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Spotting the Signs of Office Romance

By: Mahen Kumar

 

Newlyweds exchanging rings, bride putting the ring on the grooms hand in marriage registry office.

There are many ways to meet a prospective mate or someone you may be attracted to. Opportunities are everywhere. You may be jogging in the park, waiting in line at the market, meet someone at a party or through friends or relatives.

However, most people spend large amounts of their time at work. Whether your working hours are morning to night, night to morning or somewhere in between, there is a good chance of encountering a mutual attraction between you and a co-worker. You may also notice an attraction between other co-workers. Do you know the signs of an attraction between co-workers?

Sure, sometimes the signs are obvious. Everyone knows. The two people involved make it obvious. They may even admit it. However, some signs are a little more subtle. They may not want anyone to know. This could be for any number of reasons. When two co-workers feel a strong attraction, it’s not that easy to hide. They may think they’re doing a good job of concealing their feelings, but in many cases, they just aren’t.

Signs of Co-Worker Attraction

You may notice that they’re always finding excuses to talk to each other. If you overhear the conversation, you will often find that it’s not work-related at all. One is regularly stopping at the desk, office or cubicle of the other. These conversations are frequent and take place throughout the day. They are in contrast to the kind of conversations that take place between other co-workers, which tend to be short and limited to business topics only.

They bring each other little gifts with a personal touch, such as cookies from a batch freshly baked at home. One may bring the other their coffee every morning, already fixed the way they like it. Perhaps it might be a rose or a daisy from the person’s garden at home. If one goes out to get food or drink, they rarely come back without something special for the other.

Lots of Smiles

Secretive, fleeting, furtive smiles exchanged during meetings is another sure sign of romantic attraction. Instead of paying attention, these two are more engaged with each other than the subject of the meeting.

Body language is another dead giveaway that is not easily controlled. They find excuses to touch each other. It could be little things like brushing off a piece of imaginary lint or adjusting a tie that was already straight. They stand closer together than normal because invasion of personal space is not an issue between co-workers attracted to one another. They face each other and lean in towards the other. They may find excuses to bump into each other.

Teasing and Private Jokes

They laugh together. They do this a lot. They may burst out laughing for no apparent reason or laugh at something others don’t find to be funny. This is because they have intimate and inside jokes going on between the two of them that other workers aren’t privy to.

Playful teasing is another sign of co-worker mutual attraction. This teasing will be light and fun, never really serious. It might be about a new hairstyle or about a sweet tooth. It’s an innocent way for these two to relate to each other in the workplace in the presence of other co-workers.

It’s almost always a sure sign that something more than a working relationship is going on. People attracted to each other will also spend a lot of time in visual contact with the other. They’re frequently looking to see what the other is doing. If one is caught looking, they may look away. A few minutes later, though, they’re looking again. This goes on throughout the working day.

Co-workers attracted to each other will go out to lunch and take breaks together any time they can. This will often exclude others. They leave together, if they can, and they arrive at work at about the same time.

This article has covered some of the more common signs of co-worker attraction. It can be fun to watch, but don’t forget, it’s still a place of business.

Published: November 16, 2020
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