Co-worker Relationships

A relationship that develops between co-workers is often frowned upon very highly. There are some businesses and organisations that strictly forbid interoffice relationships.

There is really no conscious control over who we fall in love with. It is not something that we have complete control and power over. There is certain chemistry within our bodies and signals that are given off by our brains. It is something that is subconsciously occurring and out of our control.

So, no matter how many times you read your company handbook and find that you are not supposed to have a relationship with anyone at work, if you are truly attracted to someone that you work with, you are not going to be able to fight that attraction.

So, what do you do if you find that you want to date a co-worker? First of all, you have to make a decision between the two of you. Talk with the co-worker. Chances are they have given off some sort of signal or vibe that has made you take notice of them. This is more than likely a mutual attraction. It is possible to make a relationship with a co-worker work well for both of you. It is also possible in some circumstances to maintain this relationship without reprimand or repercussions. You just have to be smart and sensible about what you are doing.

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If you find yourself starting a relationship with a co-worker, the worst thing that you can do is try to hide it. This will have serious consequences in the end when people find out about it, which they always do. Be open and honest. Talk with your boss about what is going on. In most cases, if you go to them and you are completely honest, there are ways that they can make it work for you. However, if you hide the relationship and your boss finds out later, you could find yourself out of a job and in a bad situation.

You should also talk openly with your partner. Make sure that you both understand that your relationship does not affect your work. You cannot play favourites or change the way that you work because of this new relationship. Keep in mind that at work, everything is to remain the same.

If your partner is higher up than you and is required to reprimand you for something that you have done wrong relating to work, they need to be able to do that without bias. If your relationship starts interfering with your work, you need to take a serious look at everything that is involved and find out where you can make changes.

In some cases, one party in a relationship will choose to leave their job. This is often a personal decision and not one that they are forced into by their employer. They do not want to have a relationship with someone that they work with everyday. If the relationship is that important to them, they may very well be willing to find a new job to maintain that relationship and make it as good as they possibly can.