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Expert viewpoint

Love at the photocopier by Emma Turner

What you think about office romances!

“If I could give you any advice” said Janice as she listened to Alice’s description of her boss’s fumbled attempts to ask her out, “it would be leave your hormones at home and stay professional at work, in other words don’t go there.” But she did… and the resulting chaos was bigger than even Janice could have imagined. Alice didn’t just go there, she was unceremoniously despatched to the Bulgarian office.

Yes, office romances happen and sometimes people have to pay an enormous price when they go wrong.But are they as bad as many people make out? Welsh Recruitment has been out and about to get a few opinions from some who’ve got the t-shirt and some who’ve kept it in the cupboard.

We asked people if they thought office affairs were best avoided or if they were harmless. We’ll leave you to make up your own minds.

(Picture: Two red, fluffy, heart shaped cushions)

Mark, 36, PR Manager, Swansea says, "It depends who they are between. It’s not so bad if you are the same level but ifit’s a boss and a subordinate then you can get favouritism and resentment from other staff. But in general I don’t think they are good for any
organisation."

Emily, 28, Transport Manager, Bridgend says, "No way! I met a guy in the same council office and it was okay for a while until we decided to live together. We were never apart and he started to drive me nuts every time I left the office for a meeting. He got really jealous. In the end he had to be moved to another office because he was starting so many rows and then he started an affair with another girl in the same office!

Kim, 24, Hair Stylist, Cardiff says, "It’s just laziness really. If you work for a big organisation you’ve got it all on tap haven’t you? So it’s easy to flirt around etc. If you want to look for romance then you should do it in your own free time. There’s plenty of clubs and pubs in Cardiff.

Stuart, 30, Shop Manager, Cardiff says, "I wouldn’t go there. My company has strict rules about harassment at work and if I made a pass at someone then I’d be scared I’d get sacked for sexual harassment, especially if I got turned down!

Natalie, 32, Housewife, Swansea says, "You can’t stop people falling in love; it’s as simple as that. If it happens at work then you
just have to be careful not to let your relationship interfere with the job you’re doing. I know lots of teachers who’ve met at school. They get more comments from the kids than they do in the staff room.

June, 56, Shop Assistant, Cardiff says, "I used to work for a company where the director had an affair with his personal
assistant. They were both married to other people and tried to keep it a secret. The funniest thing was they used
to meet before work in a lay-by off a main road into Cardiff. They didn’t think about their personalised car number plates so when we were all driving past it was like a real advert.