It's that special time of year when romance is in the air and the American workplace is abuzz. In fact, nearly four in 10 workers would consider dating a coworker, and nearly four in 10 have done so, according to the latest Spherion(R) Workplace Snapshot survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R). And with 25 percent of such romances leading to the altar, Cupid is busy.

Despite 41 percent of U.S. workers thinking that a workplace romance would jeopardize their job security or advancement opportunities -- up from 36 percent last year -- 39 percent have already had a workplace romance and the same percentage would consider it. The romance is apparently worth the risk, as 42 percent of workers conduct their romance openly, compared to 35 percent who consider it top secret.

Women are more likely than men to feel that a romantic relationship at work might jeopardize their jobs (47 percent versus 36 percent), so it's not surprising that -- of those who have had a workplace romance -- more women than men kept it under wraps (41 percent compared to 31 percent). Where does it end? Women are more likely to date for several years (21 percent) compared to men (11 percent), but men are somewhat more inclined to take it to the altar than women (27 percent versus 23 percent). Older workers are much more likely to report having married their valentines than workers under age 30, and workers under age 40 are more likely to date openly.

"The results of this survey confirm what we know intuitively -- that many workers find opportunities for romance where they work," says John Heins, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Spherion. "The new wrinkle is the explosion of online venues such as blogs, YouTube and social networking sites, which provide very public means for personal news to be shared. Becoming a target of gossip on the Internet does have the potential to affect career advancement and job security, especially when the relationship is clearly not appropriate. Workers today should be realistic about whether they can keep a workplace romance secret and should also be aware of the inherent risks."