Love in the office is a touchy subject (pardon the pun), but honestly it can go either way – we know of business people in the same company, who have met, fallen in love, and even married successfully, and we all know of people who’ve had messy office romances that muddled their work relationships.
So, what to do when an office romance happens in your workplace? We love the way CBC Business Online has covered this subject, so here’s our take on what they’ve said.
Be Realistic: they speak about encouraging professionalism and refreshing everyone on your office’s sexual harassment policies. This is great, and we’d go a step further and add that it’s important for employees to know that if they’d like to engage in a romantic relationship in the office, they need to choose that relationship carefully (meaning, if you know that a romantic relationship in the office is only going to be a fling, stay away; but if your relationship has a chance for the long-haul, get involved).
Think Ahead: they speak of knowing the clear reparations of a romance gone badly. We agree: know what you’re getting into, and know what to do if issues come up. As an employer, what type of counselling services can you offer in case of office romance issues? Keep this in mind.
Full disclosure: they say, rightly so, that office romances usually don’t stay secret. So, be upfront, and in a professional manner, let the others know of your involvement. They do also say that if the office romance is a secret, and there is no conflict of interest for either party, to keep the office romance secret. However, our take is, respect the employees you work with and be upfront about your romance because secrets have a way of becoming lies and affecting the business culture.
Be professional: they say, keep the division of work and home life. We agree. Concentrate on your work, at work, and your romance, when you’re at home. It’s as simple as that. Don’t bring arguments or show too much affection for one another to create an uncomfortable situation in the office.
Have questions for us regarding office romances? Call us at 604.353.3134.
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