Except, we still are. Maybe
more so now than ever before.
The proof: Cosmo asked more
than 800 women between the
ages of 18 and 35 how they view
love on the job. Eighty-four
percent were totally down to
date someone at their company
as long as they’re not on the same
team. (We are overambitious
millennials who spend all our
time at work—so yeah, this
tracks.) “The #MeToo movement
definitely hasn’t changed my
thoughts on dating or hooking up
in the workplace,” says Chantal,
33, who works in finance. “I don’t
think it should be a free-for-all,
but it’s only natural to feel
attracted to your coworkers.”
In fact, 40 percent of women
h ave ho oke d up w it h a c oworke r
post #MeToo, 62 percent are
cool with cross-cubicle flirting,
and 72 percent have a friend
who’s dated someone theyworked with. (Slack isn’t all
meeting follow-ups.)
Lauren, 29, whose job is in
media, says, “I genuinely liked
dating someone I worked with.
We had the same interests,
obviously, and understood each
other’s work, so it gave us a lot to
talk about.” They also shared
similar schedules and a hatred
of t he c r a p p y f r e e c of fe e i n t he
break room (so romantic).
What *has* changed is the
added pressure to keep inter-
office relationships on the DL,
given all the new rules. “My
boyfriend and I were wary of
making moves,” says Chloe, 23,
who works in a government
office. “So we ended up keeping
it a secret. We had to hide behind
a tree one time because we saw
someone from work.” Eventu-
ally, her boyfriend decided it was
time to break up—with his job,
not with her—so they wouldn’t
have to deal.
And despite the push for men
and women to keep it completely
platonic, looking for love whileYou’d think, in 2019,
that the workplace would be a deeply unsexy place
to date. After #MeToo, companies unleashed
stricter policies targeting office romances—they
canceled holiday parties to discourage anyone
from getting a little too close, brought in anti-
flirting coaches, and required already coupled
coworkers to sign “love contracts” so it was clear
(and on paper) that those relationships were con-
sensual. (Talk about an awkward threesome: you,
your partner, and...HR.) Maybe that’s why people
assumed women were thinking twice—or never—
about hooking up with a colleague.
84
%
of you are cool
with dating someone
at your company
as long as they’re not
on your team
62
%
are comfortable
f l i r t i n g w i t h a
coworker61
%
have been on a date
with a colleague55
%
have met a
r o m a n t i c p a r t n e r
on the job53
%
know of couples
currently dating in
your workplaceONLY10
%
would feel
comfortable having
a relationship
with a bossSOURCE: COSMO SURVEYMONKEYWHAT
T H E
N U M B E R S
SHOW134
Cosmopolitan November 2019