Office Romance? 5 Things To Consider
By GalTime .com. Posted on .
With today's fast paced lifestyle, it can be tough to find the time to meet a man. That's why so many women end up peering over their office cubicle to see if a co-worker might be "Mr. Right."
But workplace romance can be fraught with complications. GalTime checked in with an expert-- Michael Crom, Executive Vice President of Dale Carnegie Training, to see what the "right" way is to conduct an office romance.
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According to Crom, there are five main points to consider.
5 Office Romance Do's and Don'ts
1. Do Check Company Policy: If your company policy forbids dating inside of the office, ask yourself if it’s worth potentially losing your job. If your professional life is more important than your personal life, it probably isn’t worth the risk and anxiety that will accompany your relationship.
2. Do Save Gifts and Romance for Outside of the Office: Don’t send flowers or chocolates to your partner’s desk. There should be absolutely no PDA at work.
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3. Do Keep Your Business and Social Lives Separate: If you start dating a coworker, make sure you establish boundaries early in the relationship. Don’t let your love life affect your ability to do your job. Remember that it isn't just you and your partner that are involved, it's your entire office and the future of the company's dating policy.
4. Don’t Date Your Boss: We highly advise against dating a boss or senior member of the company. This will absolutely cause tension between you and your coworkers
5. Do Avoid Arguments That Involve The Whole Office: One of Dale Carnegie’s core principles is to avoid arguments. If you argue at work it could make things difficult not just for the two of you, but also for the entire office and as a result, bring into question the future of the company dating policy.
GalTime: How do you make sure your other co-workers aren't uncomfortable with the office romance?
Michael Crom: It’s important to maintain a good relationship with your boss and co-workers, but keep your office romance discreet. If you find yourself talking about your significant other in the office, keep details to a minimum. Too much information will make your co-workers feel uncomfortable, and saying too much can cause rumors. If you find that your co-workers are still very uncomfortable, try to see things from their perspective and talk to them about what you could do differently to improve the situation.
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GT: When is the right time to tell your boss?
MC: Office romance isn’t black and white, so there is no “right” time to tell your boss. In general, if there is a specific reason why you may have to tell your boss about your relationship, such as it’s affecting your work level or making people in the office feel uncomfortable, then bring it up.
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