TonioTimeDaily

"Know what you sign up for

With every relationship, you need to know what you are after. And it’s best to deal with a workplace romance expecting as little as possible. I’m not saying it cannot turn into a big love, but if you expect just to have some fun times and bonding, it might save you from setting yourself up for failure with too high expectations. Set some rules and discuss what you both see — if it’s mutually agreed fun, there shouldn’t be any problems. But you need to handle early on any discrepancies between yourself — it can get complicated because… co-workers.

Separate it from work

The good thing about a workplace affair is that you can spend a lot of time together, even when you are not having sex. But the same thing is the bad thing about it: you might spend too much time together and you stop having a life out of the workplace. It can affect how you work together, and the most professional approach you can have is to try and separate work from love (or lust). Don’t lean into favouritism, don’t treat them differently just because you hooked up, or keep hooking up.

Don’t shout it from the rooftops

Workplace affairs usually don’t last a lifetime and you don’t need any judgement from anyone in the company. To keep your professional stance, try to keep it as low-key as possible. After all, your professional reputation has nothing to do with who you sleep with. Don’t provide ground for allegations or gossip. Don’t let an affair discredit your expertise or your possibility of promotion. If you are in a hierarchical relation then be extra careful with the appearances.

Communicate and never ghost

It might come to an end, yes, it happens. Be an adult, don’t ever ghost. Don’t ruin your own personal reputation by leaving them without answers. Be decent enough to tell them about your concerns or remind them about the rules you have agreed to in the first place. Know that even if you do everything, you can still hurt the other, and you will need to deal with it eventually. It’s better sooner than later.

Know that there is an expiration

Unless you found the love of your life at the company party in a vodka-haze, you need to factor in the fact that it has an expiration date stamped on it. It might last only one night or a few weeks, or it can stretch through months or years without becoming something more substantial. Communication is key, and you are much better off if you know where you are heading. You can’t save yourself from an occasional heartbreak, but you can try to shield yourself."

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