Looking for office romance? How 'bout a work spouse?
Remember that rather lackluster episode of "King of Queens" when Doug gets miffed over Carrie's "work husband" - and retaliates by labeling his best friend as his "work wife?"
OK, well, maybe you aren't an insomniac and don't watch crummy TV reruns at odd hours. The point is, that plot isn't as farfetched as it might seem.
A recent survey from job site Vault.com found that 32 percent of office workers have an office "spouse" - their better half in a nearly full-time, but platonic, workplace relationship.
About 58 percent of survey respondents admitted to having had a romantic office rendezvous, with nearly 27 percent of employees surveyed saying their trysts had taken place literally IN the office. Think about that the next time you head to the supply closet.
But pre-Valentine's day office romance surveys this year didn't just turn up roses.
Vault found that 50 percent of employees have dealt with married coworkers mired in workplace affairs. Those, employees said, make everyone uncomfortable, as the majority of workplace dalliances aren't as secret as participants might think.
And 38 percent of employees said they'd experienced unwanted advances made by a co-worker.
Fact is, most office relationships, from the open to the completely illicit, don't work out. Fewer than 25 percent of office relationships last through the first year, according to statistics.
A bright mark in this whole mess, for workplace issues firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, is that as employers' acceptance of workplace relationships grows, support for same-sex couples in the workplace has increased.
A Harris Interactive poll from late last year found that more than 40 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers were comfortable displaying a photo of their partner at work, and 55 percent of these workers would be comfortable introducing a partner to their coworkers.
And as employees spend more time in the office and build more relationships there, employers are offering more benefits tailored to couples. The Human Rights Campaign, a D.C.-based advocacy group, found last year that 49 percent of Fortune 500 companies provide benefits for domestic partners, and 83 percent have incorporated sexual orientation into their company non-discrimination policies.