While the maintenance strategies we’ve discussed so far hold true no matter where you met your partner, romances that form at work have some additional considerations. First, know that the workplace is a natural venue for romantic attraction to unfold, as many of the elements that foster attraction are present: a wide variety of attractive and available partners, large amounts of time spent together, physical proximity, and similarity in interests and attitudes (Appelbaum, Marinescu, Klenin, & Bytautas, 2007). Over 80 percent of North American employees have experienced a romantic relationship at work (Schaefer & Tudor, 2001), and 10 million new workplace romances are forged each year (Pierce & Aguinis, 2009), usually among peers.

Second, despite historical discouragement, many workplaces have begun to shift their policies, as research supports that romantic involvement does not hurt worker productivity (Boyd, 2010). In fact, romantically involved workers are usually perceived by people in their organization as being friendly and approachable (Hovick, Meyers, & Timmerman, 2003), and having romances in the workplace is seen as creating a positive work climate (Riach & Wilson, 2007). Relationship outcomes are often positive too: married couples who work in the same location have a 50 percent lower divorce rate than those employed at different workplaces (Boyd, 2010).

Third, workplace romances face challenges. Involvement in a romance can create the perception among coworkers that the partners are more interested in each other than in their work, leading to rumors and gossip (Albrecht & Bach, 1997). As a consequence, you can’t cultivate a workplace romance without expecting the relationship to become a focus of workplace gossip.

With all this in mind, how can you successfully maintain a workplace romance? Make sure to leave your love at home, so to speak, and communicate with your partner in a strictly professional fashion during work hours. When romantic partners maintain a professional demeanor toward each other and communicate with all their coworkers in a consistent and positive fashion, the romance is usually ignored or even encouraged (Buzzanell, 1990).

This is why it is especially important to use e-mail, texting, Skype, Twitter, and instant-messaging carefully. When used properly, these technologies enable romantic partners to communicate frequently and maintain professional decorum (Hovick et al., 2003). Such communication should never contain overly intimate or controversial messages. Even when using business accounts for personal reasons, it is wise to write messages that comply with official policies—no matter who the recipient is. Remember that social media accounts and electronic messages are not secure. Anyone with the motivation and know-how can gain access to the messages you and your partner exchange. Keep the content professional when at work or when using company-provided devices.