Office Romance: Is It Worth the Effort?

Lots of people meet their future spouses at the workplace. While majority of companies have stringent policies against office relationships, office romance is steadily gaining prominence. A recent survey by Corporate Staffing Staff, a human resource agency in Kenya, revealed that seven out of 10 people have what they call an office ‘spouse.’

In the best-case scenario, office romance can lead to long-term partnerships that could lead to marriage. Majority of people above 25 years spend most of their time with work colleagues and these people become the primary source of social contact. Consequently, romantic relationships sometimes become unavoidable.

Spending a lot of time at work creates close proximity among colleagues and promotes open and vulnerable conversations. Also, most employers have recently adopted the model of hiring teams of people with similar backgrounds, creating good matchmaking opportunities for friendships. These pointers create a good chance for people to develop romantic relationships.

In the worst-case scenario, office romance can create uncomfortable situations in the workplace for those involved and even co-workers. Mixing business and pleasure can create chaos in the workplace, like accusations of favoritism; lost productivity due to distractions; unnecessary gossip; conflict of interest; and jealousy among co-workers. In other instances, cases of sexual harassment could arise.

That said, one must be very cautious when getting into an office relationship. Its important to ask yourself; how am I going to manage an office relationship in a way that does not affect the organization negatively or infringe on the privacy of fellow colleagues?

While “at work” ranks among the top five places where people met and had long-lasting relationship, you might want to tread carefully before committing to an office romance.

Before getting into an office relationship, check the organization’s policy regarding dating co-workers. If it is against the company policy, it is not worth it! However, if the organization allows workplace relationships, be discreet about it.  Being discreet means, you keep the relationship private until both of you are ready to announce publicly that you are a couple.

Avoid public display of affection at all costs. Openly showing emotions and feelings in front of co-workers might create an unprofessional environment that can affect other employees ‘productivity, and this is something you may want to avoid at all costs.

Also, be certain that the connection you are creating is the real deal. Seek clarity on the expectations you have for each other. This involves the understanding of keeping things professional at work and avoiding personal confrontations that might create unnecessary embarrassment. It is also important to understand the potential impact the relationship could have on your work and make plans to mitigate such consequences.

The workplace is a community. While combining business with pleasure might make sense to you when you fall in love with a co-worker, always ensure that both of you have similar outside interests and know how to handle yourself in both the best-and-worst-case scenarios.