9 Easy Ways to Avoid Office Affairs

People who work together throughout the week often find themselves conflicted about their feelings for each other. You do not want to jeopardize your marriage, but you are starting to feel a strong attraction to one of your co-workers. What do you do? What steps do you take to avoid an office affair?

1. Set Boundaries

If there is someone in your office who is expressing an interest that is outside the professional boundaries, then you should talk to them immediately about your desire to stay out of an office affair. In many cases, you can salvage the friendship and stay away from an office affair if you simply set boundaries with certain co-workers early on.

2. Don't Return The Subtle Glances

Sometimes it does not take much to send a signal to a co-worker that can be interpreted as the invitation to an office affair. If you want to avoid office affairs, then keep the alluring glances at home with your spouse.

3. Keep It Professional

Office romances often start when one person starts going out of their way to make contact or be around a co-worker. The best way to avoid an office affair is to do your job and keep contact with your co-workers at a professional level. If you become friends with certain co-workers, then introduce those co-workers to your spouse to help keep everything out in the open.

4. Pictures Of The Family

Believe it or not, pictures of your family can often be strong deterrents to an office affair. If you start to feel that you may want to pursue extra-curricular activities with a co-worker, then a look at a picture of your spouse and children can often be enough to stop those thoughts.

5. Keep Your Relationship Strong

One of the best ways to prevent an affair from happening in any situation is to be committed to keeping your relationship at home strong. Instead of running into the arms of a co-worker when your home relationship gets shaky, you should work with your spouse to find out what the problem is and solve it.

6. Maintain Healthy Family Relationships

In many cases, maintaining healthy relationships with your siblings, parents, and other immediate family can help strengthen the family bond at home and keep the idea of an office affair out of your mind.

7. Think First

Many office affairs are the result of impulsive actions that would not have happened had one or both co-workers stopped to think about what they were doing. Before you make the move to initiate an office affair, give yourself a few days to think about it and decide if it is something you really want to do.

8. Call Home

Work can be stressful and it may feel like the only person who understands what you are going through is your co-worker. Before you attempt to use that understanding as the foundation for an office affair, call your spouse and just listen to their voice. Subtle reminders of the relationship you have at home can often prevent you from making mistakes at work.

9. Consider The Consequences

You may find yourself all ready to start an office affair with a co-worker and you have put yourself on the verge of making the decision. Before you do, think about the potential consequences that come with such a decision. Think about how it would affect your spouse and the spouse of your co-worker, if they have one. If your co-worker is known for being emotionally unstable, then an office affair could be the biggest mistake of your life.

In those moments when your mind is considering starting an office affair with a co-worker, it is best to sit back and think about what you are doing. If you focus on your family and your job, then you can erase the thoughts of an office affair from your mind. [Source: Nigerianbulletin.com]