by Joan Curtis

Created on: September 17, 2007

Now that we no longer have a male-dominated workforce, we are facing new questions and dilemmas. Perhaps the questions are not so new, but they have taken a new turn. In the past, say 15 to 20 years ago, office romance of any kind was considered taboo. Today, however, according to Bixler and Dugan in their book, Five Steps to Professional Presence, there are more office romances than in any other environment. They say office romances are as common as laptops. What we need to do therefore is examine the question, should you or shouldn't you within the framework of risk. Like it or not, any office romance entails some degree of risk.

Major Considerations

First, every article you read about this subject will tell you to check your company rules. Some companies, particularly the larger ones have very definite rules about office romance. You can't do it. If you do, you'll be fired and so will your partner. Pretty harsh. If you work for a company like this, you need to think twice before embarking on an office affair. Other companies have rules, but they tend to turn the other cheek in some circumstances. Smaller companies seem to be more most relaxed.

Second, who are you interested in? If it's your boss, forget it. Think about the ramifications of working for someone and having a relationship with someone. Logic tells you that's not such a good idea. If it's your subordinate, ditto. In these situations no matter how much you think you are above the fray, power issues come into play.

Third, what is your marital status and what is the marital status of your partner? If either or both of you are married and worse with children, you are treading on dangerous territory. No matter how liberated we are as a culture, we still value loyalty. Loyalty is particularly valued in the work place. When you violate the sacred trust of marriage, people question your loyalty.

The Modern Work Environment

Given these important considerations, work place romance is more pronounced in the modern work environment than ever before. Why?

1.More single, young people in the work place of both sexes.

2.Opportunities to meet people of similar interests, skills and tastes are too tempting.

3.Safe environment for encounters versus bars or other unsavory places.

4.People are thrown together to work on projects. They depend and trust each other to carry out tasks. As the proverbial saying goes, one thing leads to another.

5.Companies are recognizing the loss if they fire people who simply fell in love

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