With Valentine’s day just a few days away, it seems that the pandemic isn’t the only thing that’s in the air these days. Unfortunately, these two years have been a challenge for those seeking office romances. After all, it is understandably hard to form romantic relationships with people behind a screen.
But does this mean that remote work has killed office romances? Not exactly. Yes, it’s harder to get to know someone more intimately nowadays, but it’s not impossible. With the rise of social media and especially dating apps, many have begun using these apps to find their special someone.
If you haven’t noticed it yet, this article will talk about how office romances are still a thing despite the advent of remote working. Here, I will discuss the factors that enable co-workers to form virtual relationships.
It’s Easier to Start a Conversation Online.
So let’s start with talking about how easy it is to start conversations with your crush online. Compared to gathering your courage and talking to the person you like face to face in the office, it’s easier to send a private message online instead.
Of course, messaging your crush online still takes a lot of courage and confidence. But here, at least you have more time to think of what words to use when talking to your crush. This helps make the conversation less awkward for the two of you, which helps improve their first impression of you.
Do note that if you’re going to start an online chat with the person you like, be sure to introduce yourself first. This is especially important if you and them don’t talk much while working remotely. Nobody wants to appear like they’re a stalker to their crush now, would they?
Employees Are More Open With One Another Online.
Connected to my previous point is this one. One of the advantages of talking to your crush online is you are more likely to be more open with them. This is due to the inherent privacy that online chatting allows. It means that your conversations are kept to yourselves.
Because of this, you can share your more intimate thoughts and feelings with your crush without fear of judgment from your other co-workers. This allows the two of you to better know each other and see your compatibility. Intimate conversations also help build trust between the two of you, as you now know some of your crush’s secrets and vice versa.
Offices Are Adapting Their Employee Relationship Policies to Remote Work.
Another sign that office romance continues to blossom is that companies have adapted their policies regarding employee relationships to remote work. These changes were implemented so that employee relationships, particularly between a manager and employee, don’t affect the company negatively. It’s easy to get a promotion when your boy/girlfriend is your boss, isn’t it?
Another reason why companies are changing their employee relationship policies is due to increasing awareness of workplace harassment. This is especially important in remote work. As it’s now easier for perverted employees to stalk and send creepy messages to their co-workers.
These new policies’ aim is to protect employees from potentially perverted co-workers. And that they now know what to do in case they get harassed. So if you’re planning on having a relationship with one of your co-workers and want to be open about it, reading these policies is a must.
Online Meetings and Events Are an Opportunity to Meet Your Co-workers.
And finally, despite it being a formal occasion, online meetings also provide an opportunity to better know your co-workers. Here, you have a chance to see what they look like and how they interact with one another. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your mister/miss right during one of your meetings.
And of course, we can’t forget about online office events such as get-togethers and Christmas parties. Yes, these events are held online due to health and safety reasons. Yet it remains a great way to casually interact with your co-workers and know more about them besides their work.
Finding Love at the Virtual Workplace.
And that is it! Here are the factors showing that remote work hasn’t killed office romance; instead, it has adapted to it. So if you are worried you won’t experience this, worry not. There are still opportunities to find the love of your life at work; if you grab them, that is.
And with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, what better time to test your luck with your workplace crush? Who knows, maybe they’re “the one” for you.
