Dating Coworkers presents several risks to the organization, especially if the two employees are in a supervisor-subordinate relationship. Other employees may differentiate favoritism between the supervisor and his/her partner (even if no favoritism exists), thus engendering resentment, low morale, etc. It may direct to a reverse sexual harassment claim, if one of the partners is declared a promotion over another employee who can prove, which the promotion decision was based on the relationship between the two employees; If the relationship has spoiled and goes bitter, one of the employees specially a subordinate of the former partner might file a claim of sexual harassment against the company; Workplace violence might result, particularly if one of the two co-employees has a prior partner who resents the employee's new relationship or if the relationship ends and one of the two becomes violent as a result.

Dating coworkers is a bad idea and dating your boss is an even worse idea. Even if you work well in the office, coworkers are likely to toss gossip, jealousy, and hatred your way. Here are some points to think about before looking for love in all the wrong places: If your office relationship goes bad, talks around the water cooler could get truly interesting. How many seconds do you think it takes a scorned lover to reveal personal and/or upsetting details about your relationship. If you simply can’t live without Joe Accounting or Suzy Marketing, avoid the handholding, kissy-face, moon-struck behavior at work. Keep things on a professional level even when you think you are alone. If you want to maintain things a secret, do not send gifts, such as flowers or candy, to your sweetheart at the office. Because office affairs are generally confidential, other employees may flirt with your beloved, or vice-versa. Do not send love notes through the company email system. Email is often monitored in the organization and there is always the danger of accidentally sending it to the wrong person. Keep away from long lunches together, or an excessive number of them. Unless you want the romance to go public, do not leave or appear together.

If the romance sours, break up while you are away from the office, and that does not mean at lunch. If you break up, be prepared for the most horrible. It is not unusual for one or both employees to be transferred or to be asked to resign over an unsuccessful romance and the interruption it causes in the office. Dating your coworker could lead to a lifetime joy or it could be a total disaster for you professionally. As it warns you, a romantic relationship that happens at work concerns not just the happy couple, but all of their coworkers and managers as well. Employers don’t want their employees to be sexually harassed. Coworkers don’t want to deal with the epic disaster of love gone awry. And you don’t want to damage your professional reputation or be forced to switch jobs because of a failed relationship. Sound, fair and clear policies on dating co-worker can help avoid the risks associated with intra-office relationships among co-employees, while ensuring that all employees’ rights are respected.