Office Romances: They Can Result in Marriage

Don't be discouraged by all the negative information seen and heard regarding the failure rate of office romances. Some can be successful. They can and do result in marriage. I know! My husband of twenty-eight years was the man I met and worked with on my job. Our romance lasted for two years before we married. We never allowed our romance to cause any negative impact in the performance of our jobs.

Our Story

When I began working for one of the cities largest utility companies, I was single and from all indication, quite attractive. Not tooting my own whistle, but I had men competing for my attention in large numbers. I was just beginning to work and considered myself an ambitious individual. I had just graduated from college and knew I was going to make a name for myself. I wanted to be one of the first to do something great in the city. I was not seeking a long-term relationship. My goal at the time was to gain a secure position and keep moving up from there.

I met engineers, computer science majors, project managers and the works from the beginning of my employment. The company's main office was located in the heart of the city. At this location, I would come in contact with some of the most attractive prospects for a relationship. Those I met had money, looks and ambition.

I was one of those females who did not believe in the Prince Charming- Knight in Shining armor relationships. Even though I did at some point later in life want to meet the right person, develop a lasting relationship that would lead into marriage, I was not ready to give up my freedom and independence too quickly.

I dated several men before finally meeting my future husband. In fact, when he proposed, I was dating two other men. I was dating; not intimate with these men. My future husband knew of the other men. He decided he had to beat out his competition. He did this in a most unique manner.

I met my future husband shortly after he began working for the company. As one of the main people working with the technicians in the field, I had contact with men from the field crew all day. These men would have to report to the office to complete paperwork and provide information I and some of the other office personnel requested.

This one particular day, my future husband came into the office. It was love at first sight. He decided to act very coy and uninterested. I was not one to chase men, so I let it go. I was not about to make the first move. A few weeks later, one of my colleagues asked if I might be interested in meeting this young man. She expressed that he asked her about me every day while I was at lunch. He was shy, so he could not bring himself to just approach me.

She then got my home phone number and gave it to him. We dated two years before finally setting the date for our wedding. Everyone in the office was aware that we were an item. It was no secret. We worked in two separate departments, however, we had to connect with each other throughout the day for work related reasons.

We maintained a professional relationship in addition to a romantic relationship for two years. Neither of us did anything to jeopardize our jobs. We did not allow our relationship to distract from, interfere with or hinder our ability to work professionally performing the job requirements of our positions.

It is possible! Office relationships can work when the two individuals involved remain professional. You must understand that while at work, you remain responsible and diligent. When work is over, you can then relax and handle the romantic issues. Employers cannot forbid relationships between two individuals from occurring. No matter how many policies are in place, people will be attracted to others within the company. Employers can forbid two individuals from allowing a relationship to negatively impact or interfere with the performance of their job.