A Guide to Office Romances

Dating co workers or being married to co-workers can be a risky situation. If you are dating a co-worker who is in a lower position than you are, people will say they're just using you to get further up the corporate ladder. People will say that you are dating in the company just to keep an inside track on office politics.

People will say anything. These are some tips to get you through the day, at home and at the office, while still keeping an even balance between the two sides of your lives.

The first thing to do is to set something of a "9 to 5" rule. No that doesn't mean you should emulate a certain blonde character from a movie. It means that during the course of the workday, don't be seen making frequent trips to your partner's office or workspace. At work it's a good idea to act as if your partner is just another co-worker. From 9 to 5 keep it strictly professional. From 5 to 9, you can be as proud as you please. You must also limit public displays of affection to lunch breaks. During lunch, go somewhere where you won't run into anyone from work, such as home, or to a restaurant on the other side of town.

Never be found missing from your post, other than the few minutes here and there that you might have to run to another room to make a copy or send a fax or during lunch or breaks. This is the quickest way for rumors to begin and spread about your romance. People will say you were in the break room having sex, or somewhere else having sex on company time.

Agree to keep your home life separate from your professional life. If you have a fight about the dinner party that dragged on the night before, leave it at home. If you have a fight over the company's new account, leave it at the office.

Don't let the romance interfere with your performance at work. As long as you get your job done and done well, your office romance and your job will maintain some sense of sanity. Some companies have a policy of asking dating co-workers who can't seem to keep a balance between the two to either end the relationship or find another job.