Many people like the idea of meeting someone in person and then starting to date. The problem is, for most young people, they spend the majority of their time, usually 40+ hours per week – working.
This does not allow for too much time outside of work to start meeting people.
So, we find ourselves in the situation of assessing our work collegues as potential suitors. If you count up the number of hours you have spent together working on various projects, mixed with the emotions of celebrating wins and overcoming losses together, it is only natural to start developing some feelings.
Finding someone in the workplace can be great! You have the opportunity to see how they treat other people, how they handle pressure and most importantly how you are able to work together as a team. Oftentimes the company you work for will attract similar people, so you will find that your coworkers have similar common interests as you as well as backgrounds and beliefs.
The problem is, not all of these relationships work out and many people jump into them without thinking it through. This can create awkwardness in the office or leave you feeling hurt if things didn’t go well. Or worse, having to watch him move on and start dating another coworker!
Many companies frown upon workplace romances simply because they can too easily create havoc for the teams and can quickly turn into a conflict of interest. For example, if you start making decisions based on the person you’re dating instead of based on the best interests of the company, there will be some issues. This can be anything from assigning better projects to your partner, to shielding them from a critical review.
We’re definitely not saying to not date your coworkers, but before you do, there are a few things you should think about to make sure you date your coworkers, the right way!
1. Think It Through
I know this seems basic, but you have to take some time to think through what could happen and all the likely scenarios. If the relationship worked out, great! But if it didn’t, would you be able to handle continuing to work with this person?
Allowing yourself to think through these scenerios will help you be more prepared for anything that may happen, before your heart gets involved and clouds your thoughts.
2. Evaluate Your Coworkers
You should not have to date everyone in the office to decide if they are right for you. Take some time to observe each of your coworkers you might be interested in dating to see if you think they would be worth taking the risk on dating.
This is especially true for coworkers which may be higher up on the chain than you. You must evaluate what it would be like dating them from all the different angles. Will people suggest that you are being shown favoritism because you’re dating that person? Could you handle that?
Spend time thinking about the consequeses, both good and bad, of dating the coworker you’re most interested in.
3. Use Common Sense
Crushes, love, infatuation. These feelings, although great, can lead us to making irrational desicions without looking at the big picture.
If you feel a situation or a person is too good to be true, then perhaps they are. Before you jump into your office romance, make sure you test him out to know if his intentions are true and he’s not just flirting with you for his own entertainment.
4. Be Friends First
It is much easier to get to know your cute coworker as a friend before you add in all the complications of a relationship. If you think something could happen between the two of you, give it time and let it unfold naturally.
You will never regret building the friendship and have a much deeper appreciation for the other person – whether it blossoms into a beautiful relationship or stays in the friend-zone.
All in all, workplace relationships can be so much fun and be a really great way of meeting like-minded people. The only caveat is that if the relationship goes sour, it can cause unnecessary drama and even heartache.
With any relationship, you have to weigh the risk vs. the possible reward to decide whether or not it is worth taking the risk.
… And if it is, well then, you will never know if it will work unless you go for it!
