Workplace relationships can get complicated. For adult workers, anywhere from one-third to one-half of the day is spent at work. Co-workers are people that they see even more than family members and friends. Naturally, there are plenty of cases where these relationships begin to turn romantic.
If this happens to you, it may be with a co-worker who is at the same corporate level as you, but it may be with a boss or a supervisor. Is this a relationship you should pursue?
It’s tough to say, and the first thing to consider is the company’s policy. They may prohibit these relationships or make you sign paperwork stating that you do want to be in that relationship.
The reason that they do this is that it can be a form of sexual harassment. Maybe you’re actually not interested in your boss at all. Instead, they’re pressuring you to date them, and you don’t know how to put a stop to it because you are worried that they’ll fire you.
Another issue is that you could enter a consensual relationship, decide that you want to break up and then suffer sexual harassment at work if the other person didn’t want to end that relationship. They may treat you differently than other employees, showing favoritism to get you to notice them or discriminating against you if you turn down their advances.
No matter how this relationship goes, there are potential pitfalls in every direction. If you believe that your boss has been harassing you or discriminating against you, be sure you know your rights as an employee.
