The no co-workers dating rule

THE idea of dating a co-worker may sound adventurous, but if you get past the fantasy part of the idea, it may prove to be a big risk.

With increasing demands from work, many professionals are finding it difficult to find time to date, and thus co-workers start becoming an option. But so many problems can arise from such a courtship, as told by the readers below.

Beverley, 31:

I tried it once, secretly of course. I mean our fellow co-workers could tell that something was definitely up but they thought it was just a crush. At first it was kinda exciting, he would leave little notes on my desk or we would steal a kiss in the hallway when nobody was looking. But when the time came for a promotion I got it. I was now his supervisor and so it became a little bit awkward between us. Long and short of it is that we broke up. I don’t think his ego could have handled it plus I was getting a bit uncomfortable.

Peter, 30:

We worked in different departments of the same company. Because we weren’t spending every waking hour together it didn’t affect our relationship at that time. After a year or two we started to get comfortable and we grew apart. We decided to break up. The thing about us breaking up is that we had the same circle of friends, same contacts, and so some of our friends felt as if they had to choose a side.

Joan, 42:

At the time I was a young and upcoming professional. I had to work twice as hard to prove myself worthy and to be taken seriously especially since I was a woman. My mother would always call and check up on me and asked me if I had found a man yet and of course the answer would be no. I had work all the time. For me, dating a co-worker was a easy choice to make as I spent most of my time at the office. The problem came when some of the other women in the office thought that I was using my relationship with one of the seniors at the company as a way to get ahead. I sincerely had feelings for him but that didn’t stop the accusations. Needless to say that relationship didn’t last long.

Jean, 38:

As a woman in a male dominated company, for you to be taken seriously you have to been on your Ps and Qs at all times. You cannot afford to slip up at any point. I didn’t pursue this relationship opportunity which presented itself because I felt as if it could jeopardise my chances of being taken seriously.

Vicki, 27:

This guy at work was interested in me. He was nice enough and not bad looking. We started conversing and we eventually started dating. One day our supervisor called the both of us into his office. He confronted us with what he taught were ‘inappropriate e-mails’. Needless to say, that was the end of that relationship.