When Work and Love Mix: Perceptions of Peers in Workplace Romances

Understanding Work/Life Blending: Credibility Implications for Those Who Date at Work

“…To offer some clarity, Horan and Chory (2009) adopted Pierce, Byrne, and Aguinis's (1996) definition of workplace romance, defining it as a relationship between ''two members of the same organization that entails mutual sexual attraction'' (p. 6). Although informative, this definition appears to be too general, considering that two members of the same organization could have a platonic, nonsexual friendship and still feel sexual attraction toward one another.…”

Love at the Office? Understanding Workplace Romance Disclosures and Reactions from the Coworker Perspective

“…Still, they continue to be understudied (e.g., Horan & Chory, 2009) and, as such, should be the subject of future research. Given that our sample was intentionally small with a descriptive goal, future studies should extend our work using large representative samples.…”

“…For example, in describing a WR sample, Horan and Chory (2009) reported that ''when asked if their organization had a policy against coworkers dating, over half (56.5%) of respondents responded 'no,' 22.5% were unsure, and 21% responded 'yes.' Of these 21%, all thought the policy was fair'' (p. 358).…”

“…The previous discussion notwithstanding, communication scholars have focused little attention on WR (Horan & Chory, 2009, 2013Pierce et al, 1996), and researchers are critical of the methodological rigor of the existing scholarship (Mainiero, 1986). Despite the limited amount of research, extant studies suggest that these romances produce no positive organizational outcomes (e.g., Cole, 2009;Powell, 1986) and may hurt productivity (e.g., Dillard & Broetzmann, 1989;Dillard, Hale, & Segrin, 1994).…”

Work as a Source of Positive Emotional Experiences and the Discourses Informing Positive Assessment

“…Work environments are more than simply places where people gather to complete tasks, they are social arenas replete with emotional dramas (Fineman, 2008). Organizational members make friends (Feeley, Hwang, & Barnett, 2008;Sias, 2005), give and receive social support (Gómez), and even cultivate budding romances (Horan & Chory, 2009) at their jobs. Belonging-connection identified human connections as best work experiences, articulating the importance of social embeddedness through relationships, social support, and teamwork (267 responses).…”