Let me ask you a question. When you party hard on Saturday, and then get up late on Sunday and spend all day at home relaxing and watching TV, do you feel like getting up and going to work on a Monday? No, right?
But, if you have a crush on somebody at work, and things are sparking between you two, then even Mondays look as beautiful as weekends.
That is the thing about office romance. It takes out the ‘boring’ from work and hence is absolutely irresistible.
Another reason for it being too tempting is that you see that person all the time. You cannot cut yourself out to give yourself a break and divert your mind.
Office romance makes you look forward to going to work, and is kind of exhilarating. But, unfortunately, as wonderful as it sounds, it is not a good idea, and here are few reasons why.
1. If it doesn’t work out, you will have to see your ex and work with him or her everyday
That is not going to be very pleasant. You will end the relationship for your own and the other person’s well being but you will have to see them every day, surrounded by a bunch of people who knew you were dating and now you are not. It will be very awkward and uncomfortable.
2. God forbid, if you are NOT the one who ended it, it’ll be worse
Getting over the breakup will become 1000 times worse. You will see them every day and hence, miss them every day. And if that person gets into some other relationship with somebody from the same office, you will prefer living in hell rather than around them.
3. It will affect your performance
This will happen both during and after the relationship. While you are dating, you’ll be distracted since that person will be around you all the time. You might take extra long lunch breaks, spend too much time near the water cooler etc. and hence your performance will slack. After the breakup, you will be sad and heartbroken and the person will be there all the time to remind you of that pain.
4. The rumours and gossips will be too hard to handle
Workplace romance never stays between two people. As soon as the word gets out, all eyes will be on you and the person you are dating. The constant scrutiny by the peers may put a wedge between you. And, it gets worse after the break-up.
5. It can have potential legal consequences
If one person wants to end the relationship and the other doesn’t, a sexual harassment claim may come up. People tend to ignore this possibility, but it can turn out to be most lethal.
6. Your co-workers start treating you differently
A supervisor-subordinate relationship is the worst kind. People around you can be extremely jealous about the perks you are getting or the way your work lags behind (even if it doesn’t). Don’t assume that you are surrounded by extremely nice and open minded people who won’t intrude.
7. It can become claustrophobic
Taking your work to bed will keep you around it all day long. When are you going to get some time off? If will decrease your personal space because the moment you step out of office, you won’t be stepping out of that zone. It can, and eventually will become claustrophobic.
8. Most of the time, it’s pure lust
Physical attraction towards people of the same profession and similar interest is very common. You both might have found some common topics to talk about, or might develop a certain chemistry, but more often than not, it’s purely physical.
9. If you think you can hide it, you are wrong
You might be thinking that you will escape all the above-mentioned points because you excel at keeping secrets, but even if you are Cersei Lannister, you won’t be able to hide your relationship in your office. Get that straight in your head.
10. The workplace may get divided into teams after you break up
people supporting the other person, then there will be people supporting you. Their best friends will think twice before talking to you and vice versa. The whole office environment will eventually turn hostile.
What to do when romance is unavoidable?
Not all office romances fail. Some go beyond all the stereotypes and turn into successful relationships. But, the odds of that happening are very less, so you can take your chances.
Consider the time you usually take to decide whether you want to go out with someone or not, and double it. Think everything through, and make sure that it is not a fling. If you think the person is totally worth all these risks, then go for it.
