這種題目，叫人嘴不癢都難~~~

We are just so busy these days. Sometimes, we are too busy working to even go out for lunch, so we have to grab a quick bite in company café or bring homemade food. Sometimes, we are so tied up with all kinds of schedules to even socialize after work, let alone date, so we tend to seek fun nearby, dating our co-workers. Treat it as a fast and convenient solution like the fast food we grab from the downstairs hot deli.

It is so easy to start with, you know each other well, much safer than dating some psycho from Internet. The company has already done you a favor by doing the background check and drug-screening test before final recruiting. Why don’t take advantage of it? Besides, you two must have a lot in common, share a lot of interests, and may be motivated by the similar goals since you are in the same line of work. Plus, you can see the significant other one every day, flirting almost any time you like, turning the original sweat shop into a love heaven. It sounds too tempting to resist.

Hold on, let’s quote Miranda’s famous saying, “One should never shit where he eats”. The cons of Office romance always much outweigh the pros.

No1, your career will be severely impacted. Although there are no written rules on the stone saying that dating is not allowed at workplace. This may be the most disapproved conduct in a company. How can your boss expect you perform professionally when you mix the business with pleasure? How can your co-workers believe you can play fair and square in doing projects without favoring your date? Asides from your boss and co-workers, how can you two deal with the both professional and emotional pressure crowded at such tiny space at the same time? Your delicate relationship flower will crumple even before it takes roots. It is too prone to get both career and private life screwed up to be worthy of trying.

No2, your career will be impacted anyway. No matter the relationship goes sour or works out, in the end, one of you will have to resign. Female is the one that takes that compromise.

If you really love your job and you see lots of potential and promise in what you are doing right now, don’t play fire, stay away from office dating. Flirting is fine; bantering is fine; playing emotional subtlety is fine. Believe or not, these can cheer up your spirit and improve the working efficiency as a nice by-product. Anyway, rule of the thumb is - just don’t go deep before you are 100 percent sure and better hunter outside your work place.

If you really care about this person to a degree you don’t care about your jobs. Ok, screw it, go ahead but bear the following advice in mind.

Be discreet, getting to know each other more before you let the cat of the bag. So your relationship may still have a chance to roll back to the regular one instead of becoming the hot topic of office gossip mill if the romance fizzles after a first few dates. In fact, let the cat stay in the bag as long as possible. Sometimes, the best result is to let the cat finally die inside the bag.

No PDA – “Public Display of Affection”, even after you have broken the news in the office and accept everyone’s blessings, unless you two are Tom Cruise and Kate Holmes. They are making a living by publicity. Playing footies under the desk or pecking in the coffee break room may sound cute in novels or movies. In real life, it only makes onlookers who happen to catch that want to puke. Try to be professional and play fair no matter how hard it can be.

Last but not the least, be prepared to resign. Brush up your resume. You got to use it sooner or later.

So, the art of office romance is controlling - let your affection simmer or chill out underground and never break into flames. :)