Have you ever seen the television show, The Office, and cringed at some of things that come out of boss, Michael Scott’s, mouth? Michael is an extreme example of someone who can’t seem to separate his social life, or lack thereof, with his work life. He also always seems to get romantically involved with one of his supervisors or an HR representative. Whenever he tries to buddy up with someone or start an intimate relationship, it always backfires on him and turns the situation into a sticky mess. But The Office is a comedy show and thrives off of these situations.
Maybe you have also seen this kind of behavior with someone you work with. They treat your office like a social playground more than a place to work and conduct series business. This can lead to a lot of distractions and some Michael Scott types of behavior. Entire college curriculum can be covered by accredited online schools regarding the antics of Michael Scott. Here are some key things to remember:
Dating at Work
One of the most rewarding parts in life is initial feeling of love and romance that go into a new relationship. Our brains and bodies get flushed with hormones and we lose total control of our judgment. When those feelings wear off and we get back to normal, we might still like the person or we might not be interested anymore. We might harbor resentment after the breakup which could carry over into our interactions at work.
In Michael Scott’s case, one of his girlfriends gets fired and the other gets transferred because of their relationship. Dating at work is a tricky subject with no right or wrong answer. It’s not a good idea all the way around though — for your business or the people in it.
Friends at Work
In the book “They Don’t Teach Corporate in College,” author Alexandra Levit writes about forming a close relationship with one of her co-workers only to have her feelings hurt when her co-worker doesn’t feel the same way. Michael Scott goes as far as to consider his co-workers family, only to be let down when someone says that they are not family at all.
An important thing to remember is that there are real friends and then there are work friends. You might spend a lot of time together in the office, grab coffee, or go out to eat, but they are only your real friend if you actually spend time with them outside of work.
Keep Your Lips Zipped
Did your girlfriend outside of work dump you? Are you going through a painful case of warts on your feet? Did you disagree with the President’s last speech? If any of these things happened to you, keep your lips zipped. The office shouldn’t be a soapbox for you to empty your emotions, feelings, and opinions. Everyone has to make money, and it is only respectable that they get to come to a comfortable place to do so.
By spouting off your mouth, you might make others feel obliged to comment and interact with you on things they are not comfortable talking about. Just imagine going to work and having to console someone who is consistently heartbroken. That would either make you extremely sad, jaded about the prospect of love, or just plain annoyed by the person.
It is perfectly fine to make friends at work. For some people, it may be their only escape into socialization during the day. Just make sure not to cross any lines or say anything inappropriate. If you need to make the office your family, maybe you should look elsewhere like Michael Scott did when he left Dunder-Mifflin.
