As you glance at your colleagues tapping furiously away at the computer, working — er — “diligently” at their tasks, you might be completely in the dark about the intense, passionate affairs they’re having — with one another.
Illicit internet liaisons really may not be any of your business, but when it comes to losing money — oh, it should be all of your concern. According to a 2013 Victoria Milan survey, online cheaters cost businesses a whopping $17 million a day.
Cheating spouses confessed to spending an average of 1.17 hours chatting up a side-floozy on company time. Nearly 40 percent admitted to spending 30 minutes getting a little cyberspace hanky-panky in while on the job — 25 percent admitted to wasting an hour. Eighteen percent spent more than two hours tapping their committed relationships away into depths of hell.
“Imagine if they only put that much effort into their existing relationship or work?” Business2Community wondered.
Victoria Milan calculated that businesses lose an average of $17,304,300 per day in lost productivity thanks to infidelity. That’s a stab at the heart and the money. Ouch!
But I wondered — how else does cheating affect our business responsibilities? It’s time for another “by the numbers” edition. Let’s take a look at cheating on the job, shall we?
What better way to cover up your extramarital affairs than by going on a — er — “business trip.” A discouraging 36 percent of men and 13 percent of women succumbed to temptation while trekking out of town, The Huffington Post wrote, quoting the book The Normal Bar.
That’s no surprise at all since the workplace is a breeding ground for seduction. According to GoodTherapy, 85 percent of salacious affairs begin at work.
“The close interaction, travel, and unavoidable closeness may lead to strong friendships and emotional attachments outside your marriage. The workplace provides opportunity and proximity to people outside your family,” GoodTherapy added.
Interestingly, there are certain professions that are more prone to have cheaters than others. Boston.com gives on the scoop on which careers have the most wandering eyes:
Entrepreneurs
These self-starters are most likely to have an affair; 17 percent and 13 percent of men and women, respectively, cheat in this field. Entrepreneurship draws in risk-taking, daredevil personalities, which makes ’em more inclined to step out on their partners. Entrepreneurs also travel quite often — and we know how that goes. There is an upside, though: Employers needn’t worry about them wasting company time because, well, they’re their own bosses.
Finance
Like entrepreneurship, finance requires the ability to assess risk. So if temptation prevents the financier with an opportunity for a little gamble, and the risk seems minimal, they just might take the dangerous plunge. Sixteen percent of men and 18 percent of women in the finance field mix a little too much business with pleasure.
Medical
The medical field exposes workers to life-changing events every day — and you’re sharing these heart-gripping moments with your fellow employees, not your spouse. This degree of closeness leads to 15 percent and 16 percent of men and women, respectively, seeking comfort from outside their home.
Education
After a long year of taxing work with kids and grading, teachers get three months off for play — and may be having a little too much fun. “People in education have a summer of love opportunity unlike other professions that don’t have three months of downtime,” said Ashley Madison’s CEO Noel Biderman. Seven percent of male teachers cheat while nine percent of women do the same.
At the end of the day, these numbers leave us hanging with the age old question: “Why, oh why do we cheat?” Are we doing it to reaffirm our desirability? To boost our egos? To get something more out of an unsatisfying relationship? Cafe Mocha Radio, this weekend, will be discussing just that. Tune in to discover what Maxwell Billieon, author of Death of the Cheating Man, has to say.
Whatever it the answer is, it’s costing employers a painful amount of millions and breaking countless hearts.
