Caelan Hughes spent eight years in New York swiping through dating apps — and hating every minute of it. Each first date felt like a high-pressure audition for romance. By 2022, she was ready for a change. She moved back to her home state of Hawaii to work at a local news station, a move that also brought her back into an office after years of working from home.
At first, Hughes dreaded the trade: her cozy home setup for a commute and a cubicle. But that changed at her very first company Christmas party, where she met her now-partner, Jansen Wong.
“That is one perk of going back to the office,” Hughes, 32, says.
The two started as friends, crossing paths around the office and gradually building a connection. They thought they were subtle—until a coworker snapped a photo of Wong lingering by Hughes’s desk with a grin straight out of a “Jim and Pam” moment from The Office, and texted it to her with the not-so-subtle suggestion that they should date.
Hughes preferred it that way: no app algorithms, no forced small talk with strangers over cocktails. “The difference was astronomical,” she says. “We were friends first. We talked. We really got to know each other.”
As more workers head back to the office, many are also bringing their love lives with them. According to a 2024 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, half of workers have had an office romance. Another survey from résumé service Resume Builder found that nearly a third of workers ages 18 to 44 started dating a coworker after being required to return in person at least once a week.
Long hours, shared stresses, after-work drinks, even bonding over mutual office nemeses—workplaces have always been fertile ground for romance. From novels and sitcoms like Parks and Recreation to thrillers like Severance, the idea of finding love just a few desks away has enduring appeal. As one might put it: RTO = XOXO.
Dating a coworker carries risks—awkward breakups, team drama, HR headaches—but frustration with dating apps is pushing more young singles to take the gamble. Millennials and Gen Z in particular are embracing in-person meet-cutes. With fewer people hanging out in bars, other options—run clubs, pottery classes, speed dating—are competing with the one place many have to be every day: the office.
Gen Z is leading the charge. A 2024 Resume Genius/Pollfish survey found that 45% have had an intimate relationship with a coworker, compared to 42% of Millennials, 35% of Gen X, and 21% of Boomers. They’re also the most likely to date a manager. And while older generations still see workplace romance as taboo, nearly 60% of Millennials and 49% of Gen Z say it’s becoming more accepted. Only 25% of Boomers agree.
Still, many crushes have less to do with destiny than with the “proximity principle”: the more often you see someone, the more attractive they can seem. That’s what happened to Cassie Richardson, a 32-year-old retail worker in Tennessee. A workplace crush once turned into a short-lived situationship she now regrets. “I realized I wouldn’t even approach this person outside of work,” she says. She’s sworn off office romance, but gets the appeal—especially when meeting new people outside of work requires extra effort after long shifts.
Sometimes sparks fly even in remote settings. A 2025 survey from Zety found 62% of workers have sent a flirty message over Slack, Teams, or email. For Isabel Amat, it started on Zoom. She met her future boyfriend, a fellow software engineer, in 2021. It wasn’t until they began going into the office that their connection deepened. One night, after their coworkers bailed on happy hour, they stayed for five hours talking. The restaurant manager comped their drinks because the staff assumed they were a couple.
“We were like, ‘We’re coworkers,’ and he scoffed—‘not for long,’” Amat recalls. Days later, they went on their first official date. Four years later, they’re still together, though Amat now works elsewhere.
For every office romance that turns into a long-term relationship, there’s another that ends in awkward hallway encounters. But half of workers still think it’s worth the risk. With the office increasingly doubling as a singles scene, your next bad commute could, in theory, end with happily ever after.