Love in the Workplace

What report? It can wait a few minutes

Full disclosure, I met my husband on the job. We started out as friends then progressed into a romantic relationship and today as they say the rest is history.

According to this Careerbuilder.com survey, 4 out of 10 employees have dated someone at work and 3 in 10 workers who had office romance married their co-worker. Let's face it, it would be weird if people didn't date each other in the work place. We spend more of our waking hours in close proximity with our colleagues and since we work together, we  most likely share common interests and goals plus the office is a much more conducive environment for people to get to know each other on an intimate level unlike say a bar or at a party.

Most organizations have been known to discourage office romance and some have out-rightly placed a ban on it. This is usually to guard against conflict of interest and to promote fairness among employees. Some firms frown at it because of the issue of confidentiality and have argued that office romance disrupts work and encroaches on company time.

But is office romance bad for work? Should it be encouraged? Is it for you? Before you start flirting with that handsome guy in accounts, here are a few things to consider:

Be aware of your company's policy, although there are no specific company laws that forbid office romance, some organizations have their own policies in place that inhibit it. You want to be sure you are not on the wrong side of your company's books before going into a relationship with your co-worker.

Be discreet about it, yes we get it, you are in love and want to shout it from the rooftops, but you have to consider your colleagues, some people are skeeved out by public displays of affection and may find your constant flirtation with you SO disruptive. Decide if you want to confide in a few colleagues as this will make people lose interest in your relationship thus keeping it out of office gossip. But you should also note that telling people may also incite jealousy and may make some of your co-workers to start treating you differently.

Be prepared for the worst and plan accordingly even though the odds are pretty neat about office romances ending in successful marriages, you should consider the impact if the relationship goes south. Are there clients or projects you both work for? Would you be able to put your differences aside and work effectively? What about your colleagues, would they have to choose sides in the event of a breakup?

Try to avoid supervisor/subordinate relationships, avoid dating someone who reports to you as there are so many pitfalls with these  kinds of office relationship dynamics, issues like favoritism, sexual harassment or even discrimination claims can spring up.

So do you still want to go ahead with flirting with the handsome guy in accounts? Click here to read some experiences and opinions.