| Dating coworkers is a bad idea. Dating your boss is an | | | | of them. |
| even worse idea. Even if an office relationship goes | | | | - Unless you want the romance to go public, don't |
| well, coworkers are likely to toss gossip, jealousy, and | | | | leave or arrive together. |
| resentment your way. Here are some points to ponder | | | | - If the romance sours, break up while you are away |
| before looking for love in all the wrong places: | | | | from the office - and that doesn't mean at lunch. |
| - If your office relationships goes bad, talk around the | | | | - If you break up, be prepared for the worst. It is not |
| water cooler could get really interesting. How many | | | | unusual for one or both employees to be transferred |
| seconds do you think it takes a scorned lover to | | | | or to be asked to resign over a failed romance and |
| reveal intimate and/or embarrassing details about your | | | | the disruption it causes in the office. |
| relationship? | | | | Several years ago, my supervisor had been divorced |
| - If you simply cannot live without Joe Accounting or | | | | about two years when she started up a romance with |
| Suzy Marketing, (and I repeat, bad idea), avoid the | | | | a coworker who was married and had three children. |
| hand-holding, kissy-face, moon-struck behavior at work. | | | | During the course of the romance, gossip flourished |
| Keep things on a professional level, even when you | | | | and they lost everyone's respect. The employee was |
| think you are alone. | | | | shunned by coworkers, who had met and liked his |
| - If you want to keep things a secret, don't send gifts, | | | | wife, and his opinion was no longer respected. After all, |
| such as flowers or candy, to your sweetheart at the | | | | he didn't have enough sense to avoid the romantic |
| office. | | | | situation he was in, he apparently couldn't be trusted in |
| - Because office relationships are usually hush-hush, | | | | other matters. It wasn't long before his wife found out |
| other employees may flirt with your beloved, or | | | | and confronted him in the parking lot as we were all |
| vice-versa. Can you handle it? Saying something may | | | | leaving. A screaming match ensued, which was pretty |
| let the cat out of the bag. | | | | embarrassing for everyone. When word spread |
| - Don't send love notes via the company email system. | | | | outside our department, the supervisor was demoted |
| Email is often monitored and there is always the | | | | and transferred. The guy? He's still married, but to this |
| danger of inadvertently sending it to the wrong person. | | | | day is dealing with the damage the situation caused. |
| - Avoid long lunches together, or an excessive number | | | | |
