Love and money have always made volatile bedfellows. So the spate of Valentine’s Day surveys has made for interesting reading. One claims that over half of the admittedly small sample surveyed has had an affair at work, and most bosses turn a blind eye. Meanwhile, according to recruitment giant Monster, Brits are quite happy to dally at work, with only the Irish proving more amorous when it comes to office affairs.

But if policy-pushers have their way, workplace hanky-panky will be monitored out of existence. Then where’s a busy exec to find love?
“As competition for jobs gets keener, working hours are on the increase, work appears to dominate. People are working longer hours and have little time and energy to organize a social life,” according to entrepreneur Hillie Marshall. She also sees the blossoming freelance culture as a contributor: when you work with others, you get used to interacting with others and tend to socialise more. Working on your own makes people more insular.”

All of which is very good for her business, Dinner Dates, founded to address this problem: “I was going through my own divorce, and my mind concentrated on the singles scene and I saw a gap in the market.” The business holds membership events and dinner parties to attract late 30s and 40s professionals (many of whom are directors, according to Marshall) to “splendid” venues—Mosimann’s, Just St James and One Whitehall Place are just a few. Dinner Dates is keen to avoid the “matchmaking” tag: it puts like-minded—single—people together over dinner, theatre visits and other events.

“In general, more ladies are joining Dinner Dates, as women seem to be more active than men about changing their single status,” she adds.
Overall, the business is booming, buoyed up by a strong sector—entrepreneur Matt Kepple has just launched Gradulicious, a similar set up but for young graduates looking to socialize with like-minds in the Big Smoke. 

“The singles scenes is an ever increasing market and there is less and less stigma attached to joining a singles organisation and our company continues to grow,” says Marshall. But its high success rate could prove problematic for Dinner Dates, so Marshall’s new business, launching in March, is a natural progression: “Dinner with Friends” will accommodate couples meeting couples at social events.

Mentor: I like to discuss new ideas and opportunities with my husband Angus

Good director: Stuart Rose, chief executive of Marks & Spencer, who has turned the company around

Ideal dinner party: Princess Diana, Kylie Minogue, Dawn French, Julie Walters, Stephen Fry, Jeremy Clarkson, Andrew Marr, Bill Bryson