Sex in the Work Place – How to Play it Safe

We all know how sexual attraction in the work place is something which sometimes can not be avoided. We are placed in an environment which many of us would prefer not to be in, so one can not blame the mortal mind to take advantage of an opportunity to set some light in a dreary work place. Here is a brief look into how you can play, without getting fired or worse, being sued for sexual harassment.

Many can not deny that sex is a powerful tool and if placed in the wrong hands can be a deadly one. In the past many companies prohibited sexual relationships between co-workers, fearing it would lead to law suits and sexual harassments claims. There has been many debates focusing on sex in the work place and many employees have argued that their right to freedom of association was being infringed by not being allowed to date a co-worker. At present according to licensed psychologist Gary Vikesland,” there are no laws preventing or forbidding employee dating”.

The way I see it is, us humans spend an average of 10 hours at work each day that is approximately 50 hours a week! According to, international website Blame it on the Voices, statistics indicate that an average male thinks about sex every 7 seconds and an average female at least 20 seconds, so it may not be easy to avoid the object of sexuality in the work place. It is also interesting to note that the website indicates “statistics that suggest approximately one in every five Americans has indulged in sex with a colleague at work.”

As a child my parents never gave me the “Birds and Bees” talk or even questioned my decisions when it came to choosing male partners. Do I blame them? No, this task has taught me to make my own decision and use my own initiative.  The decisions I have made has always been as a result of my information database in my brain. How do I update this useful tool? I ask questions. I questioned why the sky was blue and why people to vote for Robert Mugabe to be president of Zimbabwe. In my 20 years of existence on this planet  have I never been informed about the do’s and don’ts of office romance and considering that my internship was approaching I felt the need to educate myself, and others like me, about this particular hot topic.

I researched for hours and came across a lot of interesting, yet scary information, about office dating. I asked questions and interviewed random working class employees’ about sex in the work place, but regrettably my database of information about this topic was not satisfied yet. This is when I remembered that long-term education should be fun education. And this idea led me to, humorous website, Simply Fired.

The website had an easy step by step guide to safe sex in the work place. The 10 steps were easy and I felt educated yet liberated at its amusing information.

 Step one “Know the Rules” instructs you to become acquainted with company policies about sexual relationships in the office and what the consequences are when starting this adventure. Step two “Know your Co-worker”, before going for the kill make sure you know all you need to know about your co-worker and be friends before you become involved.

Step three “NO means No” makes readers realize that rejection is part of life and if your co-worker wishes not to get involved with you, do not continue on the particular topic because this may lead to a disciplinary hearing or even a claim of sexual harassment. Step four “Create a Work Place Prenup” focuses on discussing the steps that will be taken if the relationship should end and also gives you and your co-worker the opportunity to voice their particular wants and expectations from the relationship. This also safe guards you from claims of sexual harassment.

Step five “Don’t fish in your Boss’s Pond” warns you not to date someone in the same department as you. If this does occur, request for a transfer of departments or inform your manager about your relationship. Step six “Date Up, not down” informs you that it is always wiser to date someone superior to you and not get involved with part-time workers. Step seven “Keep your privates Private!” warns you to maintain workplace behavior and not show you co-worker any forms of affection. This includes kissing, seductive glances or flirting to mention a few. By applying this step you will also avoid being the latest office talk.

Step eight “Use Hotmail not ‘Hot’ mail”. Many employees do not realize that companies make digital backups of all emails sent using company equipment, so avoid using your office email when sending your co-worker personal messages rather use your private emailing system. Step nine “Don’t drink and date” informs you not to forget that an office party doesn’t necessarily give you the opportunity to show everyone your new found love, it is mistakenly a ‘work’ party. The last step, “Your Office of Mine? Neither” explains never to have any form of sexual interaction in the work place.

A famous poet once said “Remember when safe sex meant not getting caught?”  I hope that you all will remember this quote when considering partaking in an office romance. I always tell myself that yes you can find love anywhere, but we should still remember that looks can be deceiving. So play it safe!