Office romances always seem so dreamy in K-dramas — think Forecasting Love And Weather and What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim.
However, while sneaking around and supporting each other during tough times does sound exciting, dating a co-worker has its downsides.
For all those that are thinking of chasing your office crush, Lemon8 user @eggwhitey shares the pros and cons of dating a co-worker.
The first advantage of dating a co-worker is pretty self-explanatory. Since you’re both working at the same place, it’s likely that you share common interests, values, and goals.
While opposites do attract, these similar interests can help you two to build a bond and get to know each other. Moreover, working at the same company means you will have a similar understanding of the industry and its demands. If you don’t know how to start a conversation, consider bringing up something work-related before moving on to the more personal questions.
One of the most common reasons why a couple breaks up is a lack of quality time together. By working with your partner, this problem’s less existent, since you’ll see each other from morning till night.
While you can’t spend your whole day at the office glued to each other instead of working, knowing that your partner is nearby will give you a sense of companionship.
In her Lemon8 post, @eggwhitey mentions that by working together “you don’t have to worry about commuting to see each other after work,” which is a definite plus.
Sometimes, work is stressful. When your partner is also your co-worker, they’ll be able to understand the challenges that you are facing much better. As you vent, they can offer relevant guidance and emotional support — instead of just lending a listening ear and saying generic words of comfort like “things will get better” and “jiayou.”
Let’s admit it — many Singaporeans are just kaypoh by nature. If you do get together with your co-worker, expect to become “a hot topic of office gossip”, as said by @eggwhitey.
NGL, you’ll probably feel like you’re back in secondary school, when schoolmates occasionally steal glances at you and speculate about your relationship behind your back.
@Eggwhitey also shares that “maintaining a clear line between your personal and professional life can be challenging.” When working together, you may be biased towards each other and end up making irrational decisions.
For example, if your partner and another co-worker are proposing ideas for the same project, you may end up supporting your partner even though another co-worker’s idea is better.
Before dating a co-worker, most people will consider what happens if the relationship doesn’t work out. After all, life isn’t a fairytale and all relationships may come to an end.
If you’re the type to fall too fast and too deep, an office romance is probably not for you — since things can get awkward, tense, and even hostile real quick.
Engaging in an office romance isn’t as glamorous as it seems. But, if you’re sure that you and your potential partner will be able to thug it out through the tough times, go for it. Just like @eggwhitey and her partner, many office romances do end up working out.
On the flipside, here’s why dating colleagues is never okay in the Singaporean workplace — to snap you out of wanting to date a co-worker.
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