Long hours at work, cups of coffee, spending time together and random conversations and chats might end up in having attraction to your colleague. Dating a fellow co-worker is no longer a taboo as it was. As we spend almost half of our lives at work and with those we work with, being in a relationship with someone is in your office has become common these days. People who spend long hours in the office find it extremely difficult to find love outside because of the lifestyle. They search for their partners in workplace which is any day safer than going for blind dates. You know the person, have spent time with them and do not need to start from the scratch.
However the point to note is that office romance is often fraught with complications and if anything goes wrong, it can leave you with a bad reputation and career. To make things work, you need to manage the relationship well and avoid any potential pitfalls. If you are already eyeing your colleague read on to find out the do’s and don’ts of office romance.
DO- Keep work and personal life separate
You need to behave matured and balanced enough to respect and honor the fact that a colleague is different from a lover. You both shouldn’t let your emotions come in way or affect your work anyhow.
DO- Plan the end before
You should decide it beforehand what you are going to do if the relationship fails. You should mutually agree not to hurt or embarrass the other in the work place.
DON’T- Travel for business together
People may start gossiping and can raise a lot of troubling questions. There will be a lot of questions on your stay; expenses etc so stay out of it.
DON’T- Show off your relationship
Try and keep your relationship as discreet as possible and maintain a professional relationship at workplace. It’s good to be in love however when things get sour, it might get ugly in office.
DO- Date someone of equal authority and status
If you get involved with your senior or boss, you are most likely to create envy and tension amongst your fellow workers. You wouldn’t be appreciated for your work and would consider the boss to be partial to you. They might blame your raise or promotion on the favoritism of your boss. If you are dating your boss, it’s best not to work in the same company.
DO: Understand the challenges of workplace romance
You might face problems such as jealousy can affect your relationship as well as your productivity at work. If you are at the same level you might as well be competing against it each other.
DON’T- Talk about your relationship with your colleagues
Your colleagues might want to delve into all the details to gossip about it but to matter how good they are and what they say, they are going to judge you on it
DON’T- Get involved physically soon
Take time to develop the relationship first and do not get involved in a physical relationship soon. You both should be comfortable with each other and should understand each other well before rushing into things. You both should be on the same page before you move ahead.
DON’T- Behave inappropriately at work
Don’t send personal messages on your work email as things might get nasty when someone reads them. It can also be used against you if things turn sour. Do not hold hands, kiss or cuddle in office, find a different place.
DO- Stay ethical
Try and be ethical and committed to work and do not let your work suffer because of your romance.
Before you start dating someone from office understand of the kind of consequences that it comes with and once you are convinced that it’s worth a shot, you can go ahead with it.
Would you ever date someone in office?
