Dating a Co-worker?
Master Matchmaker Advises Singles of Office Dating Etiquette

DATELINE: NORWELL, MASS… Office romances are not a new phenomenon. Nowadays, many companies have developed policies on workplace dating due to the proliferation of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination suits.

Yet, longer working hours mean significantly more time is spent with co-workers and office romances are often inevitable. Paul A. Falzone, CEO of The Right One and Together Dating, reminds singles that it’s important to practice “office dating etiquette” and shares tips below:

Don’t dish about your date. So you and a co-worker are dating. Even though you are wild about each other, you still do not want to risk your credibility with colleagues, superiors, subordinates or clients. Nor do you want to leave yourself open to manipulation, as the more that others, including subordinates, hear about your private affairs, the more ammunition they may have to discredit you. Keep your private life private.

Avoid dating subordinates. Dating a subordinate is taboo on so many levels, but with sexual harassment and discrimination laws becoming broader, the fine line of what constitutes dating has become legally blurred. How do you really know that a subordinate wants to date you and doesn’t just feel pressured to go along with your advances because you hold power? What happens when you break up? You still have to work together. Your subordinate may even seek retribution after a break-up by claiming sexual harassment.

Don’t date the boss. Dating a superior can drastically reduce your career advancement options in-house because superiors from other departments may not take you seriously any longer. And, to make matters worse, if you break up, you’ll still have to take orders from him/her.

Stay away from married co-workers. So, you are strongly attracted to a married co-worker who claims that he has spent so much time trying to get ahead at the office, that his relationship with his spouse has disintegrated. While you may sympathize, it doesn’t change the fact that he is still legally married. Having an affair with a married co-worker can hurt your career. It will be used against you at some point by co-workers seeking to gain an advantage over you, be it a promotion, award, raise, or new client.

Public displays of affection are taboo at work. Hand holding, hugging, kissing, calling each other pet names and so forth should be reserved for outside the office. And, by the way, forget about sending sexy emails to each other. Management and those in the IT department can and often do, read your emails.

Be aware of workplace “serial daters”. Think twice about dating a co-worker with a track record for dating his/her way through each department. This person is obviously not looking for a long-term relationship, but merely out there just to have a good time. If that’s all you’re looking for, go ahead. But, be aware that these workplace daters have a tendency to share a lot of information about those they date, accurate or not. Even if it doesn’t hurt your career, you risk public humiliation.

According to Falzone, “Singles involved in workplace romances need to use common sense. It is NOT okay to date a superior or a subordinate. If your company doesn’t have a policy on dating and you are dating a co-worker who is not your boss and who doesn’t work for you – good for you – just be sure to practice office dating etiquette.”

Help is on the way
Catering to more than 300,000 members at more than 60 locations throughout North America, The Right One and Together Dating are the largest brick and mortar dating services in the industry, offering a more consistent product, a greater number of potentially compatible mates and added value of flexibility in transferring memberships to another geographic region.

Romantic Locations
North American locations and affiliates of Together are located in: Indiana (Ft. Wayne, Carmel); Kentucky (Louisville); Louisiana (Metairie); Maryland (Columbia, Frederick); Minnesota (Edina); Nevada (Reno); New Hampshire (Hooksett, Nashua, Portsmouth and Salem); Ohio (Cincinnati); South Carolina (Greenville); Texas (San Antonio and Austin) and Virginia (Falls Church); Pennsylvania (Harrisburg).

The Right One’s offices and affiliates located throughout the United States include: California (San Diego); Colorado (Glendale); Georgia (Atlanta); Illinois (Downers Grove, Rockford, Normal, Schaumburg and Chicago); Massachusetts (Norwell, Newton Center, Shrewsbury and Woburn); Michigan (Bingham Farms); Nebraska (Omaha and Lincoln); New Jersey (Cherry Hill); New York (NYC); Nevada (Las Vegas); Pennsylvania (Harrisburg, King of Prussia); Rhode Island (Warwick); Texas (Dallas); Utah (Salt Lake City); and Wisconsin (Madison, Appleton, Elm Grove).

