A Workplace Romance Can Be Detrimental to Your Career

Over 70% of single employees will become romantically involved with someone they work with at some point in their career. The workplace has become the new single's bar. The workplace has also become the number one place for cheating spouses to meet affair partners and conduct extramarital affairs.

Proceed with caution if you're attracted to someone on your job and are considering engaging in a workplace romance. As tempting as it may be to date someone from work, the risks far outweigh the rewards. An office romance could cause you legal problems, public embarrassment, and could be detrimental to your career.

Legal Complications

If your workplace lover becomes involved in a corporate scandal, you could be named as an accomplice, or hauled into court as a government witness. Consider the examples below:

? U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones, the judge in the trial of ex-WorldCom chief executive Bernard J. Ebbers, ruled that star witness Scott Sullivan can be questioned about his marital infidelity because it speaks to his character for truthfulness.

? Book publisher Judith Regan may be forced to testify about her affair with Bernard Kerik who withdrew his name from Homeland Security nominee in the midst of numerous allegations of personal and professional improprieties.

? Testimony from three former mistresses helped put Nathan Chapman away for 7 ½ years for defrauding Maryland's state pension fund system and looting his three publicly traded companies.

These are just three of the recent examples of how a workplace romance can become public knowledge, much to the embarrassment of those involved.

In addition, males in supervisory positions who become romantically involved with female subordinates run the risk of becoming the subject of a sexual-harassment suit if the woman later claims to have been coerced or pressured into the relationship for fear of her job. For that reason many companies now forbid romance between bosses and subordinates. Others companies require persons who are romantically involved to sign consensual relationship agreements ? also known as "love contracts" - which state that the relationship is voluntary.

Career Complications

Aside from legal issues, if you're tempted to date your boss, consider the negative impact a workplace romance could have on your career. If the romance ends badly, some very unpleasant things can occur. Your ex-lover has the ability to undermine your career in ways you can't even begin to imagine. Why take a chance?

Below are some of the day-to-day and long-range career complications that can result from a workplace romance:

? Envious co-workers may become jealous and attempt to sabotage your work.

? Your productivity or the productivity of those around you may suffer.

? You could become the subject of office gossip

? If your office romance results in preferential treatment with regard to work assignments, raises, promotions or company perks your co-workers will resentment you.

? A series of office romances will earn you a reputation as someone who tries to sleep their way to the top.

? You may be transferred to another department or even required to leave the company, especially if you are a woman. When an office affair becomes a problem, it's usually the woman who is penalized.

? It could create an awkward situation when the romance ends, and the two of you still have to work together.

? If you end the relationship and the other person is vindictive, they can sabotage your career in ways you can't even begin to imagine.

? A disgruntled lover can negatively influence the kind of work assignments, raises, and opportunities for advancement you receive.

? Your coworkers' perception of your work performance may be lowered.

? No matter how hard you work, there will always be speculation about whether or not your raise or your promotion was a reward for sexual favors.

If you're currently involved in a workplace romance, or you're tempted to get involved in one despite the warnings, do your utmost to keep things on a professional level. There are guidelines to help you minimize any possible damage to your career. To receive a copy of the tip sheet "How to Keep Your Office Romance on a Professional Level", send an e-mail to InfidelityInfo@gmail.com with "Office Romance" in the subject line.

About Ruth Houston:

Infidelity expert Ruth Houston is the author of Is He Cheating on You?- 829 Telltale Signs, a comprehensive guide which documents practically every known sign of infidelity. She has been quoted in the New York Times, the Toronto Sun, Cosmopolitan and numerous other publications; and has been a guest on over 100 radio and TV talk shows in the US, Europe, the Caribbean and South America. For more information, visit her website http://www.InfidelityAdvice.com

RELATED ARTICLES

How to Turn a Job Search into a Career Find
The only way to find a new career is to stop looking for a job Career success requires the identical effort and targeting as setting a course for continuous professional development.

