Flirting in the Workplace

I came across an article in the Ottawa Citizen this morning called Flirt Away, which details some helpful tips for ladies who are interested in 'getting the guy' in the workplace.

I thought this article was particularly interesting because PC and I met at work... and eventually pursued a relationship outside of work, and a few years down the road, we were married, yida yida yada.

As cheesy at it sounds, when I first laid eyes on PC, I was hooked... and although I didn't know if he was 18 or 30, of if he was single, married, divorced, or had kids, that didn't stop me from pursuing him, just a bit!

The article offers a bit of a game plan for ladies who want to give into their workplace attraction... but it makes me laugh because I didn't exactly think about my game plan for pursuing PC, I think it just happened.

Nevertheless, I thought it might fun to see if I did follow the tips... and whether or not I think they are true to some extent.

The first tip given in the article is:
Flirt Verbally Rather than Non-verbally

I guess to some extent this is probably true, the article states that men are clueless when it comes nonverbal cues... and that is probably pretty accurate. However, I don't think I used any nonverbal cues on PC, other than a smile or two... he was actually king of the workplace wink at the time. I think most of our so-called flirting was verbal... either in person or over email, so its safe to say I agree with tip number one!

The second tip is:
If You Know He's Interested, Play Hard to Get

Ahhh... I can't say that really applied to me... when your attracted to someone I think you just go for it, or risk being mis-read by the other person as not interested. In PC's case... he was not single at the time we met, so playing hard to get would have not served me well as I think he may have just stayed with his girlfriend at the time, and our relationship may have never went anywhere (although doubtful, because as if he could resist this - LOL!). I think to sum it up, if the other person is attracted you, whether its the workplace or not, you should just be upfront about your feelings... and see where it goes from there!

The last tip in the article is:
Don't Make the First Move if You Are Not the Same Age

I don't know what being the same age has to do with making the first move. For PC and I, he was a bit older than me, and he did end up making the first move... so perhaps there is some truth to this tip, as I don't know if I would have ever had the nerve to be that forward with him. However, as our relationship progressed I think I made a few moves on him after that to keep the relationship going, and then as more time past and we officially became 'a couple' we both kept making the so-called moves one another, which eventually led to us getting married a few years later.

All of these tips are quite interesting... I find it humorous to think that someone - Helaine Olen - actually wrote an entire book on this (called Office Mate). For me, I think all meetings happen by chance... fate is always mixed into the equation, whether its at work, at a bar, or just a causal stroll in the neighbourhood park.

What do you think about relationships in the workplace? Have you dated someone from work before? Have you used any of these tips to pursue someone in the workplace? Do you think relationships in the workplace are even appropriate?