Dating a co-worker is no longer seen as "taboo" in many office settings, according to a recent New York Times article. 

The newspaper reported that an online survey by CareerBuilder.com found a drop in the number of workers who are keeping an office romance a secret, down from 46 percent in 2005 to 34 percent in 2007, and about half of workers surveyed in other CareerBuilder surveys taken during the last three years said they have dated a co-worker. Instead, the office romance that was once considered a "no-no" — likely driven by heightened awareness of sexual harassment during the 1990s — is now seen as a natural development in today's worklife, where the lines between personal and business life get blurry, especially with the younger set. Some employers are following suit, according to the article, relaxing their policies prohibiting office relationships.

Freda Kapor Klein, author of "Giving Notice: Why the Best and the Brightest Leave the Workplace and How You Can Help Them Stay," tells the Times that companies should take caution by having a policy, in writing, that workers will not be fired for dating, but can be fired for not disclosing and mitigating it, to keep things from becoming unproductive or hostile.

And what would Emily Post say about office dating? Peter Post, director of The Emily Post Institute and author of "The Etiquette Advantage in Business," told the Times: Once you've confirmed that it's OK to date at your office, "Keep the smooching and the goo-goo talk at home. If the ardor chills resist the urge to throw a stapler."

Find out how some florists have handled romances in their shops and read advice from Attorney John S. Satagaj in "Cupid, Put Down Your Bow," in the June 27, 2007 issue of SAF's Wednesday E-brief.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

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