Worried about workplace relationships? Tips on how to avoid trouble

Workplace romance: It’s certainly not a new issue, but it’s not like it used to be either. In the age before viral videos and social media, it may have been easier to keep relationships on the down low, but those days are gone. Who can forget last summer’s kiss-cam kerfuffle in which a company’s CEO and HR executive were shown on the Jumbotron at a concert in an embrace? The two were married—not to each other—and they both ended up resigning from their jobs as rumors swirled. Has that incident changed any of the conventional wisdom about how to handle workplace relationships? What’s the latest on policy best practices?

What research shows

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has conducted research on the state of workplace relationships. For its 2025 Workplace Romance report, SHRM surveyed 1,071 U.S. workers and 2,283 HR professionals to assess how often workplace romances occur and how they’re being addressed.

The survey found that 52% of U.S. workers either have been in or were at the time of the survey in a workplace romance.

The research found that 53% of respondents who had engaged in workplace relationships said love-related motivations were “extremely important” or “very important” in their decision to get involved with a coworker. Another 40% reported self-interested motivations—for example, the excitement of it. And 29% cited job-related motivations—for example, career advancement, security, and power.