Managing Sticky Situations at Work
Managing Sticky Situations at Work
Managing Sticky Situations at Work
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<strong>Sticky</strong> Romantic <strong>Situ<strong>at</strong>ions</strong> in the Office 123the costs, however, in a less risky situ<strong>at</strong>ion, namely, between two singleco-workers who work for a large company where they probablywon’t get fired if they become romantically involved. In this case, perhapsthe risks are less obvious than those when the person we’re interestedin is our superior or a client or a subordin<strong>at</strong>e, but risks still exist.All rel<strong>at</strong>ionships carry risk. Being in an office romance multiplies indifficulty because if the rel<strong>at</strong>ionship ends, you will see the person everyday <strong>at</strong> work (remember Phyllis and Martin). You will run into th<strong>at</strong>individual after he or she starts d<strong>at</strong>ing someone else. You will have todeal with your hurt constantly if you stay in your job.1. Can you control your emotions in your work environment?Romance of any kind <strong>at</strong> work is inappropri<strong>at</strong>e. Are you okay withseeing the person you are intim<strong>at</strong>e with across the room withoutgoing to talk to th<strong>at</strong> person? Are you sacrificing important businessd<strong>at</strong>es with others because you want to share time with your partner?Do you feel jealous when your partner interacts with others in theoffice?2. How do others in the office respond to your rel<strong>at</strong>ionship? If youwant to keep the intim<strong>at</strong>e rel<strong>at</strong>ionship secret, how are you dealingwith th<strong>at</strong>? It’s not a good idea to put your partner down publicly justto pretend you don’t care. People see through this kind of behavior.On the other hand, if you are always sticking up for your partner,th<strong>at</strong>, too, looks unprofessional. 73. Being in an office rel<strong>at</strong>ionship means seeing your partner all dayevery day with little time to yourself. You work with th<strong>at</strong> person; yougo home with th<strong>at</strong> person. When is it too much of a good thing?Many husbands and wives find they cannot work together becausethey need some distance from each other. We sometimes believe th<strong>at</strong>being with the one we love all the time would be a heavenly situ<strong>at</strong>ion.This is not always the case and does not mean you love someoneless for it. We all need our personal space.4. When you have a rel<strong>at</strong>ionship with a co-worker, competitive issuesoften emerge. How will you feel if your partner gets th<strong>at</strong> promotionyou hoped for? Or, wh<strong>at</strong> if you get th<strong>at</strong> promotion you know yourpartner really wanted?As we examine specific sticky romantic situ<strong>at</strong>ions, we notice th<strong>at</strong> fewabsolutes exist. Go into the rel<strong>at</strong>ionship with a clear understanding ofthe costs and be willing to make sacrifices if you must. Above all, actprofessionally.
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