“Office romance is experiencing a dip, and whether it’s impacted by the current environment around sexual harassment or by workers not wanting to admit the truth, the fact remains that office romance has been around forever and will continue to be,” CareerBuilder’s Rosemary Haefner said in a press release. Interestingly, while the survey reveals hesitance is pursuing office relationships, the survey revealed 31 percent of office romances ended up in marriage.
Granted, this data could result from one of two things. First, of course, is the effect of the #MeToo movement has had. Men have become omnipotent in seeking romantic relationships with women in the workplace. The fear is that an unwelcome request for a date will result in their lives being substantially ruined. The other of course is that, as the press release said, people are not revealing their exact actions. Given today’s political climate, it is probably better that way.
Societal Overcorrection
Unfortunately, the #MeToo movement is also to blame; the original objective has changed. Let us be clear, sexual harassment, sexual advancements, and offers of sexual reciprocation for job advancement are all wrong. They fall under the ugly umbrella of things that should not occur anywhere, let alone in the workplace. However, asking a coworker on a date is not one of those things. This is where the MeToo movement has gone astray. This is where it has become toxic.
