As people find themselves consumed by the demands of the workplace, it becomes more difficult to block as much time as one would like for outside social activities. One of the results is that the number of romantic relationships among co-workers has been increasing.

According to a Vault.com nationwide survey, office romances increased from 47% in 2003 to 58% in 2006. That should hardly be surprising, given the difficulties in creating effective work life balance. During the time management training sessions that I conduct for companies and associations, the struggle to block out hours for oneself and family activities is one of the top-rated frustrations.If you are spending increasing numbers of hours in the work place, logically you get to know colleagues better. Many people find that most of their social time now revolves around activities with co-workers. While good relationships (and not just romantic ones) are valuable to a company, everyone needs to experience a break from work issues.

This is not to say that meeting someone special through a work situation is a bad thing. I personally know of several great marriages where colleagues met while working at the same company. Rather the question is, “What fun have you had outside the office this week?” Are you carrying work or work-related stress home with you? Being aware is the first step to making changes. If you do not feel you have enough of a division between work and personal life, start to examine ways that you can mentally escape.