Dating in the Workplace: Here’s What You Need To Know About Fraternization

Nov 17, Jupiter Images Even if you think you have office politics down pat, it can never hurt to brush up on your workplace etiquette—especially now, when jobs are still scarce. Below are our top 10 rules for professionals, accompanied by real-life examples of coworkers behaving badly. Learn from their mistakes before your own missteps damage your professional reputation, or worse, cost you your job.

Think before you speak.

As long as you follow these (highly recommended) guidelines, you’re on the right track for forming meaningful connections with your colleagues—connections that won’t just make even the worst job bearable, but your life outside work better, too.

So just how feasible is it to fall in love with a fellow colleague or manager? Why should we have to choose between our professional personas or following our hearts and being truly happy? If it came down to it, what would you do — go with being happy, but being discreet, marching up to HR to make your announcement known, or avoiding an office romance at all costs? Will my employer have a problem with this?

Speak to your union if you think the rules are over the top or intrusive. Try to keep your love life separate from your work life as far as possible and try not to let any problems with your partner spill over into work activities.