Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have just married after meeting at work on the film set of Mr & Mrs Smith. With 1 in 3 of British workers admitting to a workplace romance, add to this the fact we spend more time than ever at work, they are commonplace.
There is no law against office romances, however before embarking on any office romance, check your trusty employee handbook. A very small minority of workplaces forbid them, whilst most frown upon them, for professional conduct reasons, confidentiality between departments, or to protect the company against sexual harrassment claims. You wouldn’t want to damage your career over your love life, so act carefully.
A Jolie Idea!
Think about how much time you spend at work, it is extra time you can spend getting to know your potential partner before starting to date; you will know their likes and dislikes, their habits and generally ‘how they are’ as a person. And just think of all the money you will save sharing a lift to work.
If you keep your love life and work life seperate and don’t let relationship problems spill over into work, a workplace relationship can be healthy.
The PItts!
Because you work together, there may be little conversation between you outside of what is happening at work. Your relationship may become all about one topic – work.
Think about what would happen if you broke up, how would you deal with working with your ex partner. Be careful too about your working relationships and how a romance would affect the dynamics. This is especially important if you work in the same team or a small company.
Any form of physical contact, from holding hands to a full on snog (or more!) should be avoided at work, save it until you get home. I once had to share a lift with a couple from another company on another floor having a snog before work; and to say it was cringworthy was an understatement!
