I’ve never had the pleasure or not so pleasurable experience of dating a co-worker or an office romance. I like to keep my life a little less dramatic. I have had the pleasure of dating someone who works in my building and when things didn’t work out it actually worked in my favor. I heard through the grapevine a week later he was fired. That’s what happens when you’re a complete and total jerk; things happen to you.
Anyway, when it comes to certain things I’m a realist. I operate on “what if things don’t work out” mode. I reject any visions that things will work out and all I see in the future is a pink slip. In a time when some employers look for any petty excuse to fire you, I prefer to keep the fraternization pretty much non-existent. Don’t ish where you lay comes to mind! Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of dating someone you work with.
Pros
You know they’re employed
At least you know they have a job and you don’t have to worry about whether or not they can contribute to anything if things do work out.
You know where they are
They’re accounted for during normal business hours. If you’re going out after work then this person has pretty much been with you all day. This is a winner if you like to be around someone all day.
The intensity of a secret affair
There is something wildly attractive about forbidden or secret affairs. The thrill that comes from pretending you’re just co-workers. Secret sex meetings in closets, storage areas, elevators…..you know what I mean.
Cons
When things go bad
Life can get hard in the work place! You will have to deal with seeing this person every day. If emotions run high this can lead to some pretty unprofessional behavior. Let’s not forget the awkward moments.
Someone is bound to find out
Sometimes we share too much information with co-workers with the impressions they’re trust worthy. I’ve been in corporate America for almost 20 years and the best advice I can give is don’t ever share anything that you don’t want others to know.This is especially true if the office big mouth should happen to find out. Expect one of those “we got busted while we were at lunch moments” to happen. Skeletons fall out of every closet.
Termination
Yes, something about a secret affair is intriguing. We’re attracted to the forbidden but once the cat is out the bag; it may not be so enticing anymore. Be prepared to face the company officials when they learn about things. If your company has a strict no fraternization policy you both can be terminated.
One of the major questions you should ask yourself is “how big is the company?” If your company is huge with multiple locations or on multiple floors of a building then dating a co-worker could become a lot easier then dating someone within a small company. Sex with a co-worker also applies. When someone doesn’t understand the NSA (No strings attached) memo things could go just as bad. It’s called a sexual harassment complaint!
I strongly believe that you find love where you find it. If you happen to find love at work, I say go for it! However, you may want to search for another job if things get serious.
What are some of your pros and cons when it comes to office romances?
