One woman has revealed the sensational story of meeting her husband for the first time in a job interview and the consequences that followed both of them.
Workplace relationships are fairly common in the UK, with past research from TUC revealing that one in five married couples met at work.
However, due to recent high-profile work romance controversies, namely former ITV presenter Philip Scofield, being in a secret relationship with a younger colleague, companies are implementing stricter policies over workplace relationships.
Amanda Garland was a recent undergraduate at the time, looking to make her first significant step into the professional working industry. She had secured an in-person interview for a job, with three younger males tasked with assessing her credentials and learning more about her.
After nervously touching on her education at the start of the interview, Garland eventually eased up as the three interviewers also became more laid back. One of the men, Jason, caught Garland's attention due to his humour and she soon became obsessed with landing the job just to be around him.
She secured the entry-level vacancy and began being supervised by one of the other two males she spoke with in her job interview. Garland was delighted to be employed by the organisation despite the low pay as it was a good launchpad for her career.
Jason was leading another group of new staff, with Garland frustrated that she was not working under him instead.
Garland was able to strike a friendship with three other new female employees. One of them told her that Jason appeared interested in taking her out on a date.
One night, Jason asked Garland out and she happily went along with him. Soon after they were properly dating, with nobody else in the know for a little period.
However, staff eventually became informed about the two's relationship at a company Christmas gathering, with some being fine with the revelation and some not so much.
Tensions and animosity built up inside Garland's department as she would get teased about her and Jason's relationship. Some staff would want little to do with Garland which left her feeling isolated.
Garland felt that some employees thought she was using her body to gain the attention of those above her in the organisation and help her climb the ranks.
A small promotion was handed to Garland, but she soon realised that her and Jason's time at the company would never be the same again. She was forbidden from receiving any supervision from Jason and could not work with him.
Due to the risk of them crossing paths and working for or alongside each other in the future, the pair were not considered for promotions. The severe lack of opportunities caused frustrations as it halted the career growth of both.
Garland switched to a new role in the company's IT department, which helped relieve the stress she was experiencing before. Despite this initial period of calmness, tensions soon transferred to her new department as Jason was seen at her desk, angering her new boss.
Due to staff timing on how long Garland would spend in Jason's office and the couple's interactions being heavily monitored, they started emailing each other instead of meeting in person on company grounds.
The couple tied the knot and two years later chose to quit the company as Jason received an attractive job offer from elsewhere. Staff were shocked to find they were departing as married couples typically worked for longer at the company.
The burden on Garland and Jason's marriage was significantly lifted due to the work change as they would not be required to discuss work issues and deal with tensions at the office. Now, the couple are delighted to be working apart and thriving in their separate careers.
Despite the negative reaction work bosses may naturally have towards two employees being in a relationship, global leadership coach, Margot Faraci, believes office romances can boost a company.
She explains: "When handled the right way, workplace relationships can bring people closer together and make them more engaged. Leaders might just see workplace romances as a savvy investment."
