1. Business Insider published the results of their sex-at-work survey this week. Check out what respondents thought about getting busy with a colleague and see how many of them have done the deed at the office, among other things…
The Business Insider Sex-At-Work survey attracted approximately 2500 respondents, making it one of the most popular surveys conducted on the site. While traditional wisdom seems typically opposed to sexual relations in the workplace, the responses seem to suggest that your average modern office worker is less conservative about mixing work and pleasure…
2. When asked whether it should be permissible for colleagues to engage in sexual relations, 85%* of correspondents said yes, while 15% opted for a more conservative no.
*Figures have been rounded to the closest whole number
3. When colleagues are employed by the same business but not actively engaged on the same project, even more of the respondents could condone a bit or extramural hanky-panky. 90% of them said it was fine for colleagues to have sex if they were not working together, while 10% remained staunchly opposed to the idea in any context.
4. Abusing a position of power is illegal in many countries, but what if managers and their subordinates develop genuine feelings for one another? Should they be allowed to have sexual relations? The respondents were mostly less enthusiastic about this dynamic, with only 36% saying yes, while 64% said no way.
5. If you have sex with a colleague, should you be obliged to inform the human resources department, or is it nobody’s business but yours and your lover/colleague? According to most of the respondents, the latter should be the case, with 8% saying you should be obliged, while 92% said you shouldn’t.
6, Asked about their attitude towards sex with a colleague, 10% of respondents figured it’s always going to end in tears, 27% said it would usually end in tears, 52% thought that if handled professionally it would likely be fine (how one handles sex professionally without breaking the law is anyone’s guess) and 11% thought it was an awesome idea, asking: how else am I supposed to meet attractive people?
7. Whether they thought they should be allowed to have sex with them or not, 90% of the respondents admitted to having been sexually attracted to a colleague, while 10% seemed to think that one should leave their libido at home during working hours. Either that, or they simply work in an office devoid of sex appeal (in a subjective sense, of course).
8. Being attracted to a colleague is one thing, working up the nerve to hit on them is a whole other ballgame, especially given that rejection in that context could be devastating (it’s hard to avoid a colleague after they have spurned your advances). Of those who responded, 64% said they had taken the plunge and hit on a colleague, while 36% preferred to admire from afar (minus the 10%, presumably, who had never found a colleague attractive to begin with).
9. The respondents in this particular poll were clearly an attractive bunch, with 75% of them claiming to have been propositioned by a colleague at some point in the past. The other 25% admitted that none of their co-workers had ever hit on them.
10. Some people preference their careers over their sex lives it seems. 52% of those polled said they had resisted pursuing sexual relationships with an attractive individual purely because they worked together. 48% either had no qualms with such a venture or had simply never been interested in a colleague to being with.
11. What could be more romantic than giving up your livelihood for love? 5% of the respondents claimed to have done just that, quitting their jobs so as to pursue sexual relations with a colleague. The other 95% figured it would likely be more prudent to keep the paycheck and forego the foreplay.
12. It might disturb you to know, but 85% of the respondents admitted to having sex dreams about one or more of their co-workers. The remaining 15% had no such nocturnal cravings. To think, you might just be playing a starring role in the dream life of that creepy co-worker of yours in accounting…
13. Finally, the crux. When asked if they had ever had sex with a colleague, 54% of the respondents blushed gently before answering in the affirmative. The other 46% had not been so lucky.
14. Of those who responded yes to the previous question, 55% admitted to a string of affairs with colleagues, while 45% limited their intra-office lovemaking to one colleague.
15. Of those people who had engaged in sexual relations with a colleague (or several), 18% said it was a frequent occurrence, while 82% said it happened intermittently at best.
16. Sleeping with the boss – a means of expediting one’s climb through the ranks, or a sure way to get the sack? 14% of those polled (the ones who admitted to sleeping with a colleague) had been willing to find out, while 86% said they had never slept with the head honcho at their company.
17. While only 4% of those people who slept with a colleague chose their boss for the privilege (see previous slide), 36% had singled out a subordinate. The other 64% had opted not to sleep with one of their minions, perhaps due to a preference for a more level playing field.
18. Interestingly, 49% of correspondents admitted to having had sex in the office. Makes you wonder what might have happened on the boardroom table, or even the desk you’re sitting at. Maybe you already know? The other 51% preferred their sex in the comfort of their homes (or somewhere else not redolent of labour).
19. 7% of those people who admitted to sleeping with a colleague said that the affair had ultimately hurt their careers, while 9% (perhaps those who slept with their bosses) said it helped. The majority (84%) said it had no impact whatsoever. So the earth didn’t move then?
20. Asked if they were glad that they chose to have sex with their colleagues, a large majority (90%) said yes. The remaining ten percent were less pleased with the outcome.