More and more employees are working for companies on a temporary basis before taking full-time positions. They liken the experience to dating, and see their employers as prospective matches. Many workers fear rushing into their job without getting a sense of the culture and environment in which they will work; working as a temp first offers them this chance. Of course, the employer may too be just 'dating' the worker, which could lead to a nasty breakup.
See "The Workplace: When your job can be like a date", Tanya Mohn, International Herald Tribune, March 13, 2006