You spend most of your waking hours at work. You rarely get out for lunch, never mind dinner. You’d like to meet that special someone, but you just don’t know where to look. Suddenly, Cupid shoots his arrow, and it hits the person in the next office. Your heart starts beating faster, and blood rushes to your head. Out with all reason — love is in the air!
Stop. Sure, meetings will be more fun. You already have lots in common. But how often do office romances work’ And when it ends, what will your life be like’ Will you be peering around corners to make sure your former love isn’t in the hall and avoiding the company picnic for fear your ex will flaunt a new love interest’ Is this any way to live’
Before you throw your next promotion to the wind, here are five reasons dating your co-worker might not be such a good idea.
Romance vs. Reality
Unfortunately, this is not a tale by the Brothers Grimm, so you can’t count on a happy ending. You can rail against the unfairness of it all, but think of it this way: If life were fair, you wouldn’t be in this dilemma, and the arrow would have pierced the heart of someone nice who works for the company across the street.
If you’re smart, you will deal with the real world and anticipate plenty of bloodshed before this tale concludes. One of you may need to leave the job if things don’t work out. If things do work out, one of you may have to go, because it’s against company policy to date fellow employees.
One Promotion Later…
Let’s say you become involved with someone in your department, and you receive a promotion. Now you’re in a relationship with your subordinate. This opens up the possibility of blackmail. And what happens when it comes to conducting reviews and disciplining your honey’ You get the picture.