It’s not news that workplace romance isn’t exactly the easiest thing to work through. Normal relationships are difficult already. You have to accommodate each other’s differences and try to work it out, without having to add the strains of working together. Often, the only space you get from each other (and we all know that everyone needs space once in a while) is when you’re at work. This often applies whether you met on interracial dating or if you got introduced by a friend.
However, getting space from each other isn’t an option for you if you work together. We need to ask ourselves the question – can you really make an office relationship work? The truth is you can’t turn your back on someone you’re in love with just because they are a co-worker. What do you do instead?
The Conditions of Making the Relationship Work
The good news is that it’s actually possible for you to make an office relationship work, although it will depend on a few things.
The first is you need to make sure you’re actually allowed to date a co-worker. If your company has a strict ‘no romance policy,’ then there’s really nothing you can do about it. Second, it’s often better if you’re not a direct superior of your love interest and vice versa. It’s going to be much more challenging to get things to work out at home if your partner is always barking orders at you in the office.
That’s good news. The bad news is that it will take a lot of work and commitment. However, this may not be so bad, depending on how you look at it. It’s not like normal relationships are any easier.
Communication
It’s all about communication. The saying that communication is the most crucial thing in a relationship is true. Without good communication, you’d be left wondering what’s on your partner’s mind, and you’d have no way of knowing. It’s even worse if they clam up and don’t tell you. Whether your relationship is with your co-worker or with someone who works miles away, good communication will help you smoothen things out.
Understanding
After communication comes understanding. It’s essential to understand each other and to make room for each other’s excesses. Here’s an example of how understanding could help lead you to a better office relationship:
Imagine you had a small fight with your partner before leaving home. At work, you start to feel like they intentionally ignored and avoided you. They seemed to antagonize and disagree with every point you made at the meetings. While it’s easy to let your mind run wild and conclude that they did all that intentionally, another way to look at it would be to consider that they had a lot on their mind and were engrossed in their work. Understanding would help you see that your partner might have compartmentalized their emotions and left your fight at home. They simply wanted to get some work done.
It’s not so easy to see things this way, and the temptation to get angry and confront them will be much stronger. However, you have to remember that you want your office relationship to work out, and as a result, you should be willing to put in the work.