The modern pace of life means that work becomes a place where we spend a significant part of our day. Therefore, it is no surprise that for many people, the office or workplace is a space where not only professional, but also personal relationships are established. According to research by the Progres Group, as many as 23% of Poles state that they met their life partner at their place of work. There are also companies that offer jobs for couples – Progres Group research shows that 25% of job offers published on the largest classifieds portals are dedicated to duets.
For many people who do not have time or inclination to seek their other half on a daily basis, it is at work that an opportunity to establish deeper bonds, which often turn into lasting relationships, arises. The latest research from the Progres Group shows that 23% of Poles admit that they met their better half at their workplace. Moreover, previous studies by the Progres Group showed that we have no major resistance to entering closer relationships with people in the team. As many as 46 percent of Poles saw nothing wrong with dating their colleagues. 42 percent considered it acceptable. Only 12 percent stated that such behavior should not take place.
The teammates are also tolerant of love within the team. 71 percent believe that whether such a relationship affects colleagues depends on the situation. 15 percent believe it affects team relationships, and 14 percent say that close emotional relationships do not affect others. The bosses also show openness, who as part of the benefits offer various forms of leave for couples, not only on the occasion of marriage or the birth of children, but also in life situations, eg care for a sick partner. There are companies going a step further, for example giving leave for the move. When a couple decides to move in together, some companies offer additional days off to help them arrange the move, including time for packing, transporting, and arranging a new place to live. There are also employers who grant employees additional days off, provided they decide to spend them with their partner. Such vacations are often part of motivation programs that provide the couple with subsidies for joint trips to spend time together and relax from professional duties. The company also supports team relationships in crisis situations, such as illness, accident or death of a loved one, couples can then count on so-called solidarity leave, which enables them to face difficult situations together. Those days might be spent in supporting the partner in hard moments, such as arranging a funeral or caring for the partner.
More and more couples also decide to jointly look for employment, often also a joint economic trip to another country. Only at the Foreigner’s Job Group for Couples, created two years ago by the Facebook community, new posts with such job offers are published every day. In the last 30 days, 190 new posts were posted there, and the number of group members is approaching 10,000. Employers are also increasingly seeing the benefits of such dual employment. Analysis by the Progres Group finds that every fourth job offer (25%) published on the largest classifieds portals is dedicated to couples. Currently, over 25,000 advertisements offer the possibility of joint employment, of which almost half are for work abroad.
“Work for couples is most often associated with physical professions. The majority of such offers can be found in the production, logistics, warehouse, agricultural and gastronomic industries. Popular jobs include working on assembly lines, packing products, completing orders, picking fruits and vegetables, cleaning in hotels, or seasonal work in tourism. Those employed in a duet can also expect additional benefits. Many companies provide accommodation, often in the form of a common room or apartment. Furthermore, couples can expect a meal allowance, free transport to the workplace, and even bonuses for working together if it increases team efficiency,” says Iwona Wieczyńska, Regional Director at the Progres Group. “A common place of employment does not always mean identical working hours. Arranging such a consistent schedule is quite a challenge for an employer, especially when the people in the couple work in different departments. This sometimes happens in manufacturing companies when the man goes to assembly and works on a four-shift system, while the woman, performing lighter, less physically demanding tasks, is assigned to quality control, which operates on a three-shift system,” adds Iwona Wieczyńska.
It’s also important to remember that workplace relationships can involve other challenges. Some companies have specific policies regarding relationships between employees, especially when it comes to the job hierarchy. It’s always worth familiarizing yourself with internal regulations and communicating openly with your employer in case of such intimacy.
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The article uses the results of the Progres Group’s quantitative study, conducted between January 27 and February 7, 2025 on a representative sample of Poles professionally active (aged 18-65), N = 1504 using the CAWI method. Results from previous editions cited in the text come from February 2024 r. and February 2019 r.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/milosc-w-biurze-co-czwarty-polak-poznal-partnera-w-miejscu-pracy-53009
