The office romance trope has been revisited countless times – we all know the basis of it: colleagues developing a romantic connection amidst a jam-packed schedule of meetings, deadlines and corporate terminology. It is a trope we love to hate; we cannot deny that it is cliché, yet we soak in the afterglow of whispered workplace banter and covert rendezvous. As such, this article examines the trope itself and the reasons behind the strong engagement it receives.
The office romance trope seems to have gained much of its popularity with the publication of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne in 2017. This was a best-selling novel at the time and seemed to truly capture the essence of a rom-com. As a result of its success, it was later made into a movie in 2021 featuring the charismatic duo of Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell. With a 3.88 star rating on Goodreads  and a 6.2 out of 10 on IMDb, it was a divisive read and watch with some critiquing the fact that it just seemed to tick off basic romance tropes and others stating it was ‘just perfection’. But…why did it attract so much attention?
Office romances are not just a menial fictional trope – for some, they are a reality. With career goals and prospects at the forefront of most people’s minds, the entertainment industry has found a way to manifest the realistic circumstances many find themselves in. With 50% of people admitting to having flirted with co-workers and 43% of people marrying someone they have worked with, office romances are not resting on a purely make-believe scenario. This engagement with real-life can certainly account for some of the interest attained by the trope but it is interesting to explore to what degree this trope is based on escapism.
Escapism is a concept we all engage with from time to time – who would want to focus on looming deadlines and ever-increasing workloads when you could just watch a fun show or read a good book while relaxing in ignorant bliss? This is where escapism comes in; but the office romance trope is quite perplexing regarding this. While there may be episodic moments of fun, office romances are set primarily in the workplace – a setting largely associated with stress. Therefore, the version of escapism we receive through these office romances is not exactly fulfilling as we are reminded of that same 9-5 pressure so many of us are familiar with. But perhaps it is that exact familiarity which makes us so drawn to it…
The version of the workplace depicted in romcoms and booktok novels is not exactly realistic. Issues that occur in these tales are usually resolved quickly and with little consequence which is understandable because who would want to engage with something where the romance is just building and then the main character gets fired just for sending the wrong email to their boss? Â Therefore, this romanticized version of the office seems to embody a fantasy version of corporate life. It sells the dream: the dream of looking forward to heading into work today or finding love in subtle glances between desks or even work just being simple and consistent.
But this can be problematic. The workplace is not always the romanticized version of it which we see in books and on the screen – an estimated 875,000 workers experienced work-related stress in 2022-23 and this statistic is only thought to have increased over the previous years. Additionally, what is the focus of these romcoms set in the workplace? While there may be a few scenes where the characters type away furiously on their keyboards or have to give presentations, the trope definitely angles itself towards the romance and chemistry of the characters. Therefore, we must question whether the office romance trope is establishing a false pretence that finding love in the workplace is just a part of the corporate dream.
It seems that this seemingly harmless trope can go deeper than we would expect. This trope is not only fun and semi-realistic, but in some ways, it could literally motivate us to pursue careers but with the hidden subtext of also pursuing love simultaneously. Finding love is something many of us desire; it is so ingrained in society that it feels instinctual rather than optional at times. Consequently, suggesting that there is a potential to meet a significant other at work would be a fairly psychologically backed way to motivate people into engaging more with their career and putting extra effort in at the office. But should we even entertain the idea of dating someone in our workplace?
While this idea of finding a romantic partner in the office is depicted as being fun and exciting, the actual reality of dating a coworker is far from the fictional romanticized version. It is important to have positive relationships with coworkers, but romantic relationships in the office can be a cause of strain for the careers of those involved. When seeing your significant other both at home and at work, boundaries between personal and professional start to blur and it can become hard to separate the two spheres of your life. Additionally, spending all this time around one person can cause some frustration and relationships can be negatively impacted when there is this constant close proximity. If this negative impact goes too far and results in a breakup, the awkwardness and tension of having to work with your ex every day is enough to put anyone off dating a co-worker.
So, while it may be fun to watch this amusing trope on screen or envision it in the pages of a book, if you are thinking you are going to meet the love of your life at work, maybe reconsider.