Romantic Relationships in Organizations: A Test of a Model of Formation and Impact Factors

We obtained questionnaire data from 465 employees to test a model containing hypothesized formation and impact factors from Pierce, Byrne, and Aguinis’s (1996) conceptual model of workplace romance. As predicted, results indicate that (a) employees’ attitudes toward romance and sexual intimacy at work and levels of perceived job autonomy are positively associated with their participation in a workplace romance; and (b) employees’ participation in a workplace romance is positively associated with their levels of job satisfaction and, to a lesser degree, organizational commitment. Employees’ participation in a workplace romance was not, however, predictive of their levels of job performance or intrinsic work motivation. We discuss implications for future workplace romance research.