Love in the air
Of those who dated someone from the office, three in ten ended up marrying their office sweetheart. Reuters

Was that an accidental clash of legs under the office table or is a colleague trying to kick up a naughty game of footsie ahead of Valentine's Day?

According to CareerBuilder.co.uk, it may be more than an accidental clash as two in five (39%) of UK employees have admitted to dating someone who worked for the same company.

The research, which questioned 1,000 people in January, also revealed that 16% of respondents have courted a colleague more than once.

"Whether you are in an office or outside, when you fall for someone it just happens," said Scott Helmes, managing director of CareerBuilder UK.

He added: "If your valentine is in the office, remember to always keep it professional during business hours.

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"Company policy doesn't have to be a romance killer, but always consult it first and make sure that your romance is not making your other co-workers uncomfortable."

The study also found that the budding office romance may even lead all the way to the altar, or possibly to a new job.

Of those who dated someone from the office, three in ten (29%) ended up marrying their office sweetheart.

While one in ten workers admitted to having to leave their job because of their romantic relationship with a co-worker.

CareerBuilder said most office romances start by co-workers simply working together (57%) or at a work social (13%).

The survey also revealed some other situations that led to romance include running into each other outside of work (12%), company party (8%), and on a business trip (4%).