10 Reasons Not to Date Your Coworker - MadameNoire

Adds distractions

Do you really think you can concentrate on your work when the person you’re dating is in the same office? One of the biggest drawbacks to dating a coworker are the distractions that come with the romance. If you already find it hard enough to concentrate you might want to second-guess coupling up with a colleague.

Makes your judgment questionable

If you’re willing to walk the line of company policy and date a coworker, what else are you capable of doing? Don’t be too surprised if coworkers begin to question your professional judgment. There might be situations in the future where they cry favoritism or your inability to see clearly due to the love cloud circling around your head.

Have to consider breaking up

Not all relationships last so you might want to consider the effects of your breakup on the workplace. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Do you think you can be a professional and work with someone you now love to hate? Folks who date their coworkers and breakup leave themselves open to awkward situations and potential claims of harassment.

Blurs personal and work life boundaries

Hopefully you aren’t someone who tries to get a little “nooky” in the copy room–or another inappropriate place. Workplace couples expose themselves to bad decisions as it can be very tempting to mix pleasure with their business day. Can you really say you won’t blur your personal and work life boundaries?

Might need to sneak around

You do realize that office love is a no-no in most circles? This means you’ll probably need to sneak around to keep your romance on the hush. Do you really want to trouble your life with having to remember not to hold hands into your workplace, watching how long you stare at your beau, or anything else that’s associated with an inter-office affair?

Can cause your work to suffer

One can only hope you and your beau are working on two completely different projects. Heaven forbid you have an argument outside the office as it will more thank likely affect how the two of you work together. Fights and other disagreements can make your productivity levels and teamwork capability suffer.

Can cause coworker drama

“Hey, were you looking at my man? You know we’re dating right?”

Cue the soap opera drama.

It’s amazing how crazy we can get when we see our significant others interact with the opposite sex. What they deem as being nice can play out in our heads as flirting or emotionally cheating. Now imagine these thoughts running through your head throughout the day when you see your love around the workplace.

Might skew ambitions

Depending on how close you work together with your love, it might make going for that promotion a wee more difficult–especially if they are also in the running. Sometimes office romances can skew your career ambitions as no one wants to “one-up” the other person.

Limits alone time

There’s nothing wrong with some time away from the person you’re dating. In fact, it’s pretty healthy. Sometimes we need a breather so we can actually miss the people we see every day. How can you expect to get that if you wake up and see them, go to work and see them, and come home and see them?

You can lose your job

At the end of the day, dating a coworker isn’t the best idea as you can–and might likely–lose your job. Company protocol tends to discourage inter-office romances for all the reasons previously mentioned. It doesn’t put your best foot forward and makes your job more of a dating arena than professional one.