Singles Station Dating Company, an affiliate of The Right One and Together Dating, is the largest independently owned personal introduction service in the Southwest. In the last 25 years, Singles Station has introduced more than 100,000 couples and is responsible for thousands of successful relationships and marriages. Singles Station Dating Co. has offices in Oklahoma (Oklahoma City and Tulsa), Arkansas (Bentonville, Fort Smith and Little Rock), Tennessee (Memphis and Nashville), Missouri (Springfield and St. Louis) and will be opening soon in Kansas (Wichita and Kansas City). For more information about Singles Station, please visit www.singlesstation.com or call 866-807-LOVE(5683).

For more information about Together Dating and The Right One, please visit their websites at www.togetherdating.com and www.therightone.com, or call (800) 818-DATE (3283).

Under the agreement, Singles Station will fly under The Right One’s banner while remaining The Singles Stations in its nine current market — Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Bentonville, Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Springfield and St. Louis, Missouri; and two future ones in Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas. Singles Station will in turn, utilize The Right One’s systems and technologies, while The Right One works with them in a consulting capacity.

“It may sound like a cliché, but this really is a win-win for both sides,” said Charlee Brotherton, owner of Singles Station Dating Co. “With The Right One’s technologies and systems, we’re better able to serve our existing client base and attract new members. By being an affiliate of The Right One, we give them coverage in markets where they do not have offices. Like I said, a win-win.”

Paul A. Falzone, CEO of The Right One and Together Dating noted, “I’ve known Charlee for quite some time through our work with the Matchmaker Institute. She’s a pro’s pro whose company uses the same kind of personalized, one-to-one approach with their members as we do with ours. And while we both are happily married in our personal lives, business-wise, this really is a match made in heaven.”

Help is on the way
Catering to more than 300,000 members at 60 locations throughout North America, The Right One and Together Dating are the largest brick and mortar dating services in the industry, offering a more consistent product, a greater number of potentially compatible mates and added value of flexibility in transferring memberships to another geographic region.

Romantic Locations

North American locations and affiliates of Together are: California (Encino, Irvine, Los Angeles, Upland); Florida (Palm Beach, Vero Beach); Georgia (Savannah); Indiana (Ft. Wayne, Carmel); Kentucky (Lexington, Louisville); Louisiana (Metairie); Maryland (Columbia, Frederick); Minnesota (Minneapolis); Nevada (Reno); New Hampshire (Hooksett, Nashua, Portsmouth and Salem); New Jersey (Bridgewater, Colts Neck and Lawrenceville); Ohio (Cincinnati); Pennsylvania (Mechanicsburg); South Carolina (Greenville); South Dakota (Sioux Falls); Texas (San Antonio, Beaumont and Houston) and Virginia (Falls Church).

The Right One’s offices and affiliates located throughout the United States include: California (San Diego); Colorado (Glendale); Florida (Miami); Georgia (Atlanta); Kansas (Wichita and Overland Park); Illinois (Downers Grove, Rockford and Normal); New Jersey (Cherry Hill, Hackensack); Massachusetts (Norwell, Newton, Shrewsbury and Woburn); Michigan (Bingham Farms); Nebraska (Omaha and Lincoln); Nevada (Las Vegas) Pennsylvania (King of Prussia and Pittsburgh); Rhode Island (Warwick); Texas (Dallas, Austin); and Wisconsin (Madison, Appleton, Elm Grove).

For more information about Together Dating and The Right One, please visit their websites at www.togetherdating.com and www.therightone.com, or call (800) 818-DATE (3283).

Singles Station Dating Company is the largest independently owned personal introduction service in the Southwest. In the last 25 years, Singles Station has introduced more than 100,000 couples and is responsible for thousands of successful relationships and marriages. Singles Station continues its commitment to be the most successful dating service of its kind. The Singles Station Dating Co. has offices conveniently located in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Bentonville, Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Springfield and St. Louis, Missouri and will be opening soon in Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas. For more information about Singles Station, please visit www.singlesstation.com or call 866-807-LOVE(5683).