Office romances are commonly followed by judgment. Some companies prohibit romantic relationships between coworkers. Still, the heart wants what it wants and no force can prevent falling in love with someone. But how to date a coworker if you really want to? So, if you have been flirting with your coworker and want to get into serious relationships, then you should check out the top 6 rules for dating a colleague.
Psychologists believe there is nothing wrong with dating a coworker since it is easy to fall in love with someone we share most of our everyday life with. Office life is not only about work, but also about communication, funny situations, parties, lunches, and other non-working activities. That is an excellent environment for starting romantic relationships. Even though your job description shouldn’t tell you whom to date, you should give careful consideration to all the aspects of participating in romantic relationships with a coworker.
How to Date a Coworker. 6 Rules
1. Realize the risks
There are lots of aspects of dating a colleague that can make you scared. There is always a chance that a relationship with your crush won’t work and it harms both of you. Conflicts of interest between you and your partner may cause tension and potential conflicts. Remember that dating a colleague isn’t beneficial for a company but not for you, so you need to listen to your heart first.
An office romance can affect the reputations of both of you. There are lots of gossip coworkers in every office. Some will say you are dating a colleague to get a promotion, so you need to make sure you are a separate unit that brings value to the company no matter what. Unless you are a bad boy of course.
2. Check out your company’s policy
Different companies have different policies regardless of dating a colleague. In most cases, there is a restriction on this whole boss/assistant dating thing. However, even top management are people too, so they realize there is no change to prevent the development of romantic relationships in the workspace so they often recommend making a relationship reveal as soon as possible.
These rules change nothing so companies try to adjust their rules in accordance with human nature. Some companies offer psychologist’s consultations, so any worker could get a professional evaluation of a mental condition that affects the working capacity and other aspects of any human being. We all know the #MeToo movement, which helps to prevent sexual harassment against colleagues. If you want to, you can find a gap in any company’s colleague’s dating policy and use it to your and your partner’s best advantage.
3. Don’t date your boss/subordinate!
In this case, your intentions and feelings don’t really matter. It never will be welcomed by any of your coworkers if they know you date a boss. That kind of relationship is always followed by negative perceptions and even judgment from coworkers. The thing is that, in the situation where the boss is dating a subordinate the conflict of interests is inevitable. A boss needs to evaluate the effectiveness of subordinates, and it is rather difficult to give an assessment to someone you sleep with. Even if you know, there is no change for your relationships to affect the effectiveness of your partner’s work, there are people in the office that will consider the endorsement as a consequence of sexual relationships. That is the case, where you shouldn’t even start dating a colleague.
4. Set some boundaries
Even though you decide to make an office romance reveal, it doesn’t mean you need to tell all the details to your coworkers. You need to hold all the flirting by the close of business as public displays of affections can make your colleagues feel awkward. It doesn’t help the working climate, what is more, it can become an opportunity for speculation. When we talk about boundaries, we mean ones between you and your partner. It would be nice to discuss with your partner the manner you communicate in front of other people as well. Try to act professional so your office romance doesn’t affect your reputation and working capacity.
5. Forget about the work
Work is a humongous part of our life, still not the whole life. If you want your relationships with a colleague to prosper, then you should stop talking about work at home. Keep your working life and presoak life separate even when dating a coworker. You are two different personalities that might have different opinions on office people and rumors. Try to fill your leisure with romantic adventures, delicious meals, traveling, and other lovely things that help you to forget about work and enjoy the time spent together with your crush.
6. Think about the end
There is a chance that an office romance will affect your or your partner’s projects. That is the point where you need to decide what is more important for both of you. In some cases, there is no change to avoid conflicting interests and you need to leave the project or end relationships with a coworker. It is a tough decision that you both need to be ready to make. Of course, there are office romances that don’t affect the actual work, still, there are not many of them. You shouldn’t even consider dating a colleague if you are not ready to compromise and make difficult decisions.
Are you wondering how to ask a coworker on a date?
The most important thing is to be gentle when asking a coworker out. You don’t want to be too pushy.
Ask your colleague out once, not more. If you hear “no” for an answer then you shouldn’t ask again. Feel free to move to a friend zone. An undue persistence can be taken for harassment, which can not only affect your reputation but also cause a further dismissal.
Date a coworker when you feel it is right for both of you. Anyway, you can’t prevent falling in love with anyone, so make the most love and joy out of any relationships you have.
You may also be interested to check the list of the best online dating sites and online apps.
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