Dating a Co-worker: Worth the Risk?
- Sunday, March 04 2012 @ 09:01 am
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 1,271
In some ways, starting a relationship through online dating can seem more difficult than dating someone you’ve met through your everyday routine. You’re meeting someone completely removed from your day-to-day life, and as such, you need to combine two completely separate lives into something that works for the both of you. Sound intimidating? Well, maybe, but actually it’s perfectly doable with a little compromise. Most of our daily habits are based on our location; thus, if you move in with someone, it’s a simple matter to switch which gym you belong to, for instance. No, what can be far more complicated is dating someone you see on a regular basis - that is, a co-worker.
Work seems to be a prime place to fall in love. Your co-workers might be your peers. You see each other at your worst - and your best. You can develop a sense of how your co-worker behaves under pressure. And if you’re working together in a high-pressure situation, it’s not uncommon for feelings to intensify. Finally, since you’re not expected to use work as a love connection, you might not be feeling as self-conscious as you would if you were out at a bar.
However, dating a co-worker can often be more trouble than it’s worth. First, there’s the ethics of the situation to consider - are co-workers allowed to date? Are you the boss of your date, or vice versa? If you can get past that, there’s a team dynamic to consider: are other co-workers going to think there’s favoritism at work? Will your job become uncomfortable for either of you?
That’s assuming, of course, that everything works out. What if it doesn’t? What will the work environment be like then? Will you still be working closely with your now-ex? In essence, the best time to date a co-worker, whether it’s successful or not, is when one or both of you actually has no interest in staying in your job as a career. Two teenagers working in a fast food restaurant have few ethical worries or long-term ramifications. Two employees at a law firm, however, might want to give dating a co-worker heavy contemplation.
So the next time you feel glum because you “just don’t seem to have any way to meet people” in your everyday life, cheer up! Finding someone outside your daily box may prove to be far less of a headache in the long run anyway.
Work seems to be a prime place to fall in love. Your co-workers might be your peers. You see each other at your worst - and your best. You can develop a sense of how your co-worker behaves under pressure. And if you’re working together in a high-pressure situation, it’s not uncommon for feelings to intensify. Finally, since you’re not expected to use work as a love connection, you might not be feeling as self-conscious as you would if you were out at a bar.
However, dating a co-worker can often be more trouble than it’s worth. First, there’s the ethics of the situation to consider - are co-workers allowed to date? Are you the boss of your date, or vice versa? If you can get past that, there’s a team dynamic to consider: are other co-workers going to think there’s favoritism at work? Will your job become uncomfortable for either of you?
That’s assuming, of course, that everything works out. What if it doesn’t? What will the work environment be like then? Will you still be working closely with your now-ex? In essence, the best time to date a co-worker, whether it’s successful or not, is when one or both of you actually has no interest in staying in your job as a career. Two teenagers working in a fast food restaurant have few ethical worries or long-term ramifications. Two employees at a law firm, however, might want to give dating a co-worker heavy contemplation.
So the next time you feel glum because you “just don’t seem to have any way to meet people” in your everyday life, cheer up! Finding someone outside your daily box may prove to be far less of a headache in the long run anyway.
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