There’s no doubt about it, return-to-office mandates are wildly unpopular with workers for myriad reasons, and they’re causing workers a lot of anxiety, especially among Gen Z professionals. From increased commute times and a decrease in work-life balance, the discontent is understandable, but the obvious reasons are not the only fears fueling the anxiety.
A recent survey found that what’s most worrying Gen Z about the end or reduction of remote work is not what any of us would expect, and in fact, it has little to do with work at all. The stress is actually centered almost entirely on their romantic relationships.
The data is clear. Workers HATE return-to-office mandates, and the reasons that a multitude of studies have found are numerous. Many resent the micromanagement that many RTOs entail, the inequitable ways many RTOs are enforced, and especially the drastic rise in costs they create for everything from groceries to childcare to commuting.
However, an interesting survey by writing platform EduBirdie revealed a rather unexpected issue with return-to-office schemes. Among the 2,000 Gen Zers they surveyed, the number one concern was that going back to the office full-time would fuel their partners cheating on them.
A full 60% of respondents, well over half, said that they worry that returning to the office will only make the problem of office flings even worse. It’s one thing to have a flirtation with a colleague at your fully remote job, but it’s quite another to be in the same space with them 40 hours a week. But interestingly, the Gen Z respondents’ fears seem to mostly be fueled by their own office romance histories.
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Uh oh, busted! At first glance, being terrified that your beau is going to cheat on you if he or she goes back to the office is pretty weird. It seems like a bit of a leap, and it’s certainly not a great commentary on the strength of your relationship!
But the survey’s other findings shed light on why so many Gen Z’ers are so nervous about this: It’s because a LOT of them are hoping for a fling in the office supply closet themselves. More than a third of respondents, 34%, said they hope their job’s RTO policy will result in them getting hot and heavy with the guy from accounting, in fact.
Some have even applied for jobs with that outcome in mind: 1 in 5 said they had actually pursued a job in the hopes of meeting someone, 15% chose a job to pursue based on the eligible dating pool amongst the staff, and 6% even Google-stalked prospective co-workers they were interested in.
And many have had success. One in eleven said they had had their “work spouse” actually turn into a relationship or marriage, 37% said they had dated at least one coworker, and one in eight said they’d taken things up a notch when it comes to office canoodling by flirting with their actual boss.
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Seems like there’s a bit of a double standard at play here, because while this survey suggests that Gen Zers are downright hot for their co-workers, they’re also really averse to it. It kind of seems like they’re good with it if it’s happening for them, but not anyone else, which is, of course, human nature.
The survey found that 23% feel uncomfortable when an office romance blooms, and 44% believe office dalliances are a one-way ticket to harassment or abuse of power. Anxiety over the awkwardness of an office break-up has 70% of Gen Zers nervous, too.
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Between this and that worry about cheating, more than a third, 36%, said they believe all office relationships should be off-limits, roughly the same proportion of Gen Z’ers who said they’ve experienced inappropriate behavior at work.
EduBirdie’s CHRO, Avery Morgan, said this is an unreasonable expectation. “Banning all office relationships isn’t realistic — love can happen anywhere,” she said. But she also noted that one third of Gen Z reported their employer’s policies on workplace romance were “unclear or nonexistent,” which is pretty staggering given how easily an office fling can become a liability. Maybe Gen Z isn’t overreacting on this topic after all.
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John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
