Workplace affairs are common because there is opportunity and connection already built into that relationship. Think about it– for anyone working full-time in an office or institutional setting, more time is spent with colleagues than spouses.
Why do people cheat? A wide variety of factors can bring out some type of affair. A study of 495 people revealed eight key reasons: anger, low self-esteem, lack of love, low commitment, need for variety, neglect, sexual desire, and circumstance.
Look up the length of affairs on Google and apart from one-or-two-night stands, the consensus is that most run their course in six months to two years.
It might seem like a bit of a cliché, but workplaces are one of the most common environments where people can cheat on their partners, or perhaps even meet the love of their life in the first place.
Can affairs ever work out? While there are cases of affairs that work out and lead to a beautiful and thriving marriage, this is definitely the exception and not the rule. Even those affairs that seem to be going really well often end in a breakup.
Surveys suggest that 1 in 5 people have had an affair at work. However, this only accounts for those who were willing to admit it – the true number may be higher. 44% of people say they know someone who has cheated with a colleague or boss.
Affairs usually begin with an attraction to someone you know fairly well, someone you spend time with each week — your friends and co-workers.
Research in the field of infidelity reveals that there are three distinct personality types correlated with a higher likelihood of cheating: sociopaths, narcissists, and lonely hearts.
Prevalence: Extramarital Affairs/Infidelities are common. Most estimates indicate that around 60% of men and 45% of women are willing to report that an affair has occurred sometime in their marriage and it suggests that 70% of all marriages experience an affair.
Conclusion. While having a work wife or husband is not necessarily cheating, the connection involved does increase the risk of both emotional and physical affairs. Yes, you can be friends with the opposite sex at work, but you shouldn't let it develop into anything intimate.
For the betrayed spouse, stages of an affair being exposed can involve everything from denial, shock, reflection, depression to finally taking an upward turn.
Office Affairs in the Workplace
Workplace relationships can harm morale, reduce productivity, and create an unpleasant or hostile environment for co-workers. Office affairs may also lead to legal action such as sexual harassment in the workplace.
Affairs usually end in one of three ways: divorce and remarriage, divorce and relationship loss, or the recommitment to the relationship that was betrayed. Each of these resolutions to an affair has its own pros and cons.
An affair is generally a sign things aren't right with someone's relationship. Without the necessary skills to heal the issues, a partner may engage in an affair as an ill-equipped way of attempting to have their needs fulfilled – whether these be for intimacy, to feel valued, to experience more sex, and so on.
* Think affairs happen during the evening, you'd be wrong. Married people are typically home with each other at night, if that suddenly changed it would raise too many red flags. The majority of married people will conduct their affairs in the morning, before work.
In some cases, it stems from unmet needs in a relationship. Issues like lack of communication, boredom, and personal insecurities can fester when they're not fully addressed. If one partner feels like they're never listened to or respected in their primary relationship, they may look for that in another person.
8% of employees consider starting a new relationship with someone at work. This statistic is a telling indication of the prevalence of workplace affairs.
Results of a 2005 study show that there is a significant difference between cheaters and non-cheaters when it comes to the Big Five model of personality traits. Poor self control, selfishness, anger, boredom, and attention-seeking are the most common reasons a person is unfaithful in their relationship.
The most important thing to remember is what cheating says about a person. They're insecure, impulsive, selfish, and immature. Sometimes, it's a chronic problem that likely won't ever be fixed, just be sure not to ignore the warning signs.
So, the individual who is least likely to cheat on their partner is conscientious, agreeable and introverted. The authors explain: “Conscientiousness refers to self-control, perseverance and sense of duty.
In fact, the study, which looked at data from the General Social Survey in the U.S., found that 20 per cent of married people over the age of 55 have engaged in extramarital sex, while only 14 per cent of couples under 55 are said to have cheated. Those in their 50s and 60s, however, were the most likely to cheat.
The survey also found out that many people first cheated in the age group of 19 to 29. That is the stage when they are still exploring relationships and their disappointment.
Almost one in five employees who were in a committed relationship have had an affair with a colleague. Apparently cheating on a partner with a colleague is relatively common.