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Top 10 Rules for Safe Sex in the Workplace
Okay, we know you're gonna do it.
It might be illegal, and it's sure as hell dangerous. But hey... isn't that what makes it worthwhile? If you're determined to get some cubicle nooky, follow these rules and you might keep your job (if not your honor) intact.
1. Know the rules
Before wooing a co-worker, check your company’s employee handbook. If the rules say no inter-office dating and you want to keep your job, keep your thoughts – and your hands – to yourself.
Survey says: 35% of people have fantasized about a co-worker.
2. Know your co-worker
Get to know your co-worker before pursuing a romantic relationship. Make sure s/he’s single, not one to kiss and tell, and most importantly, not related to your boss.
Survey says: 6% of U.S. adults have dated a relative of a co-worker.
3. No means no.
She Loves You Not? If you ask a co-worker out and she/he says no, that’s it. Game over, do not pass go. Do not ask again, do not sulk, do not make further references to the encounter, jokes or innuendos, Clarence.
Survey says: 16% of U.S. men and 5% of U.S. women say they’ve been rejected by a co-worker.
4. Create a workplace prenup
Before moving forward in a relationship, have a candid conversation about what might happen if things go south. Be aware of any potential consequences to your career before starting a relationship and agree on boundaries and expectations.
Survey says: 5% of U.S. adults said they’ve had romantic relations with a co-worker that made work uncomfortable.
5. Don’t fish in your boss’s pond
If your new “love bunny� works in the same department as you do, be prepared to change departments or tell your boss.
6. Date up, not down
If you have a choice, it’s always safer dating someone above you. You may get fired, but at least you won’t get slapped with a sexual harassment suit. And on that note…tempting as it may be, stay clear of temps. Contractors, consultants, and interns can all spell trouble, Mr. President. Just because they don't work for your company full-time doesn't mean that the rules of the game are any different when it comes to dating these folks (at least while they're under your roof).
Survey says: 7% of U.S. men and 11% of U.S. women have dated a boss or superior.
7. Keep your privates private
Don’t gab about your new romance. Love in the workplace becomes dangerous when it’s out in the open for others to scrutinize. No flirting, furtive glances in the elevator or taps on the derriere. People catch on to these cues.
Survey says: 9% of U.S. adults said they’ve had romantic relations with a co-worker that resulted in office gossip.
8. Use Hotmail for 'hot' mail
This may seem obvious, but plenty of people disregard it. Never use company email to exchange love notes or anything remotely suggestive. Companies can and do monitor email exchanges. If you must profess your undying affection while at work, use a private web-based email service like Yahoo or Hotmail.
9. Don’t drink and date
Be wary of office parties and more than 2 drinks. Too many careers have been killed when people have dropped their guard at an office party.
10. Your Office or Mine? NEITHER.
C’mon people, get a room. Don’t have sex or “sexual relations� in the office. Period.
Survey says: 16% of U.S. men and 7% of U.S. women reported having sex in the office.
About the Love In the Workplace Study
Harris Interactive® conducted Simply Fired’s annual Love in the Workplace Survey between February 7-9, 2006 via its QuickQuerySM online omnibus, interviewing a nationwide sample of 2,477 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. Data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity to be online. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire population of U.S. adults aged 18 and older had been polled with complete accuracy. Sampling error for the sub-samples of men (1,217) and women (1,260) is higher and varies. This online sample is not a probability sample.
Win a Trip to “Sin City�
The Simply Fired Contest will challenge site visitors to submit their funniest, saddest, most outrageous stories about workplace romance. Simply Fired judges will select a Grand Prize “Loser� who will win a trip for two to Las Vegas. The winner and a guest will be flown to Las Vegas, where they will stay in a honeymoon suite in the Paris hotel. For more details visit: SimplyFIRED.com.
Hi there,
Interesting read. There have been quite a few flings going on in our office and being the boss I need to lay down some regulations. Your guidelines will definitely come in handy!
Thanks again, mate :-)
Posted on: May 18, 2006 3:29 PM