Walking over to the coffee machine and shooting a quick smile as you pass her cubicle is the most fascinating thing that keeps people in corporate to work in longer shifts without complaining.However, this 9 to 5 romance structure, fondly called as office-romance, is a tricky thing to handle.
Those who believe that the idea of blossoming an affair in the office isn’t against professional ethics, support the thought stating its human to love.
The need to be around her is much more than the peanuts offered for overtimes. Therefore, it is believed that having a fling in the office keeps the person cheerful and increases his eagerness to work more for the company.
Pros and cons:
Although, having an affair isn’t such a bad thought always but, sometimes, it can spell disaster. It all depends on how you handle it. If handled appropriately, it can blossom into a beautiful relationship as both the partners get plenty of time to spend together and understand each other.
On the other hand, if the things fall apart, it can create very depressing situations and can also lead to lawsuits of sexual harassment. A broken-heart can lead to very uneasy situations among the employees and even affect their productivity.
In case of an employer-employee/boss-subordinate affair, the employer is always on the mountain edge as he can be accused of favouritism and sexual harassment.
Dos and Don’ts
It is quite easy to confide about your relation during a banter with office colleagues. However, this isn’t advised at all. Keep the relation as private as possible to avoid any sort of gossips making rounds in the office.
You wouldn’t like to brew unhealthy gossips of you both doing rounds in the grapevines, affecting your careers. Would you? So the best thing to do is not to divulge conspicuous signs.
Try not to talk too much or too less to your partner after entering into a relation. If you used to sit and chat, keep doing that. Don’t change; as change is the first sign that people tend to search to concoct gossips stories.
For heavens' sake, keep your hormones under control. The urge to get close to your partners should be the last thought in your mind. Stealing a kiss or two can seem to be fun, but office isn’t the place this ‘fun’ activity should be carried out.
Oh no, don’t even think about going into the lifts and have a quick-kiss-session, most firms have camera’s installed in the elevators for security reasons. Unless you want to give the security guy some spicy stuff to keep him entertained and excited about his boring work!
Most of the companies are technically equipped to check your mails and chats, so your corporate email isn’t the best route to express you brimming romantic feelings. In case, you feel to express your feelings, use your personal email.
Closed-door meeting are definitely a big no-no. One, it would smoke off rumours; and two, office isn’t the place to date, take her to a decent restaurant. Isn’t a candle lit restaurant any day better than a air-conditioned cubicle?
Over-protectiveness is the best sign to smell office-romance. People tend to appreciate or become part of a topic related to their partner, even if they weren’t asked to be a part of it. Try not to poke your nose into topics involving your partner, until you are asked.
No employer would be against a healthy romantic fling in his/her office only if it doesn’t affect the productivity of his employees in a negative manner. Don’t let your productivity plummet because of your relationship.
Another conspicuous sign is to walk into or out of office as a couple. Be it an office party, or a one arranged by your coworker, until and unless, you both used to come together to such parties, avoid creating a suspicious situation. Your alibis of car-pooling and ‘just gave her a lift’ etc would not work.
In case, the relation gets strained, the best you two can do is to sit and clean up the mess before coming to the office. However, if things are so messed up that you cannot even concentrate on your work, decide amongst yourself who would resign.
Above all this, the first and foremost thing you need to figure out is HR policies of your company regarding such relationships. Some companies are dead against office romance and entering into one might cost you your job.
So before your hormones start kicking in on the glimpse of your lover, just check that you have enough bank balance or guts to happily receive a pink slip on your next meeting with your HR head.
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