It can work! Dating in the workplace can bring out creativity and productivity.
Megan Musilli, Managing Editor
A relationship, if it's a good one, should work under any circumstance - this includes the workplace, despite any negative feedback it might entail.
Working with a significant other usually evokes a conflict of interest: How are you supposed to keep your personal life separate from your job? Is it awkward for co-workers to work with the two of you? What happens during a fight, or worse, a breakup?
With good communication and a strong bond, none of this should be a problem. Working with someone who's close to you may, in fact, even be seen as a benefit.
Oftentimes, fights arise over not spending enough time with each other. Working together not only gives you an abundance of bonding, but also a different level of communication - something you can both vent or cheer about with complete understanding of what the other person is talking about.
A person's job is a core part of who they are as an individual, and having that in common with someone else can make your relationship with that person even more special and fulfilling.
Working together can also spark creativity. When two people have chemistry as a couple, they also clearly have the compatibility to collaborate on different projects and ideas. Since the two of you mesh so well together outside of the office, it could be beneficial to all to have you both working together on different tasks within the workplace.
There will be difficulties - fights and other personal matters should be left at the door. And, for everyone's sake, never show PDA in the office. But any strong, mature couple should have no problem with this - especially if you love the job you do and the person you are with.
Seeing a coworker will likely result in misfortune for all parties involved.
Tom Wilder, Editor-in-Chief
Dating in the workplace has been romanticized throughout the years, notably with the adorable saga of Jim and Pam from "The Office." In reality, however, the collision of work and pleasure results in a thorny situation for everyone involved.
Entering any relationship results in a considerable loss of one's independence. In the office, this loss of independence is manifested in coworkers' perceptions of the couple. While each partner may have their own distinct career goals, their peers immediately perceive them as a single unit once they start dating; as far as their peers are concerned, their goals become each other's.
These impressions are only compounded when there is a difference in power between the couple. Whispers will inevitably circulate the office regarding possible conflicts of interest, whether or not the lower-ranked significant other is unfairly influencing a higher-up.
If the power disparity is great enough, such gossip can become damaging to the reputation of both members of the couple: Is So-and-So using sex to get ahead professionally? Is our boss giving preferential treatment to him or her based on their off-the-job performance, rather than their job performance?
Even if the relationship doesn't provide ample office gossip, it's nearly impossible for a couple to keep their private and professional lives 100 percent separate. Every relationship has highs and lows, and these varying moods will predictably affect the job performance of the parties involved. Perhaps the most prominent hindrance intrinsic in an office relationship occurs after-the-fact, when it inexorably comes to a close - unless it ends in marriage, and even then a positive outcome is only 50/50. Will the former lovers be able to maintain a healthy working relationship? Will the split, if particularly acrimonious, create a divide throughout the entire office?
Individuals should focus on success in their careers and personal lives separately. Otherwise, a breakup could result in the destruction of both ambitions.