Office relationships can be quite tricky. You need to have mastered the art of pretence to get away with it without raising the slightest suspicion. Dating a colleague is not a taboo but it can create trouble for both parties involved. Most people have the ‘I don’t mix business with pleasure ‘slogan. But very few actually stick to it. I honestly do not see the harm in dating someone you work with but I have to admit it has been deemed as inappropriate behaviour. For instance, if the person you are seeing is in a higher department, the gossip around the office will be you are trying to climb the social ladder! I know we can’t always let people’s rubbish talk get to us but this is work. So unless you have another job lined up for you, I can guarantee you’ll be putting up with that rubbish for a while. And trust me, there’s only so much you can take. If it’s your boss hitting on you then that’s even worse. Out of respect you can’t tell himher to sod off and yet you want nothing to do with them. What do you do? You need the job so bad and don’t want to risk losing it. If you honestly want nothing to do with this boss, politely tell him/her so. If after a week you are suddenly fired for being incompetent yet you’re sure your master speaks for you, go. It wasn’t meant to be. After all when one door closes, about a million others open. It’s just that we are so busy crying over the closed one that we miss out on other opportunities. There’s no point in accepting the boss’ advances which you very much do not appreciate all in the name of a job. Sure, jobs are not that easy to get sometimes but leading your boss on will just end in disaster for you. If you are both in the same department it is a lot easier but may still misinterpreted by some people. They assume you are going to be too busy admiring each other to get any work done. If you’ve honestly fallen for your workmate and can swear on your life that heshe is the one, then make your move. We wouldn’t want you to miss out on what could be the most important thing in your life! But if what you are looking for is a fling, spare your prey the heartbreak and embarrassment. Imagine everyone knowing how the office Casanova confused you and made you believe he was the best thing since sliced bread! If sincere I just hope you are also ready for all the not so friendly insinuations coming your way. People are there to talk so that will be like giving them the green light. Do not be terrified, there’s still a decent few who understand these things but I’ll be lying to you if I said they are so easy to come by. Now a very important issue is if you’ve successfully created a relationship with your workmate and your colleagues and boss are cool with it, do yourself and your friends a favour and don’t go parading your undying love for each other all over the place. You don’t have to go proving to whoever cares to watch that you are indeed a couple and very much in love. It’s disrespectful. My honest opinion is steer clear of colleagues if you can’t handle what people say. You’ll not only cause unnecessary attention and distract yourself but others too! Like I said, it’s not a taboo and I’m sure some people have had bliss spring from it but that’s just some! cjanzi83@yahoo.co.uk
