A compliment on your outfit, tousle of the hair, a smile from across the room or a playful nudge as you pass each other in the office — all signs of flirting at workplace, right?
Well, we tend to spend most of our time at office, so falling for someone at work is inevitable. But it is not too simple.
There’s a fine line between being flirty and overly friendly, and as flirtatious behaviour is common at workplace, whether these actions are warranted and reciprocated, or not remains a question.
The Rules of flirting at your workplace
Read up HR Policies
If you have never opened an employee handbook, now maybe a good time to. Many companies have sexual-harassment policies that protect the work environment which may involve certain kinds of flirting.
What if the flirting ends?
The problem with flirting at workplace is that you got to face the same person everyday, but the romance sometimes quickly dies down. If you’re lucky the ending might be mutual and drama-free. But trust me, there’s a good chance it won’t end well. So think because you just can’t change jobs because of this.
Keep your relationship off social media
If you’ve gone all lovey-dovey on social media, you probably want to share your love with the world, but since you also probably have lots of colleagues on your social media accounts, try and keep all this at bay.
Assuming people know isn’t bad
For starters it makes you act carefully. No matter how hard you try to hide it, people notice the smallest of things and it leads to gossip. Especially if flirting is against company policy, you can land into trouble.
Two colleagues flirting with the same person? Danger!
Well, flirting is casual and it is most likely that the person you are flirting with has had advances from other employees too. This is a recipe for disaster involving drama and most likely other employees too. Remember to not step in anyone else’s shoes.
No PDA
Well, you might want to hold your horses a bit. It’s not a date, but your office. Unless you’ve got a private corner office you can sweep her off into without anybody noticing, avoid close interactions. All this should strictly be done in your own time.
Already got a guy/girl? Get some boundaries
If you’re already in a relationship, chances are your colleagues know of it and that might not sit well amongst them. Flirting with someone else will only make them look down upon you.
If you’re doing it to get ahead – play it with caution
Okay, so strategic flirting is often a means to get to the top, but if handled poorly, seems like nothing but a way to self-promote. What you are doing is building a negative image amongst your colleagues as well as your boss. What if you get fired for this?
Always prioritise your work
At times you might drift off course and that’s when things will start getting ugly. After all your first motive is to work and earn money for yourself. Sacrificing that for something as small as flirting makes no sense at any point.
Mutual flirting holds key
Make sure the flirting is reciprocated and does not turn into sexual harassment at a point. Sexual harassment is a one-way interaction which makes the receiver feel uncomfortable, and within themselves, they carry a negative emotional feeling of grudge and hatred. This should be kept in mind in places outside your workplace too.
Although we spend most of our time at our office, finding someone to flirt with at workplace isn’t a great idea and should be avoided at all costs. It’s better to work in an efficient way rather than face the backlash from your boss.
What’s your experience of flirting at your workplace? Let us know in the comments below.
Image and GIF Credits: Giphy and Google Images
Sources: Chicago Tribune, Bustle, Girls Chase
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