Dating a girl you work with has proven to be rewarding for many men. Spending considerable time together introduces you to the real side of your date’s personality that you couldn’t witness in other cases. How she manages office challenges and showcases her efficiency also enhances her desirability.
You will be colleagues plus friends before being a potential ‘date.’ So, it is safe to say that workplace dating can surely lead to successful romances. Here, we are not just referring to the hyped Bollywood/Hollywood couples who found their love while working. We have witnessed the transition of many workplace romance stories into happy marriages in real life as well.
But the journey has not been easy for them. Before beginning dating your colleague, tread the road with caution, as it might lead to unwanted complications as well. The dream romance affair might go awry if certain basics are not followed. It might lead to tarnished professional reputation, and even cost you your job. To prevent such nasty outcomes, here are 5 important things to take care of when dating a colleague.
# Don’t date a junior girlDating a junior girl comes with a slew of complications and risks. The girl could be amateur and not ready to take this relationship seriously. Or if the relationship is short-lived, there are greater chances of you being slapped with charges of sexual harassment.
When you are in a position of power, the dynamics between you two cannot be that of equal partners. When you have an influence on this person’s livelihood to some extent, trying to establish a comfortable friendship with them is not going to happen anytime soon. When was the last time you were truly friends with your boss?
Plus, this person might feel obligated to spend time with you. When a person feels they don’t have enough free will to reject your advances, things can go very wrong, very soon. If you’re in a position of power and considering hitting on a girl at work, do yourself a favor and don’t do it. If you think you are both serious about each other, then do consider leaving your job before you initiate a steady relationship.
# Don’t use the workplace for extended quality timeNo doubt workplace romances give a great opportunity to spend time together but remember you are supposed to work here. So ideally, you can keep your at-work relationship as professional as possible. Try to avoid one-on-one interaction at work and ensure your personal equation doesn’t affect your office decorum.
If you are dating a girl at work, you can spend quality time on weekend dates together, like other couples, and have fun. Try to avoid raking in that overtime money when you’re both actually chilling in the break room the entire time.
# Keep it on the down-low unless you see a future
You should be dating a coworker secretly. Don’t talk about the relationship with another colleague; it might complicate the situation for both of you. Decide mutually to keep it secret if you want to prevent grapevine gossip and safeguard your relationship at a nascent stage.
The slew of complications that come attached to a workplace romance will not be easy to navigate. Once you are sure of each other and see a future together, you can disclose the news to your boss and office staff.
# Keep personal quarrels away from work
Dating a girl from work can bring about its own set of challenges. Imagine if you both fought the previous night, came to work without settling it, and saw that your personal issues were affecting your professional relationship too. Like any other, workplace romances also go through a lot of ups and downs.
Your colleagues are not interested in your love life there and they just want their work to be done smoothly. So, understand the seriousness of your job and keep love quarrels away from the work front when you are dating a girl at work.
# Go slow
Fast relationships at work fizzle out fast. There are times when your colleagues act differently than they do in their personal lives. So, before you graduate from casual dating to a committed relationship, be confident in your colleague as someone you’d want to spend your life with. You could be dating a coworker in a different department, but you still have to go slow.
We hope that after going through this article, you will be able to approach the girl at work in a clear and confident way. If you are still hesitating to make your first move, you can contact our Bonobology experts with your dating issues, and they will be happy to help you.