Subtleties of Love Relations in the Workplace
Do you work for the same company as your spouse does and aren’t comfortable with being gossiped about near the water cooler? Or, you have a crush on someone working in the other department and think over whether flirting at the workplace is appropriate? Well, you are not alone.
Workplace romance tends to become more and more popular thing, especially within the big corporations with developed corporate culture. With lots of stressful tasks and necessity to work late hours, it’s easy to get to know each other better – and if you are a couple, you’ll spend much more time together than if you worked for different companies. Nevertheless, you need to consider all the subtleties of workplace romance to be aware of rules of the game, as well as the possible consequences.
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Being the sweethearts in the office has its both advantages and disadvantages; all of them need to be considered if you want to preserve your job and professional reputation. Below you will find the subtleties of balancing romance and working life, prepared by our professional resume writers NYC:
- Find out whether it contradicts the corporate policy
Some big organizations, especially in the law or finance, work in a highly regulated environment. And this has the effects on the relationships at work too: some of them forbid workplace relationships of certain type to avoid the conflict of interests. So, it’s highly recommended to check whether your company has such regulations when your relationships are at an early stage to avoid negative consequences.
The riskiest thing is to have relationships within the chain of command. If your workplace romance is one of this kind (i.e. you date a boss or a subordinate), and the things are getting serious, it’s better to seek guidance of the higher-ranking person. Be prepared that the employer might want to reassign one of you to avoid future conflicts. - Keep it quiet – especially at an early stage
If you’ve only had a date or two with someone from your office, the last thing you should do is to spread a word about it at the workplace. First, it paves the way for gossip in the coffee room – you don’t want to be the top subject of discussion in the company, do you? Second, things might not work between you, and you will feel awkward as everyone has witnessed the details of your dating.
Moreover, discussions of your private life don’t belong to the workplace. Check the list of taboo discussion topics with your coworkers: https://resumeperk.com/blog/top-taboo-topics-you-should-never-discuss-with-colleagues. - Set the boundaries
If you are a couple now, you need to talk and negotiate how your relationships will look like in public. Are you going to reveal the fact you are a couple? Or maybe, you’ll decide on being secretive and behave like colleagues at work? Anyway, you’ll need to agree on the same approach to make sure no one is feeling awkward (for example, when you spread the word about your relationships while your partner keeps quiet). It goes without saying that you need to set up terms of relationships in the office – the way you communicate will be quite different from the one you use outside of work. - Maintain professional conduct at work
Working next to your loved one is great, but remember that work, not your relationships, is your top priority from 9 to 5. And it is expected that you stay professional at work – sweet names and public displays of affection can make your colleagues feel a bit awkward. Moreover, it’s not only you in the office – you need to maintain working relationships with colleagues as well. For instance, inviting the colleagues out for a lunch can go a long way to maintaining team harmony. Discuss working matters with everyone equally, not with your spouse only. It will be also helpful to limit the alone time, especially if it starts to interfere with work. - Identify the possible pitfalls
Having a loved one by your side in the office sounds great as long as everything runs smooth between you. However, if the relationship crushes, it’s likely to bring more consequences than just a broken heart. Here are the main pitfalls you need to know in advance:- If your relationship fails (this especially applies to affairs between the boss and subordinate) and the one side feels offended, it can lead to revenge and even accusations of harassment. It can damage your career within the given company and your professional image in general. So, think twice whether a romance at work is worth possible consequences of this kind.
- If the relationship includes hierarchy, they may affect the productivity of the entire team if it comes to promotion, the priority of assigning projects, and training. If you’re a boss, the team might think that it’s the personal relationship that affects your spouse’s work success. Do your best to prevent situation that might question your unbiased attitude towards the team.
- Be prepared for gossip. If you’ve decided to be open about your relationship, get ready to be a subject of gossiping. Your Facebook pictures from the vacation, your ups and downs, and your breakup (if it comes to it) – everything is likely to be discussed behind your back. So, the wise decision is not to share most private moments with anyone at work.
- The breakup will be a hard time for everyone. Think of whether you will feel comfortable working with your ex-lover if you ever break up. The tense atmosphere in the office is likely to destroy not only your and your ex’s productivity, but also affect the working mood of other colleagues. Probably, you’ll even have to order resume quick help online and look for another job, especially if the breakup is painful.
If you are not ready to change company, make sure you’ll be able to remain professional after the breakup, and treat your ex just like you treat everyone else in the office. You’ll need courtesy to overcome the temptation to spoil his/her professional reputation.
So, what is the most important about handling workplace relationship?
When you have loving relationships with a coworker, they key thing is to keep your focus sharp. It is tempting to let things go and just enjoy being in love, but being careless about your work and team relationships can damage the career and professional image you’ve built in years. It is great to have a loved one by your side during your ups and downs at work as the mental support means a lot. Nevertheless, you need to be 100% sure you are aware of the possible consequences of workplace romance and can handle any pitfalls if they arise.
By the way, being in love is a perfect trigger for your career development. But to reach new career heights, you’ll need a clear plan – read here how to effectively plan your future career: https://resumeperk.com/blog/planning-a-future-career-are-you-for-or-against.
No stellar career is possible without an excellently written resume. If you are unaware that yours is one of this kind, contact the US professional resume writing services for resume evaluation and rewriting. Our writers are highly professional in all the key industries. At a cheap fee, your resume will be prepared for the next career jump.
Have you ever had romantic relationships at the workplace? What did they lead to?
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