If you are thinking about dating your coworker, there are many things to consider. The company policy concerning dating and being professional all the time is obviously of utmost importance, but there are setting boundaries and breakup aspects to think about as well.
Office romances happen all the time. Many people have found love in the office space and even date their coworkers. Even Bill Gates and Melinda Gates met at Microsoft when she joined as a product manager. They dated for seven years before finally getting married.
Even though it worked for the philanthropists, dating in the office can also hurt your career before you start that Romeo and Juliet in the office. Here are 10 things to consider before dating your coworker.
1. Check With Company Policy First
Many organizations do not allow office romance for apparent reasons. Others may allow it, but with strict restrictions and adherence to guidelines. Before you go on changing your Facebook status, you might want to check with your company first.
A conversation with your human resources manager will provide answers. Try to read and understand any instructions they tell you to follow.
If your company allows you to date your coworker, then you can change your Facebook status. If they won’t let it, sorry, there is nothing you can do about it. Don’t date your coworker in secrecy; it won’t end well.
2. Let Everyone Know
Everything changes once you start dating your coworker, especially your private life. So, don’t wait until the rumours start flying around; be the one to break it.
Let your boss be aware first, then your other coworkers. The idea is to display a high level of maturity. Don’t allow people to ruin your romance for no substantial reason.
People are going to be asking you all sorts of questions about your relationship. Whatever you do, don’t allow them to make you the subject of office gossip.
Have a plan with your partner on how you’re going to break the news to the others. A photo on social media is a perfect way to start.
3. Set Boundaries
Relationships anywhere can be distracting. Dating someone you’re going to be seeing every day in the office is going to be more challenging.
That’s why, at the beginning of your relationship, you must set boundaries. The two of you must come together and agree on levels of interactions within office premises.
No flirting, no excessive romantic eye contact, and no copy room kissing. The temptation to engage in such activities will come, but the wise thing will be to avoid it. Any escalations will most likely put you both in trouble.
4. You’re Going to Have Too Much of Your Partner
People in a relationship only see during the weekends or weekdays after work. If you’re dating a coworker, you’ll be seeing each other every day.
Most people who’ve never dated someone they have to see every day think this is cool. It’s not. You could get bored with each other.
That element of surprise and the desires that arise from a few days of absence will be missing.
It will be tough, but you have to train yourself to avoid each other within office hours. Take your mind off your partner and focus on your work.
Worry more about deadlines and keeping your boss or supervisor happy.
5. Don’t Show Off In Front Of Other Employees
Occasional kissing and touching will get your colleagues jealous. The golden rule of dating your coworker is to keep it discreet.
Once you start showing off, people will notice. They will fight back with gossip and rumours that will hurt both of you in many ways.
Even when your colleagues know you’re dating, showing off in front of them will seem inappropriate. Keep your hands to yourself in the office area to reduce attention.
6. Never Mix The Two Worlds
You can never argue or quarrel about something that happened at home in the office. If you do this even once, it’s going to cause severe damage to your relationship.
Home and personal issues should remain at home while office issues must remain in the office.
However, you can still talk about the challenges at work like everyone else does. Discussions and brainstorming sessions like this can bring the two of you closer and help improve your relationship. You need to know the limits.
7. Dating Your Boss
Dating your boss or someone higher than you is different from dating your coworker. If you’re dating your boss, a lot can go wrong, so think twice before you jump in.
Dating someone higher than you is more challenging. People will deny your efforts and say your lover gave you a hand if you achieve anything.
Also, breaking up with your boss can lead to severe consequences. You might lose a promotion which you deserve or even a raise or other benefits.
Some people have lost their job. Dating a boss is a terrible idea. If you must do it, then ensure it won’t affect your career.
8. Do Better At Work
Once you start dating your coworker, everyone will start attributing everything about you to the relationship. From now on, you must double your efforts and start working better than before.
Inspire yourself to do better. Don’t give anyone the chance to think that your relationship is affecting your performance.
9. Consider Moving To Another Department
If you work in a big organization, chances are there are several departments. If you have the power or the opportunity arises, moving to another department will do well for your relationship.
Moreover, people whose relationship is getting more serious should consider this the most. It will not only help your romance remain intact but provide some relief.
Now, you don’t have to worry about all the office headaches associated with dating a coworker.
10. How Will You Feel If You Breakup
Before you start dating a coworker, consider how you’re going to feel if things go south. When people break up, they want to stay away from their ex, but in this case, that’s not possible.
It’s going to be very awkward, and you must know if you’ll be able to handle it.
Some people don’t handle breaks well. How would you feel if you had broken up with your coworker and it destroyed them?
Putting all of these into consideration will help you make a better decision before you engage in the exciting world of office romance.
Bottom Line
From this article, you can see that dating a coworker has its own risks. It can go south if things turn ugly at the end of the day. With this in mind, It’s better to look at things from all perspectives before you go into it.
Furthermore, mixing business and pleasure in a professional environment will allow negative emotional feelings like jealousy to arise.
Also, there are some cases where office romance works out for the best. It even turns into marriage. And everyone is happy, including the coworkers
Do these if you can’t separate your love life from work
- Establish a few ground rules before going into it
- Think about the outcome deeply first. should in case things go south
- See if it is worth losing your job for
- Put your other coworkers into consideration before going into it.
- Keep the romance out of the office environment.
- (This won’t be easy) But try to be professional all the time, even when you’re with your man or woman.
- If you’re a boss, try not to be biased toward other coworkers. Treat everyone the same.
- Be very disciplined. Don’t allow your emotions to get the best of you, especially when you guys have an argument or problem.
- Don’t forget to find out first if the company policy allows it.
- Remember the 10 things to consider before dating your coworker in this article.
