'Surge' in cheating this month as workers return to the office, survey finds
Increasing numbers of employees are set to return to office desks this September as people return from summer holidays and the pandemic trend for working from home wanes.
However, an unexpected side-effect of this, according to a survey commissioned by Illicit Encounters, a dating site for affairs, is a "surge" in workplace romances this month.
But it's not just the singletons, researchers said there would be a rise in cheating as employees have the first proper opportunity to stray in over a year.
While researchers said there was always a rise in post-summer affairs, this autumn is likely to see an even more pronounced effect.
Read more: A day in the life of a sex therapist in lockdown
The survey's results point towards "record numbers" being open to an affair after becoming tired with their current partners.
After questioning 2,000 members, they found that 78% believed that working back at the office would make it easier to cheat with a colleague.
They also discovered that the pandemic had lead to 54% of people reassessing their relationship.
Meanwhile, 34% of women admitted to feeling less sexual desire towards their other half since coronavirus arrived, compared to 32% of men.
Read more: This is the time of year people have most sex
In April, Illicit Encounters predicted there would be an "explosion" in cheating as pandemic restrictions eased and after large swathes of the UK population were vaccinated.
That survey showed 74% were planning to start sleeping around within months, with jabs giving would-be cheaters peace of mind when it came to breaking the then-in-place social distancing regulations.
The survey also discovered that 86% of users felt "more relaxed" about having extra-marital liaisons, knowing that many would soon have a layer of protection from the virus.
However, the research revealed that some hadn't even waited for vaccines to take effect properly before getting intimate with someone outside of their bubble.
A third of those who took part admitted breaking lockdown for sex – including 44% of under-30s who said they'd broken the rules for a steamy encounter.
Watch: Sex positions that burn the most calories
