When it comes to mixing business with pleasure, dentists are not far behind James Bond. One of five dentists admitted to dating a co-worker or employee, according to a recent Wealthy Dentist survey.
Highlights from the survey:
- Of the surveyed dentists, 21% admitted to having office romances.
- Of the surveyed men, 24% had been in office relationships, while of the surveyed women, only 10% admitted to work romances.
- Most office romances take place in suburban areas, with 24% of the polled dentists saying they had been in a relationship at work. In urban areas, 21% said yes; rural areas had the lowest rate at 10%.
- A higher percentage (24%) of specialists said yes to office romances than general dentists (20%).
"While it was quite passionate and enjoyable, it clouded my judgment on some important office dynamics," said one Illinois dentist quoted in the survey results. "It almost cost me my office in that it killed morale. Thanks to a great staff, they stuck with me."
"At a time in my life when I needed a sympathetic ear, I found my dental assistant to be loving and caring," said a New York dentist in the survey. "My feeling is this: If the relationship is consensual, and the two colleagues can separate business from personal issues, try to make a go of it. My personal life, if kept private from the day-to-day operations of the office, is my own business."
