5 reasons not to have an office party fling

Tempted to get stuck into the wine and corner Jake the sales guy at the office Christmas do this December? You might want to think again after reading these five solid reasons to keep your intentions pure, from eHarmony’s relationship advice expert Jules Filsell.

1. Alcohol really impairs your judgment

Office parties generally mean free booze, and even the most conservative types can be forced out of their shells once a year with the promise of free flowing red wine. Most of us are guilty of letting our hair down every once in a while and singing karaoke with our boss, but this is not the mindset in which to make decisions about who’s sexy (and who’s available). Plus, as alluring as you think you are shimmying across the dance floor to your co-worker, the reality is that you just stumbled a bit and you’ve got stained red wine lips.

Also ladies, there’s a safety issue here. Dan from accounts is probably a perfectly nice guy, but your alcohol-goggles might lead you into situations you’d never normally get yourself into. And the fact that you work with him doesn’t really stand for anything.

2. It’s not the way to get a promotion

All bosses accept (or should accept) that when they lay on a party at Christmas, everyone’s entitled to let their hair down and a blind eye can be turned to the odd bit of silly behaviour. However, if you get a rep for being the one who disappeared with one of their colleagues at the Christmas bash then you never know how your boss might react. He or she could be totally OK with the situation, or they could be faced with you and another colleague going up for a promotion a few months later and be biased by your office party behaviour.

What we’re really saying is, if you do decide to have an office party fling, he or she had better be well worth it!

3. You’ll be the source of all gossip

Only the most brazen should attempt an office party fling. After all, however good natured and mild the gossip is, you WILL get talked about in some form the next working day (and probably for much longer). If you go bright red at the thought of other people discussing your private life over a Boots Meal Deal then you should probably focus your amorous attentions away from the work place.

4. You might get in too deep

Can you be 100% sure that marketing Simon doesn’t have a wife and kids waiting at home for him to come back from the office party? Maybe not, without asking a lot of embarrassing questions. And you might even decide it doesn’t really matter after a few drinks, which could lead you down a very risky path.

5. It’s counterproductive if you really like the other person

Let’s imagine you do have a genuine crush on someone you work with. Is the office party a good time to make your interest known? Probably not. You can’t help who you fall for, and as we spend around 12 per cent of our lives – or 30 per cent of each weekday - at work, it stands to reason that you might meet someone special in the work place. If that’s the situation you find yourself in, then a friendly lunch might be a better starting point for your budding relationship, rather than an office party snog.

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