Whether it’s frowned upon or not, some co-workers simply can’t help but strike up an office romance.
And while many believe it’s a terrible idea, one happy couple are proof that it can work out for the best.
Linda Reed-Enever, 39, of Victoria, met her husband of 16 years while she was working at a telecommunications company in 2001.
At the time she was a call centre manager, and he headed up the sales team.
Linda Reed-Enever (pictured left) with her husband of 16-years Clive (pictured right) – the pair met when working for the same organisation
The mother-of-one told FEMAIL that at the time, the pair were working for a fairly large company – one that had around 80 staff.
She said both worked in separate departments, and neither seemed to be looking for anything.
‘Over a couple of months conversations happened. There was nothing untoward about it.
‘We’d go for drinks after work with mates and eventually it developed into something more for both of us in that particular area.’
Mrs Reed-Enever said it took a while for things to heat up between her and her husband (stock image)
Not long after the pair had started seeing each other, her husband was transferred to Western Australia.
‘It was at that point in time I had to make a decision about whether I was going to, or if I was staying,’ she said.
In the end, Mrs Reed-Enever said she approached her managers to ask if she could also be transferred, and with the backing of the company she moved.
‘At that stage, the company knew about the relationship,’ she said.
Mrs Reed-Enever also revealed that as things progressed between the pair, they became the subject of office chat.
As the couples’ relationship progressed people, she said people in the office started to talk (stock image)
‘You work in a call centre or sales environment, they’ll gossip, if you don’t tell them the truth.
‘And there was 25 years between Clive and me which made it hard.’
Rather than avoid the issue, Mrs Reed-Enever decided to speak about her relationship openly after she was questioned by a member of staff.
‘I expected honesty from my team so I couldn’t not be honest with them.’
Rather than hide her relationship from her staff, Mrs Reed-Enever decided to speak out
She said her interstate transfer meant she would be moving in with Clive, and that the pair would be coming and going from the office as a couple.
‘There was no point in hiding it from our staff or our organisation,’ she said.
‘Really, it comes down to the boundaries you set.’
Ms Gibbings believes it’s important to maintain professional boundaries
Workplace expert Michelle Gibbings also noted the importance of maintaining professional boundaries if you’ve started seeing a colleague romantically.
‘This all depends on who you’re having a relationship with as to where the challenges lie,’ said Ms Gibbings, author of Step Up: How To Build Your Influence at Work.
If a person works in another department the situation is going to be very different one where the person is in your team, or they’re your direct report, or you report to them.
‘That’s when it starts getting really murky and starts getting really messy. It’s really important for people when they find themselves in this situation is to think long-term consequences,’ the expert outlined.
These can range from how a relationship with a co-worker could potentially impact on your reputation or worse, on your career.
Ms Gibbings said she’s seen both situations play out in the workplace, and there have been times when office relationships have worked, and times when they haven’t (stock image)
‘I have seen this go really well, and I have seen it go really badly.
‘I have seen people who have had really close working relationships who have been happily married for years, but they made sure the right people at work knew.’
‘They made sure that the reporting relationship that they used to have was no longer in place.’
Though she recommends seeking advice before taking any action, revealing your situation to management can protect you, as well as protect the organisation from potential legal issues.
‘If you want to pursue the relationship, have a conversation with HR about who moves.’
‘Most organisations won’t want people to be having a relationship with someone who is on their team,’ she said.
Sexologist Dr Nikki Goldstein (pictured) said while it’s more common for people to date their colleagues the situation isn’t always so straightforward
Sexologist Dr Nikki Goldstein said as people spend more time at work to juggle ever-increasing demands, the office romance could be something that becomes more common.
But the author and relationship expert is quick to point out dating a colleague isn’t always so straightforward.
The conversations need to be about how people are going to be comfortable with this knowledge rather than aggressively trying to hide the relationship
‘If you’re working and your roles overlap there are going to be some issues. The problem is being able to differentiate those two lives,’ she said.
‘It’s going to be very hard to decipher that line between how do you know what feelings are professional and how do you know what feelings are being influenced by the fact that there’s a relationship there.’
Dr Goldstein also recommends taking a mature approach in terms being open about any relationship that might be blossoming with a co-worker.
‘People are hiding their relationships less and less, especially with social media,’ she said.
While she also notes a shift towards transparency Dr Goldstein takes a similar view to Ms Goldstein and noted this should be negotiated carefully.
Mrs Reed-Enever (pictured left) and her husband Clive (pictured right) are an office romance success story
‘The conversations need to be about how people are going to be comfortable with this knowledge rather than aggressively trying to hide the relationship.’
While Mrs Reed-Enever and her husband are an office romance success story – the pair now run five businesses between them – she admits her relationship was a roll of the dice.
‘In the weeks leading up to us getting together I had to ask myself was this something I wanted to go after, and if I did act on it, was I prepared to lose my job for it?’
Though the answer was a resounding yes, ‘We’re proof it can work’, her advice to anyone in a similar scenario is to step away – if it’s not the real deal.
‘We were pretty careful from the start and made sure the commitment was there. It wasn’t a casual fling,’ she said.
‘With any workplace relationship, you need to think about how it’s going to look if it comes out.
‘If you’re secretive and lie to people, it’s probably the time it’s going to hurt you the most,’ she concluded.