Many find the love of their lives at work and go on to enjoy happy marriages and a large family. It may not always be possible to prevent the eventual love-fest when two people find they have chemistry and happen to be seeing each other every day at work.
If you and employer both fall in love, it can be one of those situations where the theory is better than the reality. It’s obviously quite dangerous. The truth will ultimately emerge from the hole you’re subtly creating for yourselves, regardless of how “top secret” your relationship is meant to be.
Dating your boss is stepping on potentially dangerous ground, people management and leadership specialist Karen Gately told The Huffington Post Australia.
“It’s very difficult to expect employers to maintain a direct reporting relationship when you have that very clear conflict of interest. It’s also very difficult for the rest of the team, in terms of issues of favouritism or undermining the bosses credibility around maintaining objectivity. You can’t really performance manage the person you’re sleeping with,” says Karen.
Making an office relationship work is challenging, especially with the boss. If you choose to go in this way, be prepared to lose some friends as well as to encounter suspicion and lack of trust.
According to Rowdy McLean, it may be time to start looking for new employment if you plan to date the boss. Staying will lead to a poor outcome. It puts too much strain on both of you, despite the fact that you may think everything is fine and rosey.
Also see: Managing your emotions at work
