Office romances are not new. But they were never as prevalent as they are today. It’s not very difficult to see why. Most people spend around 80% of their waking time in their offices. This is many times more than the time they spend with their families or friends. So it is quite natural to develop romantic feelings for someone at work. In fact, office romances are being called “inevitable” by HR experts these days. This is the reason that many IT companies encourage such relationships. The idea behind this is that it can improve the morale of the employees and keep the attrition rate in control.

But apart from these new age IT companies, most companies look down upon office romances. Some companies have a policy where both husband and wife cannot be employed by them simultaneously. While some companies have a “fire” policy for the culprits. But more than these consequences, what bothers couples the most is the gossip. It is also interesting to note that most office romances are actually mere flings that last for a couple of months at the best. Very few of these relationships actually culminate in marriage.

If you are in love with your boss or a colleague, here are some tips to ensure smooth sailing for the two of you:

• Since Indian companies are not sure of how to deal with office romances, they look down upon them. It is in your best interest to keep your relationship a secret.

• Your relationship should not interfere with your work. So do not waste time chatting up with him/her at work. Keep the daydreaming/sending SMS’es to a minimum.

• If you are in a superior-subordinate relationship at work, this is going to be an especially tricky situation. Any promotion/increment/appreciation given to the subordinate will be seen as a “favor in exchange of romantic favors” by the rest of the staff. So to avoid the gossip mills from working overtime, guard well your secret.

• If people at work have found out about the two of you, one of you should seek transfer to a different department (if you work in the same department). This can help in keeping the gossip to the minimum.

• If you are really serious about the relationship, find out the company policy on this issue. Maybe you can discuss with your immediate superior about this.

• Don’t irritate others or make them uncomfortable with any public display of affection for each other. In fact, behave with each other just like you behave with everyone else at the office.

• Do not use the company’s internal emailing system to send messages to each other. Similarly, do not keep dialing his/her extension number all through the day. Work peacefully and let him/her work peacefully too.

• If things begin to go wrong and the gossip begins, it’s time to evaluate your relationship. If you guys are really serious, maybe one of you should look for job with some other company.