How to create a better office environment with furniture, supplies, and products

Have you ever had an office romance; flirtation, lustful longings, and what about public display of affection (pda)? Is the office romance ever a good idea or are Jim and Pam of Office lore as close as we should get?

At work the cons of an office romance can be high. In a best case situation you may make people uncomfortable or people might think you're showing favoritism. In a worst case scenario we're looking at lawsuits and job loss.

Honestly I don't have this issue because I only work in person with one other being -- my computer. I suppose I could flirt online with co-workers (i.e. other writers) but online romance is a whole other issue. As far as real life I have worked in offices before and of course you find people you may be attracted to. I don't think I've ever dated someone in the workplace but I have had minor flirtations and it usually leads to lower productivity. That's just my experience though.

According to a podcast (that I'll get to later) the Bureau of Labor reports something like 20 million workplace romances a year. That's a lot. Most offices now realize that it's unrealistic to expect no one to fall in love at work so companies have created guidelines for couples. The best thing to do when you find yourself involved in an office romance is to be discrete and find out what your own company policy says about office romance.

Your human resource department can fill you in on what's ok; i.e. hand holding may be but lunch room kissing may be out. You may have to sign paperwork that says you are in a relationship but that it's consensual. Each company has their own rules around office romance but most don't outlaw it entirely. 

Office romance is a highly charged and in-depth topic. The best rundown of the topic I've seen (or heard) is a podcast from Monster. The podcast offers advice from Match.com advice columnist Margot Carmichael Lesteron about everything; from Valentines day to how to show affection in the workplace without losing your cool -- or your job. 

Have you ever had an office romance?