Forty-six percent of Generation Z, people born after 1997, believe companies in India will be open to policies permitting workplace romance in future, according to a poll for Moneycontrol conducted by social discovery app Hunch.
Among the 11,000 GenZ poll participants, as many as 24.5 percent say the deep-rooted traditional work culture still dominates Indian corporates and it is unlikely the policy will change. At the same time, around 29 percent of Gen Z said only a few companies will be accepting the change, reflecting the varied corporate cultures across India.
In another poll of 5,200 GenZ participants, 77.8 percent of Gen Z will pursue romance at the workplace even if there are strict regulations. This suggested that many employees view such policies as impractical, as long as the relationship does not interfere with professional responsibilities.
The remaining (22.2 percent of respondents) felt pursuing personal relationships at the workspace may conflict with their work commitments and determination. The company policies also influence their decision to keep their personal and professional lives separate, considering the severe consequences if the rules are broken.
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However, in the third poll on ‘pursuing a marriage with a coworker’, 49.3 percent out of 3,700 GenZ poll respondents said they would like to marry a co-worker if such a situation arises. Only 26.7 percent of the voters consider that it all depends on the organisation's rules and regulations and 24.1 percent of the people call it a big no for them to pursue a marriage proposal with a coworker.
Some companies have been outliers in such matrimonial matters. Public sector undertakings Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), NTPC and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) allow and facilitate the marriage of employees. ONGC and NTPC even help current and former employees find partners for their children and siblings.
Moneycontrol earlier reported that HR experts believe workplace dynamics are evolving as corporations become more inclusive, with policies and organisational culture playing key roles in managing personal and professional relationships.
“These generations prioritise flexibility, authenticity, and a more integrated approach to life and work, which contrasts with the strict boundaries maintained by previous generations. For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, work-life balance often means blending personal and professional commitments seamlessly…,” said Dhriti Prasanna Mahanta, VP and Business Head at TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship.
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A February 2023 survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found Younger Millennial and Generation Z workers in the US are significantly more likely to say they'd be open to being in a workplace romance (33 percent) than Older Millennial workers (15 percent), Generation X workers (27 percent), and Baby Boomer and Traditionalist workers (23 percent).
Further, a 2020 research titled ‘Workplace Romance: What Indian Managers Feel about it?’ published in the International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, found that managers agree that romantic relationships prevail in their organisations. Still, they have never treated it as a factor which can impact the organisation as a whole.
“As far as the type of workplace romance is concerned, they find hierarchical romance more vulnerable as compared to lateral romance because it leads to favouritism and hides the other good performers in the department, which leads to biased performance appraisal,” the paper said, adding that most of the managers have not experienced the worst situations arising out of workplace romance.
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