Have you or would you date a colleague at work? It’s one of those “never say never” scenarios. You may be determined to keep things professional at the office and then this guy or girl comes along and before you know it, you’re hopelessly in love. Some workplaces don’t have specific policies regarding office romance but several do and what usually happens with the latter is that the couple will go to extra lengths to keep things under wraps for as long as they can but as often happens, the “secret” will eventually leak and when Human Resource hears about it, you could be in serious trouble even when the relationship is consensual as was the case with a certain McDonald’s Boss. I’m dying to know if he was dating a senior manager or a subordinate. And that’s the thing with office romances. We love to gossip about them as long as we’re not the subject of the conversation! I wonder if their dates were at work. Perks of the job I guess! Did he offer her and her family a year’s free meals? Did he leave her generous tips, assuming she was one of the waitresses? Did they discuss recipes and the company’s next marketing gimmick on their dates? We need to know! Still, I don’t think he should have been forced to quit. As mentioned earlier, the relationship was consensual and unlike what often happens when bosses take advantage of employees desperate to keep the job. Had that been the case, then he would have had to leave. I’ve flirted with office romance myself in the past but it wasn’t anything serious. I think it’s distracting. All the texts and emails when you should be working. And how about spending all that time together? Unless of course you work in different departments or branches. For those dating coworkers, it can bring out the worst in you. This business of keeping tabs on someone and wanting to mark your territory can affect your productivity. Every time you see your love interest talking to someone else, you wonder if they’re cheating on you and that’s in fact how some of these engagements are exposed. Confrontations and denials ensue and you then understand why HR discourages it. The office is not the place for couples to fly into jealous rages. That said, there are colleagues who dated and went on to marry so sometimes it’s worth it. Some opt to stay at the same job but there are also those who choose to leave. Either both leave or one of them does. I think I’d leave too, if only to escape the judgment. You may be working your butt off but some of your colleagues won’t believe you earned that promotion or raise. When you come up with a brilliant idea, it may be attributed to you sleeping with the boss. Have a disagreement or tell off one of your colleagues and they’ll assume it’s because you feel entitled because of your relationship with a senior manager. It’s all complicated and may be we’re all better off not mixing business with pleasure!
