Most of us have a tendency to date our classmates and/or co-workers nowadays, and that is a result of the huge periods of time that we spend on the office. When you dedicate too much to your career you end up never having time to go out and meet someone new.

It’s expected to seek closeness and companionship from your colleagues, but a lot of the times this friendship escalates to a serious relationship status and in most of the cases it fails, because you’re not prepared to face some of the risks of having a bond with a friend from work.

This article is aimed to those who spend a lot of time in the office and decided to date with a co-worker. First of all you should look at the benefits and disasters that could be associated with this move.

Make sure you check if the company where you are working has any dating policies, before asking someone out on a date. Some companies have strict rules about having a relationship with a co-worker, which I think is kind of stupid. Anyway, take some time to think about how much you are willing to risk your career for this relationship. Is it really worth it? Are you thinking about getting a serious relationship or not? Will you feel fine if you break up with her and then have to see her on a daily basis? What is she capable to do if things go wrong?

If you’re feeling a bit shy and you don’t know how to invite her out, you may ask more than one co-worker at first. Gather a whole group of people and ask her if she wants to come along. Don’t lose your hopes if she refuses. She’s just probably shy. In that case you should suggest something casual like dinner or coffee.

Make sure you know her well before getting romantic. I’m assuming you have an active office relationship with this person.

Once you start dating a co-worker you should establish some rules. You’re about to share two types of relationship with this person: romantic and business. Don’t let one interfere with another. If you’re dating a subordinate prepare yourself to be excluded from certain conversations.

Try not to distance yourself from your other co-workers and friends. The more time you spend with her the more you will distance from your other associates, even those you’ve developed personal relationships with.

That’s pretty much all. My experiences with dating at the office were all negative and I always advise people to be careful. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying. I’ve seen people making it work and it’s cool to have someone to lunch with and to flirt too.