affair had done so with their supervisor. Among men, the figure was only 7 percent. On the other hand, 30 percent of the men turned to their own employees for their adventure. Among women, the figure is 18 percent. People in Germany seem to be much more reluctant to have affairs with their own employees. North of the Rhine, employees were involved in only 7 percent of all affairs.
Affairs most frequently began during joint activities outside working hours (in 36 percent of cases). Second on the list of breeding grounds for office romances are company parties (21 percent). In the Central Plateau in particular, it's better to think twice before letting your partner go to a company dinner: In this region, 28 percent of affairs started there. In comparison, company parties are apparently more sober in central and northwestern Switzerland: only 18 percent of the affairs there started at such events. In central Switzerland, on the other hand, things sometimes start to sizzle at lunchtime, where 18 percent of the affairs also originated during the lunch break. Employees in eastern Switzerland have little taste for romance over lunch: the corresponding figure there is only 4 percent.
21 percent already had a committed relationship at work
But feelings at work don't just lead to erotic adventures. Cupid also makes his rounds in Swiss workplaces. Around one in five German-speaking Swiss (21 percent) have already entered into a committed relationship with someone from their own company. And that can have its advantages: 36 percent of men find it particularly positive that they already know each other and don't have to buy a pig in a poke. The most important advantage from the women's point of view: You can talk about the work you do together (34 percent).
But there are also factors that make a harmonious relationship at work more difficult. For example, 48 percent of men express concerns because work and private life could become too intermingled. The female respondents see similar disadvantages: 49 percent of them say that spatial and temporal distance from their partner is important to them. In addition, 61 percent of respondents fear that the failure of such a relationship could have a negative impact on the working atmosphere. However, such disadvantages can apparently be endured quite well: Only 6 percent of all respondents say they have already changed jobs because of a partnership or affair within the company.
Source: XING
