When you work with someone day in day out at work it’s only natural to become attracted to them. But before you start your office romance there are some important things to consider.

- Is it against company policy? If so you both could lose your jobs. Depending on how much you value your employment, risking both you and their jobs might not be worth that risk.

- Do you actually like this person or is it just exciting because it’s an office fling? It is often times difficult to discern between real feelings and non real feelings. If you’re more excited about the prospect of doing something you shouldn’t be, rather than the actual human being, perhaps an office romance isn’t right for you.

- Imagine spending all day at work with them, only to go out afterward for a date. I know at the moment you feel as if you would like to spend every waking moment with them, but this feeling is only temporary. You might get sick of this person if you spend too much time together.

- What about your reputation at the office? Dating within the workplace comes with plenty possible problems. You may lose friends as you alienate yourself from your coworkers. Think about it, before you were all one big group, but now two of you are breaking off and becoming a couple. This could segment the staff into smaller segments which will hurt work productivity and escalate typical office politics. On top of that, if you’re a woman, any relationship you enter into with a coworker will instantly label you as the office slut.

- What if you have a bad breakup? If your office fling turns out to be just a fling and nothing more, it will be awkward at the office to have to see your ex every day. It may ultimately lead to one of you having to leave your job for good. I know that before you start a relationship you never think of the consequences of a break-up, but it’s an important consideration when you’re dating a coworker.

- Commitments. Are you currently in a relationship? Being apart from your partner while you’re at work all day can ultimately lead to some distance being created in the relationship. But does this mean that you don’t care for them anymore? If you once fell in love with that person it is possible to fall in love all over again. Don’t throw away a long term relationship just for an office fling that may not last very long. You must also think of the relationship your co-worker is currently involved in. You certainly do not want to be involved in ruining someone else’s relationship.