Office is the place where we spend most of our time, so it is quite natural to have close friends out there.
Sometimes, this close proximity turns into a deep bond as time passes by. But, when you are in the same office, things can get bit complicated as well.
Some relationship works fine in an office environment, whereas there are some that affects the career of an individual.
Therefore, if you realize that you are falling for your colleague, then there are several aspects that you must keep in mind.
Everything seems hunky dory in the beginning, but at times you will see that your relationship is taking a toll on your reputation as well. There have been instances when the employees get involved romantically and at the end of the day get fired or sued due to this very reason.
Wondering why it would happen so?
Then read on about the several pitfalls or the problems that you are about to unearth by committing into a relationship with your colleague.
Conditions Leading to the Workplace Romance:
The interaction that takes place in an office environment is mainly based on the work that the employees are involved in.
When two employees are in a conversation, then there are very few people who will be suspecting them of something else.
But, this is also the platform where two people can get acquainted with each other’s ambitions, interests, values, mannerisms, personal habits, preferences and feelings.
When the reason of your closeness is ‘work’, then the attraction that develops is more of an unconscious development.
Later, whether it develops into a serious and intense relationship depends entirely on the two individuals, who are involved in the process.
Moreover, when we know the person well, then we are quite comfortable with them and it helps in initiating the connection to the next level pretty easily.
Different Types of Workplace Romance:
Every liaison is unique, but when you go through the office romances, then you will find that the two people who get engaged in a bond, have different kinds of impact on the business operation.
Here are some of the most commonly found relationships in an office –
- Mentor and subordinates
- Peer relationship
- Flings (short time romantic involvement)
- Long term bondings
- Extramarital affairs
The last one is the most dangerous one because it not only affects the professional life of the individual, but even the personal life is left shattered.
When you are in a relationship with your colleague, you will have to be honest and make sure that you do not jeopardize the career of yours due to this.
Workplace Romance Pitfalls, Problems and Warnings you must know:
If you have just taken your first step towards a romantic entanglement in the office, then you still have the time to re-think your decision.
Just go through the following points and you will get the warnings about getting romantically involved with your co-worker.
1. The tolerance level of the policy:
There are some companies that are very strict about the dating of the two professionals.
You might get terminated as well, if the company gets to know the truth about the relationship that you share with your colleague.
You definitely do not want to violate the company or HR policies because that would surely shatter your career growth completely.
2. Your judgment will be questioned:
If you are in a relationship with your subordinate, then others might think that you are giving undue advantage to that individual.
The things will turn worse if the upper management gets to know that. They will demand fairness on your behalf and in case any opportunity is missed then it might happen that they will start digging the can for more worms. This won’t be good for you at all.
3. Worst case scenario:
If you are in the management, then the relationship might turn out to be the worst case scenario that you can ever think of.
You might be booked for sexual harassment, even when both of you have entered this relationship voluntarily.
In case, you decide to break up due to some reason or the other, then the subordinate might take it otherwise and accuse you of sexual harassment!
It might not turn out to be so bad, but what if it does?
4. Not committed to work anymore:
No matter how hard you work, you will always be poked for taking coffee breaks together or having lunch together.
Everybody will be sitting with a stopwatch to see how long your breaks were and in case you miss out on something, then you will be nailed for that.
Everybody around you will try to prove that you are not committed like before and you are slacking off big time now.
5. Working with Ex:
When you were in a relationship, everything was beautiful around you, and you were always before the time, so that both of you can catch up on some quality time before the login hours begin.
But, now that you have separated from each other, things are not the same anymore.
Now you will have to face your ‘Ex’ everyday, no matter whether you are comfortable in doing that or not. This uneasiness will be transformed into your work and it will bring down your productivity.
The situation might become so grave that you might think of changing the job (which was your dream job) just because of this one reason.
To Wrap Up:
Office romance can develop any time because you have like minded people working with you. But, if you realize that things are getting a bit too serious, then sit back and think of the pitfalls that you might stumble upon.
If you are in the early stage of a bonding, then you will be able to avoid odd situations in the near future.
Hopefully, when you will go through these warnings, you will know what you are getting into and save yourself from falling prey to awkward situation where your integrity and dedication can come under the scanner.
