Turns out tablet users are a bunch of high-strung, sexually charged individuals more likely to engage in workplace romance than anyone else in Canada. This is according to an online survey conducted by Zoomerang on behalf of Toshiba to determine what stresses Canadians out most about technology, who is the most stressed and what people do to relieve it. Tablet users are 18 per cent more stressed than laptop users and 29 per cent more stressed than desktop users. They’re also 12 per cent more likely than the average Canadian to have had an office romance and 15 per cent more likely to have dated someone in their workplace.
“This comes down to availability,” says relationship expert Jen Kirsch. “If someone always has their tablet on them, they can easily send messages or email. It acts as a time filler and tends to be more mindless. I’ve found the people who are more likely to do that are not just flirting with one person, they’re likely flirting with many at the same time because it’s in front of them and available.”
The Toshiba study is but the latest in a flurry of research set to determine the sociological relationships between our devices and our selves. Harlequin conducted a survey to determine know how women perceive romance on a digital level (it’s complicated). Reseller Gazelle surveyed mobile users at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show to see who is more privy to optimistic thinking (hint: not BlackBerry users). Match.com discovered which smartphone users are more likely to have sex on the first date (Android). And Toshiba discovered this tie between constant connection and colleague cuddling.
The study revealed that a broken printer becomes an excuse to flirt. For 31 per cent of respondents, flirting improves workplace stress. It is not uncommon to form bonds with colleagues over shared stressors at work. In a typical office role, you spend eight hours a day, five days a week with these people and having someone to flirtatiously talk about the boss with takes away some of that edge.
“This is a relationship I like to call the ‘office boyfriend’ or ‘office girlfriend,’” Kirsch says. “They get your stresses and they can relate. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the right match, but with workplace love and flirtations, they’re available and they can understand.”
Smartphones mean we’re all easily accessible all the time, but tablet users in an office environment represent a unique demographic. The survey questioned 1,000 working Canadians between April 25 and 28 of 18-years of age and older. There was a close split in ranking from entry-level to managerial participants with a slightly higher concentration of senior employees, which according to another survey are the people most likely to use tablets for work.
That always-on mentality follows mobile users everywhere — and it’s not always about flirting even when it’s about sexuality. We’ve become so open and so accustomed to sharing that the confines of a working relationship or a working space can become jeopardized. These concepts have even leaked into the mainstream. In last week’s episode of HBO’s Girls, we saw lead character Hannah share a photo of a penis sent to her by mistake with her colleagues while she was at work.
When we send a flirtatious or naughty message or photo, “we forget how share-worthy it is.” Kirsch says. “Because we’re not face-to-face, it makes people more flirtatious and spicy than they might be in person.”
Kirsch says these messages make the recipients feel admired and desired, even when they’re only four desks away. People have a tendency to want to show that they possess these qualities and tend to share messages of this nature. Kirsch says you should always assume at least one other person will see a dirty or flirtatious text you send. And don’t flirt through work email or any office computer for that matter. “No matter how safe you think your computer is in the office, it isn’t,” she says. Most businesses monitor email and social media use including Facebook, and many record screen captures of every transaction.
For the slightly less than 20 per cent of Canadians that engage in workplace romance or dating, flirting can be inevitable especially when things get tense. “When we’re stressed, we’re not our best selves. We feel more successful when we’re flirtatious and someone responds in a positive or favorable way. It makes us feel better.” This can cause people to slip up at work, maybe even cause things to land in the wrong hands, ultimately defeating the whole purpose of flirting to relieve stress in the first place. This is disconcerting for tablet users especially. They were found to already be three times more likely to yell at their colleagues when stressed at work.
“A work relationship is still frowned upon and you don’t want to get caught,” Kirsch says. “Don’t be afraid to be social in the workplace. Maybe send a message to whoever you’re interested in and say, hey want to go to a kitchen and grab a quick coffee?”
The kitchen remains the most popular location for workplace flirting, according to the Toshiba survey. After that, it’s back to the photocopier.
____
Sheena Lyonnais writes about tech for Toronto Standard. You can follow her on Twitter at @SheenaLyonnais.
For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard or subscribe to our newsletter.
