St. Louis County Chief of Staff Calvin Harris recently resigned after the release of a sex tape that was filmed in a government building. The event raised lots of questions about sexual relationships at the workplace.
Linda Weiner is a sex therapist in St. Louis. She joined Total Information AM to give some insight into the issue. As a sexologist, she sees patients from all walks of life -- couples with imbalanced sex drives, erectile difficulties, and even people having fertility issues.
Weiner said that statistics indicate 18% of employees have had a hookup with a coworker at some time. As for what drives workplace sexual encounters, there are a few things.
"When you're in the workplace, you are working on projects cooperatively with other people in meetings," she said. "You know, there's a camaraderie. And one reason that might happen is that people begin to feel close to one another with continued contact."
Another reason, Weiner said, is that the act being so taboo can be a motivator for some people.
"Some people are highly impulsive and sensation seekers. And to them, a rapidly beating heart is is not a bad thing, it's sort of a charge," she said. "So, sometimes personality, sometimes personal history. They may come from a family in which cheating was okay, and risky behavior was acceptable or practice."
Weiner also addressed that not all workplace sexual encounters are consensual.
"I think we're just turning the corner on sexual harassment. And I think everyone is familiar with what it is, but we still continue to have a problem with it," she said. "Particularly when there's a power inequity."
Weiner gave context to the idea of "sex addiction," which some people cite as a reason for workplace sexual encounters.
"We no longer use the term sexual addiction, because it's theorized that you can't be addicted to sex," she said. "Though others would argue that the hormones, the excitement, and so on, creates a physiological change in the body, which when removed, increases a sense of loss and longing. So there are chemicals released. So is it addiction? Or is it better understood as a compulsion?"