Should you date someone at the office? The long and short answer is--no. If you are both unrelentingly drawn to each other however, then you may have to consider another job in order to date because an office romance can have certain consequences for your career that you had not planned on.

We often do not think these things through when we meet someone we are attracted to. But an office romance can be a challenge. If you proceed to mix your love life with your work life, you can put yourself under significant stress.

Here are some choices to consider if you have a relationship so compelling, you cannot stay away from each other:

* Consider all of the consequences of dating this person before you date them.

If this person is so irresistible you cannot stay away from him or her, are you ready to give up your job for them if that is what is required?

If you date and then break up, how comfortable are you going to feel in the same workplace?

Are you or the person you want to date emotionally volatile? What would happen if you had a fight at work?

Is this person discreet and trustworthy? If you tell them your secrets, will they tell other people at work?

What are the policies where you work about dating someone you work with? Read those carefully before you proceed.

* Keep your dating life under the radar.

Before you decide that you want to "go public" with your relationship, keep your dates quiet and to yourselves. You will know within a reasonable amount of time if this romance has a chance of growing into something lasting.

* Consider removing yourself from the same work place as the person you are dating.

Look into getting promoted, transferred, or finding another job, depending on what your company policies are. Get a mentor or a coach to help you strategize what your choices are and to help you implement a plan.

Are you ready for an office romance? It's complicated, it's challenging, and it's risky. If you have your life relatively in order; if you are known to make good decisions; and if you cannot deny that "something" is there between you, proceed with caution. If it's love, it's worth it.

Tonja Weimer

Tonja Evetts Weimer is a Master Certified singles relationship and life coach, speaker, syndicated columnist and author.

Tonja is a full time professional coach with a practice in Greenville, SC. She helps individuals, especially singles, re-craft their lives and find happiness and success in their career and relationships. Some of Tonja's professional activities include:

==> Syndicated singles relationship columnist, writing SAVVY DATING, a weekly column read by over a million readers in many U.S newspapers. Tonja's column addresses relationship and life issues of interest to all adults, but particularly to the over 110 million singles in the U.S. Tonja has also had articles published in New Woman, Hope, and House Beautiful magazines, and has won 3 Matrix Awards for her writing.

==> Motivational speaker, Tonja has been a keynote presenter at national and international conferences over the last 30 years.

==> Author of materials for educators and parents (7 books, six music albums and 2 videos), which have won 22 awards.

Some Speaking and Media Highlights:

==> Keynote speaker for 2004 Women?s Issues Network Conference, Sumter, SC.

==> Keynote speaker for 2002 Parents as Teachers International Conference, St. Louis, MO.

==> Keynote speaker for 1999 International Conference for Children & Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder.

==> Keynote speaker for 1998 European Education Conference, in Mannheim, Germany.

==> Keynote speaker in 35 U.S. states at educational conferences.

==> Presenter at the International Special Olympics in Notre Dame, at the request of Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

==> Created Space Songs for Children, at the request of NASA (album taken into space by astronauts three times.)

==> Appeared on CNN?s Showbiz Today and many other TV shows.

Educational and Professional Qualifications:

==> National Fellow (U.S. Dept. of Education.) M.A. in Human Development and Education, with an emphasis on creativity.

==> Master Certified Singles Relationship Coach, Relationship Coaching Institute.

==> Personal Life Coach, Graduate, Institute for Life Coach Training.

==> Member, International Coaching Federation