Cupid’s arrow can strike in the most unlikely of places and that is exactly how many of us end up in an office romance. Love and romance is mostly a good thing and most of us are all for it but your workplace is a professional environment and there are a few guidelines to be followed when taking your private sentiments and feelings to work with you every day. This list of do’s and don’ts to remember when contemplating starting up an office romance or indulging in one is very important for those of us who take our careers as seriously as our love life. Read further to know more in our video chat roulette blog.
Do’s
- Being attracted to a colleague is quite normal as we do not leave our physical and emotional needs at home when we walk into the office. Being able to get a handle on these emotions and feelings is of paramount importance in an office environment. Many organizations and businesses have a strict “No Fraternization” policy. An honest and dedicated employee will pay heed to these regulations and not act on an attraction one feels towards a colleague.
- If there are no such policies at your place of work, the onus is still on you and your partner to set boundaries to ensure that your affection for each other does not disrupt the working environment.
- It best to see enough of each other after working hours so that your place of work doesn’t double up as a dating venue. This generally means you should enjoy plenty of couple’s activities and personal communications during intimate and fun dates after office hours and on weekends.
- Let your boss and your immediate supervisors know of your relations status. This is one way to avoid a scandal created by jealous coworkers who could do the same behind your back. This eliminates any hint of impropriety.
Don’ts
- Don’t indulge in any sort of PDA (public displays of affection) during office hours or in the office premises.
- Don’t sneak off to some corner of the office to indulge in private displays of affection. Even if dating your colleague isn’t an offense, such adolescent behavior might get you and your partner the pink slip. At the very least this could cause irreparable damage to your reputation as a responsible adult if you are caught.
- Do not date emotionally unstable coworkers; no matter how physically attractive they may be. One way to ensure this is to know your coworker well before going ahead with a romantic alliance. High-strung, loose-tongued coworkers are a complete no-no when it comes to office romances.
- Avoid mistakenly indulging in extra-marital or tricky relationships by doing research on your coworker. Many have girlfriends or boyfriends and husbands or wives outside the office that you wouldn’t probably know of if you didn’t care to find out.
- Do not indulge in lover’s tiffs and arguments during office hours or anywhere within the office premises. All office relationships are happy ones on the surface; for the benefit of those who work with you.
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