Why do Men Flirt in the Workplace?

At Dating Agency RSVP, we were recently asked an interesting question, which we thought best to share with our followers. Why do men flirt in the workplace?

Some common thoughts are that men try to flirt their way to the top! Psychologists who have studied this disagree, finding men who flirt at work actually lack in sensitivity. This would suggest there is no real benefit in flirting, to advance any career progression. Low job satisfaction is another possibility, if lacking in motivation or easily distracted, the chance to flirt will give him something fun to do, adding a bit of excitement to what so far has been yet another unsatisfying day.

This possible theory was investigated by business psychologists Chadi Moussa and Adrian Banks from the University of Surrey, through a questionnaire that measured flirting behaviours at work, job satisfaction, self reported job performance, and personality. Said Chadi: “Previous research has shown that people flirt for various reasons, which include increasing their self-esteem, fun and romance. If men are feeling unsatisfied in their roles, then they may resort to flirting to keep them entertained and this would partially explain the negative relationship. While flirting can have benefits, excessive flirting at work may be a sign that you’re unsatisfied with your job or simply bored. These findings contradict popular notions that flirting at work can make employees mores satisfied or perform better”.

So what reasons are there to explain the flirtatious male in the workplace? One thing that has crossed our mind is, perhaps a lack in confidence or low self esteem around women is actually what causes men to go into “flirt mode”, therefore deflecting away from any confidence issues that arise when placed in difficult situations.

RSVP’s dating coach Stephanie Robinson regularly holds personal coaching sessions to help build the confidence of people who struggle in these scenarios.

Booking a session with Steph would certainly help both your confidence and self-esteem. Then afterwards why not test it out the best possible way, by booking on a selection of RSVP singles events?