How to Be Smart About Inter-Office Dating

The recent David Letterman inter-office sex scandal has created tons of dialogue about what is and isn’t allowed in the workplace.  Dating someone at the office has always been a difficult situation, but with extended time spent working closely together office romances are inevitable. Personally, I know tons of married and dating couples who met at work!

Nicole Williams, author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules into Career Success, recently wrote an article about the best way to deal with office romances to avoid getting caught in a sticky situation.  She developed a short list of guidelines that will definitely offer help if you find yourself interested in pursuing someone at work…here are my thoughts on her advice:

Image: Nicole Williams

• Know Your Company’s Policy on Inter-Office Dating – It sounds simple, but I guarantee this is not the first thing on your mind if you want to ask someone out at work.  Check your Employee Handbook and make sure you are starting out on the right foot.

• Don’t Keep it a Secret – No one ever does this, but it’s a good piece of advice.  Secrets always lead to trouble!!

• Be Discreet and Act Professional – The sneaky office hook-up is probably super hot, but it is just putting you and your partner in a situation where both of you could easily lose your jobs.  With the economy as it is, value your job over your desire for PDA or office quickies.

• Be Aware of Sexual Harassment – This is extremely important!  Office have extremely strict policies about sexual harassment and if you are reading the signs wrong from someone, you could end up in a huge heap of trouble.  Especially remember sexual harassment policies when out drinking with co-workers…you definitely don’t want to get accused of inappropriate behavior.