by Karen Chamchuk

Created on: August 09, 2011   Last Updated: August 17, 2011

Many people make a love connection in their place of work. In fact, many office romances turn into engagements and marriages. And this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives at work so it only makes sense that we would meet and fall in love with someone there as well. However, when it comes to dating someone in your office, there are smart ways and some not-so-smart ways to handle the whole situation.

Be discreet

First of all, you need to discuss with that special someone if and when you should tell others that you are dating. If you are dating your boss, it’s a good idea to keep it a secret for as long as possible. If your co-workers learn about your relationship, they may be suspicious that you will be treated differently. The last thing you want is for people to think that you are being given less challenging assignments or that you are being given special treatment. If you are dating your subordinate, you should also try to keep the relationship quiet for the same reasons. However, if you are dating a co-worker or someone who works in a different department than you, feel free to tell whomever you like about the relationship.

Stay focused

Don’t allow your work to suffer because of your office romance. It can be difficult to stay focused on the task at hand when your girlfriend or boyfriend is in the next room. However, if you are e-mailing and texting each other every few minutes, or making excuses to walk by each other’s desk 20 times a day, your work is going to suffer. You need to make it a priority to maintain your productivity or you run the risk of being fired.

Be professional    

Make an effort to keep your work and social life separate when you are dating someone from work. This means setting aside your evenings and weekends to spend with this person. If you don’t make an effort to see each other outside of work, it will be very difficult to keep an appropriate distance during the day. Respect the feelings of others in your office and keep your public displays of affection to a minimum. If you can’t last a whole day apart, then spend your lunch breaks together – somewhere that you can have a bit more privacy.

Consider the risks

Before you start dating someone at work, you will want to ask yourself how your work environment will be affected if the relationship ends. Will you be able to tolerate working in the same office with your ex or will it be too awkward? Will you have opportunities in the future to transfer to a different branch? Maybe you were considering leaving your current employer to go back to school. If this is your situation, then you won’t be taking too much of a risk by dating a co-worker.

In conclusion, there are many things to consider when dating someone from your office such as who to tell about the relationship and whether your work environment will be tolerable if the relationship ends. Above all, you need to maintain your professionalism and never let your work performance suffer. If you follow these tips, you should be able to hold onto both your job and your relationship. And keep in mind that you should always put your best face forward at work, even before you become interested in someone. You never know….that cute guy you said hello to on your first day could one day be your life partner.

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