Love Sick: The Company Ink

Dating in the workplace is typically so disastrous that the phrase “Don’t dip your pen in the company ink” was created to warn future co-workers about the dangers of getting handsy with one another. There are a lot of obvious reasons to avoid mixing business with pleasure. You don’t want to ruin your professional image, you don’t want everyone in the office gossiping about you and if things don’t go well, you definitely don’t want to have to work in an environment where you have to awkwardly run into your former flame every single day. That could not only affect your emotional well-being, but also your job performance. I’ve been in situations where I have dated people I worked with and when it didn’t work out it was horrible to have to still see them all the time. However, dating your coworkers or even your boss isn’t always as bad as it’s perceived.

More likely than not, you have a lot in common with the people you work with and that’s a great starting place for a relationship. Also, you spend a lot of time with them, so it’s easier to get to know them than someone you met at a bar. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before pursuing that cute guy two cubicles down.

1) If you are going to start a relationship at work, keep it a secret from your coworkers unless you’re practically engaged. There is nothing more annoying than having people at work care more about your relationship issues than your idea for a new marketing campaign. This is especially important if you are dating your boss. You don’t want people thinking you are getting special preference over them and this could put your career in jeopardy.

2) Don’t allow yourself to get special preference. If you are dating your boss, don’t let him let you slack off. It’s important to separate your work relationship from your romantic one so that you can be taken seriously and so you are never left wondering if you got a promotion because you’re amazing at your job or because you’re amazing at giving blow jobs.

3) If you and your lover work close together, if possible try to move somewhere else in the department or to a different office. At first it will be awesome to see your boyfriend all day everyday, but eventually it will get tiresome and you will need time apart. Also, if you guys break up, it will be easier to go to work everyday if you know you won’t be running into them.

4) Ask yourself if risking your job is worth the relationship. Some companies have policies that don’t allow dating within the workplace and unless you’re really truly in love, it’s probably better to remain good friends than to risk becoming unemployed.

Dating in the workplace can be really fun because you get to spend more time with your loved one and you can sneak glances at each other from across the office. Just remember though that it could blow up in your face so be careful about how much you drink at the next holiday party so you don’t accidentally end up hooking up with John from Accounting and are forced to spend the next few months avoiding that area of the office.