A guide to office romance
Words: Tabi Jackson Gee
Where you work will play a defining role in how you carry out your desk-side chirpsing. Work in the media? It would be rude not to. Work in accounting? Steady on there… A recent survey found that 7 in 10 accountants believe there should be a ban on office relationships (accountants, you’re not doing much for your reputation as stuffy old bores.)
Here’s a quick guide to help you navigate these murky waters, whilst looking after your own reputation – and that of the object of your affection.
First things first, flirting in the office: yay or nay?
It’s a well-known fact that office flirting is the best kind of fun. Making eyes across the room, bumping into each other in that dimly lit photocopying room… but play safe. Don’t spend one too many late nights with your (engaged) boss. Or make eyes at the new intern until she doesn’t know what to do with herself and develops a mad crush on you. It’s just awkward for everyone. Basically, remember the difference between harmless flirting and being a homewrecker. We all want to keep our jobs at the end of the day.
Also, word to the wise – careful with Happn. You don’t want to start chirpsing with someone online when you’ve just started a new job, only to head to your first full team meeting and see them sat right opposite you. Or maybe you do, it will probably all come down to how far you took the flirting…
When you’re somewhere between flirting and dating…
Welcome to the danger zone. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had one too many friends get strung along by people at work. Boys who’ve got the wrong end of the stick and think they’re in with a chance (when all the girl really wants is to make her working day go a bit quicker by being a shameless flirt) and gals who’ve thought that the weekly after-work-drinks shag fests were going to turn into something more serious. Office romances are enough of a grey area as it is, don’t over complicate it by blurring the lines between friends and something else. If you do, you’re being careless with other people’s feelings which just isn’t very nice of you is it.
If you get to the point where you’re seeing each other outside work
You’ve done it, you’ve crossed over into official dating territory. Now the big decision – to keep it a secret or not? One of my lady friends was in a two-year relationship with someone at work and no one ever knew about it. If you have to play it that way, it probably works out better for everyone else you work with. But if you don’t work somewhere where they care who-does-what-with-who then just remember the basics; no PDA in the kitchen (or anywhere someone else has to watch you, as per real life), no bickering during meetings… basically just uphold the etiquette you’d exercise elsewhere, gentleman, and you’ll be fine.
And when it get’s serious…
Don’t let it make you complacent, but apparently relationships that start in the workplace are more likely to stand the test of time than any others. Good luck.
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