Office Romance: Should You?

If you are a single professional, you might spend more time at the office than at home. You are like a lot of single men and women who don't have the time to meet new people. You might be tempted to find potential partners within your environment -- the office.

Maybe you feel that work is a natural place to meet new people. After all, you spend at least 40 hours a week there. Relationships with co-workers can be especially tempting because the hourly demands don't leave much time for socializing outside.

According to a poll conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, 58 percent of executives view office romances as unprofessional; 38 percent believe they end in disaster; and many more believe that they wreak havoc on morale. And, let's not forget that office affairs have the potential to lead to sexual harassment lawsuits.

A study by Vault.com shows that almost half of us have been romantically tied to someone at work and that workplace relationships often can be successful; roughly one-quarter result in long-term relationships and even marriage. So let me present to you the pros and cons of office romance:

Pros:
1. You save time and money by not having to search outside the premises.

2. You already have an idea of what he or she's is like because you have seen them in action over time. So there won't be unpleasant surprises.

Cons:
1. No matter how well the relationship is going, it can be disastrous if you have too much face time with each other. If you work together, go out together, have sex together, spend weekends together, it may be too much togetherness.

2. Office romances may interfere with your ability to perform your professional duties. Imagine telling your girlfriend or boyfriend that they're fired? Or being fired by your lover. You may be accused of conflict of interest or favoritism. This lowers everyone's morale. There's nothing worse than seeing a boss favoring another employee for sexual reasons.

3. If things don't work out, things can become awkward. You have both seen each other in the most intimate situations. Now there is a chill in the air between you. I have known many women through the years who have had to leave their jobs because an office romance went sour. When they have dated their bosses, they were fired after the end of the affair.

So do you think you can carry it off? You can if you don't come back together, disheveled after long lunches, with transcendent grins on your lipstick-smeared faces. Also, don't send romantic or sexy e-mail to each other through company e-mail. I can be checked and you can be fired.

If you are discreet, sensible, and take time to make sure the relationship will not interfere with the workplace, an office romance may be right for you.