The copier room, the break room coffee line, the 4 PM meeting that runs long. People used to fall for each other in these places all the time. Your parents probably did. Their parents probably did too. Then apps showed up and promised something faster, something optimized, something that would let you skip the awkward parts. And for a while, everyone seemed to buy in. But a funny thing has happened in the years since. The people swiping through hundreds of faces on their phones have started looking up from their screens, tired and a little hollow, while the people who fell for a coworker over shared deadlines and bad office coffee keep saying it was worth it. The data now backs up what a lot of people quietly suspected. The old way might still be the better way, even with all the trouble it brings.

The Office Romance Is Down but Not Out

According to The Knot's 2025 study, only about 10% of engaged couples met at work. That number has been shrinking for years. At the same time, 27% of couples who married met through a dating app. The raw numbers make it look like apps have won. But raw numbers do not tell you much about quality.

SHRM published research in 2025 showing that more than half of U.S. workers have been in or are currently involved in a workplace romance. That is a large portion of the working population. And 74% of them said the relationship was worth it. So while fewer people end up marrying someone from the office, a strong majority of those who date a coworker look back on it favorably.

What the Person Beside You Knows That a Profile Cannot Show

Office relationships carry real risk. There are power dynamics, gossip, and the fallout if things end badly. But the person you work with over months or years reveals themselves in ways a curated profile never will. You see how they handle stress, how they treat people with no authority, how they respond when a project falls apart. That kind of attraction beyond looks builds slowly and on solid ground. SHRM's 2025 research found that 74% of workers who had a workplace romance said it was worth it.

A 2025 cross-cultural study covering 50 countries found that couples who meet online report lower relationship satisfaction and less intense feelings of love than those who meet in person. Meanwhile, 78% of dating app users report burnout. The numbers suggest something straightforward: proximity and time spent together produce stronger bonds than algorithmic matching. Meeting someone at work has its pitfalls, but the connection tends to start from something real rather than a photo and a bio.

App Fatigue Is Real and Growing

The burnout numbers are hard to ignore. Among Gen Z users, 79% say they feel exhausted by dating apps sometimes, often, or always. That is nearly 4 out of 5 young people who are supposed to be the core audience for these platforms. Match Group, one of the largest companies in the space, saw its paid usership drop 5% year over year to 14.2 million users. People are pulling back.

There is a simple reason for this. Scrolling through profiles for hours, exchanging messages that go nowhere, and meeting strangers who look nothing like their photos is tiring. The process turns human connection into something that feels like a second job. And the returns keep diminishing the longer you do it.

Why Seeing Someone Every Day Changes Things

When you work with someone, you build a shared vocabulary. You know the same people, deal with the same problems, and operate on a similar schedule. None of that requires effort to maintain. It happens because you are already there.

Dating apps force you to manufacture context from scratch. You have to find common ground with a stranger over text, then hope it translates in person. Sometimes it does. Often it does not. The Institute for Family Studies has data showing that among married young adults, 76% of those who met at church reported being very happy, compared to 61% who met online. Church is another setting where people see each other regularly and form bonds through repeated, low-pressure interaction. The pattern holds across in-person meeting places.

The Pitfalls Are Real, So Be Honest About Them

Nobody should pretend that office romances are risk-free. If a relationship involves a manager and a direct report, the power imbalance is a serious problem. If things end poorly, you still have to see that person at 9 AM on Monday. Some companies have strict policies about disclosure, and ignoring those policies can cost you your position.

But these risks are known quantities. You can assess them before you act. You can talk to the person involved, read your company's handbook, and make an informed decision. App dating has its own set of risks that people talk about less: catfishing, safety concerns with meeting strangers, and the psychological toll of constant rejection.

The Quiet Advantage of Slow Familiarity

A profile gives you a highlight reel. Working alongside someone gives you a full picture, unfiltered and over time. You learn if they are kind when no one is watching. You find out if they keep their word on small things. Those observations accumulate without any pressure to perform or impress.

That slow accumulation of knowledge about another person is hard to replicate through an app. It takes months and shared circumstances. Work provides both of those things automatically.

So Which Is Better?

The honest answer is that it depends on your situation, your workplace, and the person. But the data leans in one direction. In-person connections produce happier, more satisfied couples. App users are burning out at alarming rates. And people who date coworkers overwhelmingly say they would do it again.

The risks of a workplace romance are real, visible, and manageable. The risks of app dating are quieter but cumulative. Given the choice between the two, the person sitting across from you in the conference room might be a better bet than the person in your phone.

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