How to Handle Office Romance

We all know single people (and even many married ones) who spend most of their waking hours at work and dream of finding true love on the job as opposed to dealing with blind dates or online matchmaking. But the downside of finding your honey where you get your money is daunting: What if those kisses in a cubicle actually cost you your paycheck? Instead of running with your heart, consider thinking with your head before hooking up with co-workers.

Check Company Policy. Before you get in too deep, find out if your company has a policy about workplace relationships. Many corporations have formal, written policies that prohibit them. Sometimes it includes all employees, or it may be limited to senior executives and their subordinates. Other policies extend to relationships clients and vendors.

On the flip side, a growing number of policies are now be reevaluated, especially because many workers are loathe to have their bosses tell them who they can or can’t date. In your place of employment, this may be an evolving issue. But no matter what the policy, you should know up front if dating a co-worker will jeopardize your job.

Consider your colleagues. Consider how your colleagues will react. Some may think you're focusing more on your new romance than on your work - whether it's true or not. There's a risk of alienating them, and distancing yourself from the people you work with can't possibly benefit your professional growth and development.

Potential conflict with your significant other. What happens when you two are at odds - for personal or professional reasons? It puts an awkward strain on the workplace dynamics - between the two of you, and among everyone you work with. No relationship is perfect, but even small disagreements or riffs can be magnified when you have to see your love all day long.

But assuming your heart leads the way, you find yourself attracted to the colleague in the next cubicle and nothing’s going to stop your pursuit of that Romeo and Juliet fantasy. Consider a few key issues to avoid unhappy ending.

Keep it to yourself. Be discreet, especially at the beginning. Dating publicly invites endless workplace gossip. Keep it to yourself until you see where the relationship goes. If it fizzles, no one needs to know, and you can avoid the headache of announcing a breakup.

Keep it professional. Don’t hold hands and avoid all public displays of affection. Even if your romance is public knowledge, no co-worker wants to see your canoodling and lovey dovey chit chat.

Keep your email clean. Don’t forget that most workplace email is not private. In many companies, it’s monitored, so before exchanging hot and heavy love notes, be warned that the boss is likely reading what you write.