‘Dating At Work’
March 18, 2009
Should I Date in the Workplace?
When love comes along there is no rhyme or reason as to when it is going to happen or where. Office romance is a very dangerous and risky situation but it happens all of the time in today’s society. The bad thing is that it is very hard to be able to keep an office romance hidden for extended periods of time. You do, however, need to make sure that your office romance is not interfering with your work performance and that you can uphold to the rules and policies at work. You should not be interfering in any way with the work of colleagues or other around you. You should be able to enjoy a romance that is not full of hassle and heartache.
Helpful Hints for Office Romance
Physical Attraction
For example, let’s say there is a person in the office that you feel attracted to, but you are not sure if he/she feels the same way. The first thing you need to do is try to read the person’s body language and look for signals to whether the attraction is reciprocated. Does the person seem to be around your office space more than usual? Does this person take the same lunch hours as you do? Are you getting flirty emails from this person?
Adhere to Company Rules
There are certain companies that do not allow office romance. As an example, a doctor is not allowed to date a nurse because they feel it will affect productivity. You need to go through the company guidelines and see if there is a rule against dating a fellow co-worker. If you find there is a policy against dating co-workers then you need to discuss this with your superiors because there could be serious consequences. There may be solutions available to try and make the situation work such as transferring to another department.
Don’t make it obvious
The office grapevine thrives on information about ongoing or failed colleague romances. If you do not want everyone in the workplace talking about you and your partner while you are gone then you should consider keeping the relationship as discreet as you possibly can.
Avoid Dating Your Boss
Relationships with anyone who has control over your promotion, raises, and career advancements will cause problems with your colleagues. Some might accuse you of taking advantage, capitalizing you’re your relationship, give you a bad name in the workplace and cause problems with your career. Not to mention that the fallout could be even worse if the relationship fails.
Don’t Show the Romance in Public
To appear as professional as possible, you should avoid public displays of affection while in office, saving hand holding and caressing for hours that the both of you have exited the office. Also try to avoid sending love messages to one another while in the office, because if someone else accidentally views your lovey-dovey emails, then you just might become the butt of everyone’s jokes in the office.































