Romance is a good thing right? You feel attracted to someone so you take time to know them, then you ask them out and who knows, maybe further down the line you become an item? This sounds like your classic romance, with roses and petals in between; but let’s get back to earth for a minute. Unfortunately, you can’t just fall in love with everybody, there are boundaries. You know there are people you can’t ask out, like your best friends or your neighbour’s wife… yeah you get the idea. So speaking about who you can’t go out with, what about your work colleagues? The workplace is where a lot of us do most of our socializing, and it is how a lot of romances get started. But should you really start that office romance, will it not backfire? Like everything in life, it all depends on a few things; but no matter what you do just remember that there are consequences…
Not very professional
Here is the first reason why people don’t strike that office romance. You work with that person and as such you have a professional relationship. What will happen if you start going out with each other. Will your relationship start affecting your work? When you are just colleagues, you probably won’t be afraid to be harsh with each other if someone makes a work-related mistake. But if you are an item or even have a past, it might stop you from saying what you need to say to that person. Basically you are having a romance so you don’t want to shout at them. You might even start showing favouritism towards that person even though the work they do is below-par compared to your other colleagues. Basically, having a romance with a colleague could lead to a lack of professionalism in the work place, which could endanger you work situation and the one of your colleague and partner.
Keep it at home
Okay so it all sounds a little too dramatic doesn’t it? Not all office romances are destined to get your fired, right? The answer is: absolutely not, you can still go out with a colleague and keep it all together, a lot of people do it. It doesn’t have to be a serious relationship neither, some people at work have a bit of sex with no strings over the weekend and they carry on their office routines as if nothing happened. People who manage this successfully are the people who know to keep their private lives at home. So take that couple that is always arguing full blast where ever they go. They just can’t help but making a spectacle of themselves, shouting at each other in public whenever they go shopping or just go out for a few bevies. That sort of couple will probably not make it through an office romance. Without the discipline to keep it in until you go home; your day at the office could transform into that battlefield. For anyone who has seen that arguing couple at the office; you know it only leads to one thing: eventually they get fired for disrupting work activities with their constant bickering. And honestly, speaking as a person who has seen it, you really can’t wait for those two to go; as they make your workplace turn into this messy soap opera. We like soaps and we love drama; but not at our workplace.
The different hierarchies
Going out with a colleague that does the same job you do, or even works into another department altogether probably won’t give cause to many professional mishaps. But what if let’s say you are involved romantically with your boss or your manager? This is the point where preferential treatment might start occurring; and your other work colleagues might well hate you for it. You might not mean anything by it, but they could see you as trying to sleep your way to the top of the ladder. This is where a lot of your colleagues will start acting unpleasant towards you; and as it will happen every day, your work life can really suffer from it. It is easy to typecast a situation, and even if your colleagues are getting it wrong it is still not a good situation to be in.
It’s how you do things
Ultimately it all really depends on how you and your partner play it. As long as you are able to separate your romantic life from your professional activities, then you should be fine. In fact it is a great exercise in discipline that in the long run could better the dynamics of your relationship. Being able to remove emotions and focusing on the problems at hand is a great thing; it allows you to go through tough situations and deal with them with your head high. What you learn at work you can bring home and apply it to solve your everyday issues. So the truth be told, having an office romance could just be the best thing for you; or it could totally break you. There is no telling who it will work for and who it will not until people actually try it. If you are a disciplined couple of people, you have more chances of things working out. However if you are the sort of couple that argues all the time, maybe you can learn from it. Having a place where you have to keep it together and keep your arguments for later is a great way to practice that discipline. So if you think you can handle it, and you don’t mind potentially risking your job; then go for it. Life is all about taking risks, and sometimes love can be more important than that one job you don’t like so much anyway.
