Companies are start–ing to realize romance in the workplace can be a positive experience that can result in higher productivity.

“Employers really want you to have a good experience and be happy during the day,” says Michael Erwin, a senior career advisor at Career Builder Canada, the country’s third-largest career Web site. “So, if that means you’re dating somebody in the office, that’s going to reflect in your work and you’re going to do better work.”

A recent study on workplace romance by Career Builder Canada found that out of the 420 Canadian workers surveyed, 31% have dated a co-worker, and 24% say there’s a co-worker they would like to date.

Jennifer Carson, a graduate student at Queen’s School of Business in Kingston, Ont., is publishing a study on the benefits of romantic relationships at work. Carson says romantic relationships energize people, and when that relationship happens at work, it can bring a lot of motivation to the job we do.

On a broader level, romantic relationships also act as social support at work, which can lead to psychological benefits, physical health benefits, productivity gains and higher morale — every boss’s dream.

Although workplaces are becoming more hospitable to romance, there are no universal policies regarding workplace romances. So, when the heart starts to flutter, individuals need to look into just how far they can pursue co-workers without losing their jobs.

And there are precautions couples need to take:

> Make A Good Match. The biggest mistake people make when it comes to pursuing romance at work happens in the selection phase, Erwin says. Before you start passing love letters on company letterhead, make sure the recipient is right.

“I think that a lot of people make the mistake of dating someone who is a direct report or a boss or someone with more authority in the office,” Erwin says. “That definitely should not be a person that you are pursuing a relationship with.”

Utilitarian relationships — those between a superior and a subordinate — should be avoided at all costs. And if true love will not yield, it’s imperative to consult a third party. “If they do fall under a reporting relationship, they really should be brought to someone’s attention and sometimes the reporting relationship needs to be changed because of that,” Carson says.

Erwin also points to the temptation at work to pursue extramarital affairs: “You need to figure out: is this person the right person for you in the office, and if the relationship was to become widely known, could it cause a problem on your team?”

> Last Things First. Decide how the relationship will end. That may be awkward to think about amid the euphoria of infatuation, but it will be more uncomfortable to have a messy breakup displayed for your boss.

“If anyone is entering into a relationship with a co-worker, they really should consider the possibility that it will end, and what their various options would be in that case and how they would see themselves acting,” Carson advises.

How will you act at work? How will you interact with mutual friends? Will one of you leave the department or workplace? Will you involve management?

> Limit Water-Cooler Chats. “The first thing you have to remember is to separate your personal life from your professional life,” Erwin says. “If you do choose to date someone in your office, the best thing you can do is set boundaries.”

This can include a refreshed commitment to getting work done and not distracting or being distracted by a partner. Limit social interaction to lunch and after work.

Couples also need to clarify with each other how evident their relationship will be at work. While both Carson and Erwin advise against keeping relationships a secret, how much — and to whom — couples decide to disclose must be mutually decided upon.

“You don’t want to do anything that is going to be disruptive, such as sneaking around the office. That tends to hurt the team more than help it,” Erwin says.

> Involve Others The Right Way. “Typically, people know — or, at least, think they know — what is going on anyway,” Carson says. “It just starts rumours. And more problems tend to come out of the secretiveness.”

@page_break@But if workplaces romances are disclosed properly, the personal excitement of the partners can spill over into group settings.

“There can be an interesting dynamic for the group and can help motivate the group, having that supportive and positive relationship in there,” Carson says.

Teams can also be positive for relationships. Acceptance of workplace romance prevents secrecy, making potential problems at work easy to identify and address.

> Professionally Ever After. Breaking up is hard to do; it can be even more challenging in the workplace. How things end will set the stage for the rest of your working lives together. Refer back to those original parting plans made when you first got together and make sure any unresolved issues don’t affect your work.

“Work/life blurring of boundaries is an issue for everyone, even those not involved in a romantic relationship,” Carson says. “But that’s one of the challenges of being in a relationship at work.

The pursuit of professionalism amid the bitterness of the broken bond may mean discussing end-of-relationship issues with a supportive manager.

But, ultimately, every stage of workplace wooing is a matter of maturity.

“Office relationships can have repercussions,” Erwin warns. “People have reported that they have had to leave their job or they have been fired because it caused a disruption in work. So, you need to be very smart about it, you need to be an adult about it and talk with the person you’re going to be dating to set some boundaries when you’re in the office.” IE