Workers Less Willing to Jeopardize Job Security, Even for Love

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- This Valentine’s Day, workers have growing concern that openly dating a coworker could jeopardize job security or career advancement, according to the 2010 Office Romance Survey conducted by Monster.com®, the leading global online career and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc., on behalf of Spherion Corporation.  Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of U.S. workers agree that openly dating a coworker could jeopardize job security or advancement.  Further, the latest findings show that 75 percent agree that workplace relationships can lead to conflict at work, and another 62 percent believe they are a distraction.

Of the 53 percent of workers who have had a crush on a coworker, only 36 percent have had a workplace relationship, according to the study. For those workers willing to pursue dating on the job, most would limit their dating to coworkers outside their department.  The study finds that 48 percent would consider dating a coworker in another department compared to only 21 percent who would consider dating a coworker in the same department. In addition, one-quarter would consider dating a supervisor from another department, compared to only nine percent who would consider dating their own supervisor.

“In healthier economic environments, workers seemed somewhat more willing to throw caution to the wind when it came to finding love in the workplace. However, amidst high unemployment rates, layoffs and restructurings, most workers seem to be playing it safe, opting to minimize workplace distractions and conflict that may result from workplace dating and are more focused on protecting their current employment,” says John Heins, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Spherion.

“Alongside the reluctance among workers to pursue workplace dating is the perceived ambiguity of a company policy.  When employers clearly communicate their policies and procedures and provide appropriate training, workers better understand what is expected and can make better decisions related to performance or conduct,” said Heins.

Methodology

The January 2010 Spherion Office Romance survey was conducted online within the United States by Monster.com on behalf of Spherion Corporation between January 25-27, 2010 among a U.S. sample of 790 adults, aged 20 years and older. Respondents represent those invited to participate in the survey, which includes full and part-time workers as well as those unemployed and seeking work.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Monster feels the use of "margin of error" is misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published surveys come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were randomly selected from among those who have agreed to receive communication from Monster.com, so no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Spherion

Spherion Corporation is a strategic workforce solutions company that provides recruiting, staffing, consulting and outsourcing specialties to meet the evolving needs of companies and job candidates. As an industry pioneer for more than 60 years, Spherion has sourced, screened and placed millions of individuals in temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time jobs.

With approximately 575 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion delivers strategic workforce solutions that improve business performance. Spherion provides its services to approximately 8,000 customers, from Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing more than 160,000 people annually through its network, Spherion is one of North America's largest employers, providing general staffing, technology services, professional services and outsourcing. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc.,  parent company of Monster, the premier global online employment solution for more than a decade, strives to inspire people to improve their lives. With a local presence in key markets in North America, Europe, and Asia, Monster works for everyone by connecting employers with quality job seekers at all levels and by providing personalized career advice to consumers globally. Through online media sites and services, Monster delivers vast, highly targeted audiences to advertisers. Monster Worldwide is a member of the S&P 500 index. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at http://www.about-monster.com.

SOURCE Spherion Corporation