Tips to Handle Personal Relationships at Workplace | Workplace Relationships

Personal and Professional worlds are two different arenas which are never supposed to be mixed up. When it happens that some personal relationships are formed at the office, care has to be taken so that they won’t affect the professional life of any person involved. Career and the workplace should always be prioritized and the serenity should always be maintained.

With the hush-hush over the wide-spread news of expelling Mac Donald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook on background of his romantic relationship with a junior, the spotlight is again being focused on the topic of romantic work relationships.

Having consensual relationships in workplace is now being a concern even for the HRs of the company. Maybe, you’ll need to update your personal relationships status on your company profile soon, Haha. Jokes apart, though fraternization might affect your job status to some extent, it’s highly necessary to avoid adultery. But, when you’re seeking a relationship for lifetime, then proposing him/her who happens to be a colleague should be done meticulously.

What Needs to be Done?

Most office romances won’t wait long to begin. In fact, the regular parts of your daily routine at work, allows things to make it enough to run into him/her. Situations that lead to romance may include late nights at work, chatting at lunch hours, hanging out during happy hours, or maybe outside the office.

No Spotlight Please

Dating a co-worker might usually interfere with your career. Make sure none of you gets into the spotlight of office rumors because of this relationship. It is only then, you both can be at peace. If that happens, whatever move you make from your desk, alerts the spectators and this ruins not only your reputation, but also your mental peace.

Take Care

Take care when the Cupid’s arrow has struck you. Be aware of what you are speaking and how you are acting. In most of the cases, when someone falls for another, that spark in eyes, smile on lips, stammer in words, and haste in work etc. make others aware that your heart has skipped a beat!!

When You Propose

Keep in mind that the person you propose has cent percent rights to say a no, if he/she doesn’t want this relationship. So, never try to do or say something that could mean you’re not going to take a No for an answer, because this could invite numerous problems.

Convey it Properly

While you’re seeking a personal relationship with your co-worker, be considerate enough to mention it very clearly. Always chose a spot that is far away from the office to convey your heart. Mention what you are exactly looking for in a relationship. Ensure that your potential someone understands it completely.
In case, you want to date and know each other before taking it to a further step, take precautions that it won’t lead to something sensual. Also, be careful that it doesn’t backfire and you should be extremely cautious if the person you are going to propose is your sub-ordinate at work.

Think Again

Before you forge forward into the significant-other’s territory, give your relationship a serious thought if it is really worth to take such risks. There could be risk of facing charges if the other person goes mad at you, and there could also be a risk of losing a great career, if things go worse in the office. Above all, your emotional health could also get highly affected.

No strings attached

Sometimes, you could end up in a dilemma, wondering if you have to really take this relationship to a further level. So, it is always better not to make any conclusions in the starting stage of an association. Let it take some time. But before you both start your dating journey, set rules with your partner. Be strict with the rules you make and follow them at your workplace. Also, make an exit plan in advance, in case there arises a problem. It is always better to have an exit plan when you’re not sure if this relationship would last long.

In a recent study, it was found that the employees in an office wouldn’t mind if there develops a romantic relationship between two unmarried colleagues. However, they do object it if one or both the co-workers are married or if the relationship has developed between a supervisor and his/her sub-ordinate. It is more or less the same case, with many of the offices.

What Can Happen?

Let us have a look at the probable repercussions of such a relationship at the workplace.

Spoilage of Personal Relationships

The lovely married life of the world’s wealthiest CEO whose was actually a strongest love marriage has been shattered on the same grounds. Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Tuttle the couple for 25 years had to divorce because of such an issue. The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal also reveals the same. In fact, there are numerous examples in the society that say how a family gets shattered because of the extra-marital affairs. It’s true that most of them are likely to happen in workplaces as it is the place where people spend much of their active time.

Increased favoritism towards certain employees

It is widely found that, the superiors and the subordinates having close acquaintance in the offices lead to consensual relationships in many cases. Being in close relations, it is a common phenomenon that the subordinates involved take advantage of their favoritism and violate the rules and regulations of the company.

They profoundly show others that they are different from all others leading to sudden changes in tone such as being bossy with colleagues, flaunting their special place and superiority, getting promotions and taking unaccountable leaves and breaks, etc., which others can clearly notice. This disturbs the whole environment.

Diminishing Credibility of the boss

The boss, superior or a team lead, or maybe a co-worker, whoever encourages a personal relationship in the office premises, loses credibility in the eyes of the team. Though they show some respect on the face, they might not hold it inside. It is because such a behavior devalues the person.

Team gets affected

In case the team lead or the superior holds special attention towards someone, the whole team gets affected. It is obvious that they will have a feeling of negligence towards their duties at work, believing that their work won’t be recognized as the significant other is drawing the attention of the superior.

When such comparisons set in, they even tend to divert their attention to common pleasures such as enjoying time without working seriously, gossiping, spending much time in cafeteria, taking sudden leaves and holidaying etc. They basically lose interest in everything. This may also lead to decrease in the morale of the employees and seeking romantic relationships from the peers, which could lead to any extent.

Violations of company’s policies

As internal gossips and rumors that impact the overall workplace environment tend to spread in the office, majority of the employees start behaving in a careless manner thinking that the management would never bother. This leads to the violation of company’s rules and policies. Finally, the mission and vision of the company get drained.

Resulting in Charges

Romantic overtures towards a colleague can sometimes lead to sexual harassment charges on you if the colleague is not willing. There are chances that sexual harassment claims or discrimination claims can be charged by other employees of the office against the superior.

In many other cases, the subordinates who are involved in such intimate relationships, though consensual, place the charges of harassments on the superior. Some of them can attempt blackmailing or the other ways to extract more money and benefits from the superior involved. There are numerous examples in the society, if we observe.

So, basically, whichever kind of relationship it is, having cozy relations at the workplace is never a good idea, especially when you’re already engaged. Are you already caught up in a romantic relationship at the office? Not knowing how to deal with your love related issues? Are you having struggle with your family related issues? Feel free to contact our psychologists who are always available at the click of a button or at the distance of a call. You may also login to Wellness Hub to book an appointment, today.