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Love among the cubicles
5 Tips: If Cupid strikes you at the office.
February 11, 2004: 2:44 PM EST
By Gerri Willis, CNN/Money contributing columnist

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Love is in the air as we approach Valentine's Day. And according to a recent survey from career services company Vault.com, several people are finding love in the next cubicle.

In fact, of those asked, 47 percent of workers have participated in an office romance, 34 percent have not, and an additional 19 percent say they would be willing to do so if the opportunity arose. Still, office romance can be risky.

Here are today's five tips if Cupid has struck you.

1. Know the rules of romance.

Truth is, the rules of office dating are easing. Once it was considered a fireable offence, but with the workplace dramatically changed -- more and more women are in the workplace and people work longer hours -- bosses have become more open to the idea of office workers dating, or at least they are willing to look the other way.

Still, many people don't even know what the rules are in their workplace. According to the same Vault.com survey, 51 percent say their office does not have an office romance policy, 13 percent says theirs do while 36 percent had no idea. If you have no idea, you'll want to discreetly determine whether the office romance is a no-no at your company.

While each couple is different, if office romance is a new to you, look around and get a sense if other co-workers are involved. As for as which industry has the highest rate of office romance: Media/Entertainment. 39 percent of those polled work in that industry. Advertising and marketing came in a distant second with 19 percent, while Cupid is less likely to point his arrow in the technology and Internet industry with just 5 percent.

2. Consider the unintended consequences.
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CNNfn's Gerri Willis shares five tips on office romance.

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Plenty of employers don't encourage office romance because if there is a disagreement or if the romance fizzles, everyone else in the office, as well as clients, could be affected. And that's not the only potential result. If you date someone at work and things go badly, you'll still have to see this person every day.

Also, Dr. Joni Johnston, CEO of WorkRelationships.com says she has seen many instances where a relationship goes bad and one person becomes obsessed with the other. This can make for a very uncomfortable workplace environment. One example we heard of is a story of a man who became jealous after he broke up with his co-worker. He began flooding her with e-mails and sent her a dozen dead roses at the office.

Consider too, that once co-workers get wind of your relationship (and they inevitably will), you'll become fodder for water cooler talk. If you've spent anytime at all trying to develop a professional reputation, this could damage it.

3. Steer clear of the absolute nos.

Don't date a subordinate and stay away from the boss. Dating your direct reports could easily end up in a sexual harassment suit. In order to avoid this, some companies have asked couples to sign contracts stating that the relationship is consensual.

Dating your boss is similarly packed with potential problems. For example, your fellow office workers may conclude that you're getting special treatment and give you the cold shoulder. If you dump your boss or if he or she dumps you, you risk your job. Office dating makes most sense when people of roughly equal standing in the company and their assignments are in different departments.

4. Use common sense.

If you do find the love of your life down the hall, try to be discreet. Keep the love letters off your e-mail (electronic messages at work at the property of your boss, not you). Avoid public displays of affection and... Even if Cupid's arrow has pierced your heart, try to keep your mind on your work -- the quality of your work will be particularly scrutinized by office mates if they know you're dating someone down the hall.

5. Discuss the issues that might arise.

Let's face it, in the dating world there are more frogs than princes, so the likelihood that your office fling is more than temporary isn't too high.

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But if it does get serious, you'll want to talk seriously about how you're going to handle the issues that invariably arise. How will you handle co-workers' questions? What if you end up competing for the same job? What are the prospects of both of you working for the same company over the long haul? What would happen if you both got laid off? Would it make sense for one of you to move on to another employer? What if it doesn't work out?

If the relationship does have staying power, find an appropriate time and place for telling your supervisor. Remember, it's better that you tell them than that they finds out themselves.

Here's the good news. Of the 33 percent of managers surveyed by the American Management Association in a survey last year, nearly half said the relationship ended in marriage. The poll questioned nearly 400 managers.


Gerri Willis is the personal finance editor for CNN Business News. Willis also is co-host of CNNfn's The FlipSide, weekdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (ET). E-mail comments to 5tips@cnnfn.com.  Top of page




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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.