Gen Z and HR have killed workplace romance — as fewer employees report crushes and flings

Looks like Cupid didn’t survive layoffs. 

Office romances are going chilly throughout the US – the place office crushes, coworker dates and steamy workplace flings have gotten much less and fewer widespread yearly, survey information exhibits.

Just 22% of workers surveyed by the human sources group SHRM in 2025 stated they’d a office crush – a staggering drop from the 49% who admitted the identical in 2024. 

Only 16% of employees stated they’d gone on a date with a colleague prior to now yr, down from 21% the earlier yr. 

Meanwhile, office hookups have gotten much more uncommon. Just 7% of workers admitting to having a “risky romantic encounter” on the job in 2025 – down from the 13% who confessed to an workplace romp the yr earlier than.

But it’s not only a short-term thrill that’s vanishing.

The office was a serious supply of discovering a husband or spouse. About 20% of adults over 50 stated they met their partner on the job, in response to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey.

Only 13% of individuals aged 18 to 29 stated the identical.

Writer Juno Kelly urged in a provocatively headlined New York Times column, “Go On, Date Your Co-Workers” that this was all the way down to the rise of on-line courting amongst youthful folks and in depth HR sexual harassment coaching.

“It feels as if the risk outweighs the reward,” she wrote.

However, Kelly urged that returning to extra accountable workplace courting tradition might resolve Gen Z’s courting blahs.

More than a 3rd of singles underneath 30 stated they don’t seem to be fascinated by courting, and half stated they’re not trying.

“Where else in adulthood except the office would you bond with a potential paramour you share so much of everyday life with,” Kelly urged.

Other old-school methods of discovering love – by means of church, mates, school or neighbors – additionally noticed sharp declines throughout generations, in response to a Stanford study, which discovered that 40% of {couples} have been assembly on-line by 2017.

Among the comparatively small share of employees nonetheless mixing enterprise with pleasure, greater than half stated they have been hoping to search out real love.

Another 40% admitted they have been motivated by pleasure, journey or lust, whereas practically 30% stated they have been looking for profession developments, safety or energy by means of workplace romance, the SHRM survey found. 

About one in 5 of these employees additionally confessed to participating in public shows of affection on the job. 

Just as shockingly, the vast majority of workplace managers surveyed – 63% – stated that romances between folks on their crew had a constructive influence on office dynamics, whereas solely 12% stated they’d a damaging impact. 

“Workplace romances are an inherent part of the professional world, but they bring unique challenges,” SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr. stated in regards to the findings. 

“This research underscores the need for clear policies, effective training, and an organizational culture fostering transparency and fairness. By addressing these dynamics thoughtfully, organizations can minimize risks while respecting employees’ personal connections.”