Everyone knows office romances are bad ideas for many reasons. There are workplace distraction issues, reputation harm, career damage, termination risks, broken hearts, potential lawsuits... the downsides outnumber the upsides by about a zillion to one.
And yet, office romances will keep happening. We spend a quarter of our lives or more in the office. It's a neutral environment where we have the opportunity to meet compatible dating partners and learn about them in a slow and natural way. Attraction is bound to bloom here and there and more than a few of us will bite the apple of temptation.
When love's in the air and a couple decides to damn the consequences, what can be expected realistically? The rewards are obvious, but what about the penalties? Must it be a furtive and hellish journey from the original romantic pinnacle to a bunkering down during the inevitable messy end? Is there no way for love to conquer all?
Of course there is.
Many companies have either a formal non-fraternization policy, or, at the very least, they informally frown on mixing business with pleasure. A few open-minded companies have a mutually agreeable relationship policy, so-called "love contracts" in which both parties in a romantic relationship essentially agree to keep job performance steady and to not sue if the pairing goes south. Check your company's policy. Maybe you're off the hook.
No luck? Your company's policy is severely romance-unfriendly? All is not lost. It might not be financially rewarding, at least temporarily, but you can always use your two-step trump card: 1) one of you leaves that particular company, and 2) you both have an agreeable financial strategy.
Surely it's worth one of you departing if it saves the romance. This is, after all, true love we're talking about right? The Big Love that hundreds of thousands of people spend hours chasing every day both online and offline? That millions crave, yet go to sleep alone in passionless beds with nothing but an aching-longing feeling of emptiness for company?
If you've found a life partner who brings a smile to your face and joy to your heart, are you really going to let some company's CYA policy and a little unemployment risk stand in the way?
Is it possible to choose to keep your beloved? Yes. Yes, absolutely, with the two-step process of one of you leaving the company and both of you having a financial plan. The only question is whether you're both willing to take that risk. And yes, it's risky to leave a company during an economic downturn, and yes, it's risky to try to live on one salary if that's your strategy of choice. But the possible reward is immense. You might just transform your office romance into one of the precious things that makes life itself worth living: a happily ever after.
This article is brought to you by Dating Advice Blog.
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