Interview Tips, How to Get the Job You Want
Enter into a state of relaxed concentration. This is the state from which great basketball players or Olympic skaters operate. You'll need to quiet the negative self chatter in your head through meditation or visualization prior to sitting down in the meeting. You'll focus on the present moment and will be less apt to experience lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation.

Dissatisfied With Work? Perhaps Its You
Just about every month, there's a new research report detailing the seemingly higher and higher degree of worker dissatisfaction. Whether it's a Gallup poll or a Conference Board report, the results are strikingly similar -- workers are becoming more and more dissatisfied with their work.

How Can Qualifications Help Your Proof Reading Career?
For those who are looking for a career as a proofreader, it is important to have the right qualifications. It is important to remember that this is a proper job. It is not just an easy way to make some money from home. For those who are serious, it will require a lot of diligent work to get into the field. And, when they do, it will take time to build your freelance business to the stage where it is profitable. Nevertheless, here are some of the basic qualifications that you will need:

6 Steps to Re-inventing Your Career
Meaningful work honors the deepest part of your being. It is the embodiment of your gifts and talents and all that you value. Finding it in a safe, smart way requires these six steps:

Travel Writer Jobs, What Are They And How To Find Them
Travel writing jobs are few and far between. Getting into this field is hard to do and requires a lot of training and experience. But, there are many benefits to them. There are many individuals who would love to get employment opportunities in this field. And, because the world is faster and faster becoming accessible to more people, increasing employment availability can be found for travel jobs as well. But, how does a person get in and how do they do their job?

The 4 Job Search Facts You Need To Know!
Are you harboring bitterness or anger towards your current or past employer?

The Background on Background Checks
In one of my past lives I held a Top Secret clearance as a Civil Service employee working for the Air Force. So I am familiar with background checks. But many job seekers are not. Here's a little background on background checks...

Job or Career
At this present time I have a job. It pays some of my bills, and again I have a job. I don't think of my job as a career because I don't have a passion for it. I dread going to work at times, so I know this isn't a career for me. I'm working at a clinic at the present time, and it's a stressful job, and not really my cup of tea.

Managing Emotions During Career Change and Job Search, Part One
How can you manage your emotions during your career change or job search? To answer this practical and wise question, let's first define what emotions are. Emotions, also commonly referred to as feelings, are energy released in your body in response to perceived events, that is, to data received via your five senses.

The Best Business And Economy Solutions
In todays Business and economy, starting any business service requires a good business plan. A little money wouldn't hurt either.

Book Summary: How to Work with Just About Anyone
This article is based on the following book:

Unlimit Your Life!
Do you have a tendency to think in absolutes?

Supplement Your Skills and Improve Your Work Position
It is often said that the majority of people are but a few checks away from homelessness. Without a consistent income, this may be a true statement. Some ability to multi-task can get you through a temporary employment down-spell.

The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting - As Seen Through The Eyes of a Seasoned Telecommuter
Janelle Delacorte has been happily answering calls for the Home Shopping Network and various infomercials since November 2004.

Seven Steps to Better Networking
If published statistics are accurate, employment agencies and search firms fill about 20% of all jobs in the US. Job boards fill anywhere between 2% and 8%. So how do the others get filled?

Mastering The Lunch Interview
Interviews can be nerve-racking, brain-draining, headache-inducing experiences. These days, recruiters have found a way to make the interview even more difficult by combining the experience with a meal. This means that in addition to listening to the interviewer, formulating intelligent responses, and trying your hardest to be confident, you now have pay attention to how you look while eating.

Discuss Your Accomplishments During the Interview
When preparing for your interview, you need to be ready to discuss your accomplishments. Surprisingly, many people are reluctant to talk about their accomplishments. But this is exactly what the interviewer wants to hear from you.

Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement
Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career:

Women Who Quit Work Abrubtly After Childbirth - Are You the Type?
According to statistics one out of every five pregnant women will not return to work. Quitting abruptly after childbirth could wreak havoc on your finances, your career and even your relationship with your partner.