Couple observations: Office romance, meet office gossip

Whether you’ve been involved in a romance at work or have had to sickeningly watch the sweet nothings from one co-worker float over your cubicle en route to another, there’s a good chance you have an opinion on workplace romances. We asked people what they thought about those peers who celebrate Valentine’s Day every day at the office. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“It’s sketchy when you date someone from the office. It’s not going to end well. You’ll be making out with someone in the elevator one day and crying at the copy machine the next. And yes, I know.” – Sara K., Chicago

“I say live and let live. I work with a guy who has dated at least three women in the office. And he’s married. So there’s that.”

– Andrew G., Madison, Wisconsin

“At my previous job, I dated a co-worker for several months but ended up breaking it off when I realized I really had no long-term interest in a relationship with him. After we broke up, a few of my co-workers told me that it was really difficult to work with us when we were dating because they felt there was always tension in the room if we weren’t getting along. I didn’t see it at the time but now I can definitely understand where they were coming from. I’m not exactly an off-and-on-switch person. If I’m mad at something in my personal life, I usually take that with me to the office.”

– Joan H., Palatine, Illinois

“I’m cool with it as long as it doesn’t impact their work or get in my way. Couples at work, at least in my experience, go out of their way to do good work and be good co-workers because they don’t want people talking [smack] about them. I appreciate that.”

– Carl Gardner, Grand Rapids, Michigan “I think COVID ended workplace romance, unless you date someone online only, which is kind of sad, in my opinion.”

– Lawrence Jared, Addison, Illinois “I’m cool with it until they break up. Then you get stuck in meetings with two people who hate each other and it can affect the work. I think people who date and break up should stop working at the same company. Seems like if you’re going to take the risk, you have to be prepared to do the right thing if things go bad.” – Beth L., Chicago

“If you work with a couple, don’t get involved. In fact, stay far away because if you’re friends with both of them, you’ll get sucked in and used once they break up. And trust me, they always break up.”

– Carolyn Folds, Joliet, Illinois