Office Romance Problem: What If It Ends?
The Fix:
How To Tell
If It's Love or Lust?

Office Romance Problems Effects & Etiquette (DOs & DON’Ts)

Office Romance Problem: What If It Ends?
The Fix: Is It Love or Lust? (How To Tell)

Ladies and gentlemen, Schmoopie-s (and ex-Schmoopie-s, apropos our previous video), today is the day you have long been waiting for! I hereby declare the launching of the Big Fix!

The Big Fix is the second part of this Deck, in which we go over each and every office romance BossProblem we’ve covered, and reverse-engineer your way out of that specific predicament, so that you can restore your eligibility for that promotion and/or pay raise, you so want, which took a serious hit, once you embarked on your office romance.

And now that you have the full picture, let The Big Fix begin!

TLDR: Don’t shit where you eat. But if you can’t help it (and you won’t be able to, because – biology: If you’re attracted you’re attracted and if you’re in love you’re in love especially if you’re both are single), so if you can’t help it, at least use this Sex and the Workplace Deck, to make it less of a mess to everybody involved, you and Schmoopie first and foremost thus salvaging your chances, for getting that promotion, and/or pay raise, you so want ; And while you’re at it, maybe even save the relationship itself.

So, let’s get right to it! We launch The Big Fix with, surprisingly, the last BossProblem – the Bonus one. Not because the last one is potentially freshest in your mind, but because the fixes we offer you there, should be your starting point to all the other fixes. And you should start implementing them the moment you realize, the coworker you’re attracted to, or even falling in love with, is indeed attracted to you back, thus an office romance, maybe in the cards.

That Bonus office romance BossProblem, no. 8., was: What happens when it ends? We have seen how, even when it ends, your eligibility for a promotion and/or a pay raise, is still very much at risk, and why one of you, may even have to leave. [Watch here if you’d like a reminder].

The Fixes here consist of 3 steps you should do or at least consider.

1. Tread very mildly Approach one another – romantically speaking – very slowly.
The prices both of you are going to pay, are potentially so high, with your careers at stake, [as we’ve shown] that you need to be sure the benefits of the office romance, are worth it.
[The benefits pun? Originally unintended, but, on second thought, very much intended].

Please note, this is not a moral consideration, but a pragmatic one. It is none of my business, what two consenting adults do. It is my expertise, however, to show you the ramifications of what you do, on your pay raise and promotion. So I will just lay it all before you, and you make your own choices.

The second fix to the bonus number eight, what happens when it ends, or if ends, is:
2. Be honest with yourself: Is it lust or love?
They are very easily conflated, especially at the beginning. Potentially more so by women than by men. And it’s tricky because, how would you know if you don’t act on it?

So, putting on my Dear Abby hat again, here are a few pointers, and cues, [for both men and women] to help you sort your feelings out, and distinguish between the two: Are you fantasizing about your coworker only in terms of hooking up with, or are you also fantasizing about spending time with them, doing… whatever, you don’t even care, as long as you get to spend time with them – ?

Are you only attracted to the physical features in your coworker, or are you also attracted to the way they think, their sense of humor, the way they carry themselves around the office and the way they socialize – all of which reveal aspects of their inner world, and personality – ?

Are you interested and curious to find out what they think of certain things?

Would you love to consult with them before making even mundane decisions?

Do you want to know about their family, their friends, their childhood, their likes and dislikes in movies, and food, and pastime…?

The more you chose the latter, in each consideration, the more the chance it is love, and not just lust. In that case, you probably wouldn’t want to give up on a chance for true love, without even trying, so I bid you all the very best, and all I advise you is to double and triple watch this entire Deck, to make sure you’re doing everything right. Preferably, together with Schmoopie, once you’re close and open enough, with one another.

You can also read it if you prefer that format – link to the full transcript is in the description below. Note, please note that, this exercise requires deep introspection, and some time, reinforcing the first Fix, about the need take everything very slowly.