They say if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life, but tbh, ~dream jobs~ are few and far in between. So what if you love who you work with?
Some office romances are inspiring: Ben and Leslie from Parks and Recreation, Jim and Pam from The Office, Michael Scott and Holly from The Office, Dwight and Angela from The Office, Andrew and Margaret from The Proposal.
And some are horrifying: Bridget Jones and Daniel Cleaver from Bridget Jones’s Diary, Pam and Roy from The Office, Michael Scott and Jan from The Office, Andy and Angela from The Office (The Office is really 50/50 on this).
Office romances are complicated: you see each other every day, you have to remain professional, and mixing work with romance can get messy. It’s easy to swear off the concept altogether. But crushes happen!
Before you say, “This will never happen to me!” take a look around at your coworkers. Are you sure you don’t have the hots for any of them? I’m betting you do. And here are the signs.
(P.S. The ultimate sign: you get married to your coworker.)
1. You try to sit next to them in meetings
How often did Jim and Pam sit next to each other in meetings, even when Pam was engaged to Roy? As someone currently in the middle of rewatching this show, I’ll give you a hint: often. Please don’t fall asleep on their shoulder. That $h*! flies in The Office but it probably won’t IRL.
2. You always offer to refill their coffee
Yes, this is very nice of you. But do you do it for your other coworkers as often? It’s doubtful you’re as happy to get Susan her cold brew almond milk no creamer two sugars next time you’re heading to Starbucks.
3. When they leave their desk, you find a reason to leave yours, too
They’re heading to the kitchen? Wow, what a coincidence, so were you! Now you can chat on your way to the vending machines and help each other pick out the least sufferable snacks. Maybe you can even ask them what fun plans they’ve got planned for the weekend!
4. You’re always IMing each other…
Sure, IM is common in the workplace nowadays. But no one else makes you smile as much when their name pops up on your screen. That’s how you know they’re ~special.~
5. …about non work-related things…
A-ha! So you’re not chatting about next week’s deadline or tomorrow’s meeting with the boss? What are you talking about? Nothing you want to share with the rest of the office, eh? Sure, maybe you two are “work friends” but this is entering flirtatious territories.
6. …with emojis
Boom. Done. Game over. Excessive emojis = flirting. You have a crush, admit it. If you’re scrolling through the emoji selection on Skype to find the perfect one to describe your current feelings, there’s definitely more going on than just your run-of-the-mill office friendship.
7. You reread your emails to them
Yeah, sure, maybe you’re just thorough but you double-check every line before you hit the send button. And sometimes, when you’re in a long thread, you go back to reread the whole chain, just because.
8. You’re not interested in post-work happy hour if they’re not going
If they’re not going to be there, you find yourself less excited about the prospect of hanging out with your coworkers after hours. If they’re going, then you’re game — everytime.
9. You think about your work attire more than usual
Suddenly paying more attention to what you wear to the office every day? Who are you trying to impress? Oh, yeah… If you’ve recently found yourself justifying weekend shopping sprees for work attire basically every Saturday, then you’re crushing hard, GF, and it’s time to admit it.
10. You touch them more than your other coworkers
No one’s accusing you of being inappropriate. But unnecessary? Maybe. Sure, it’s not like you’re touching their ass or squeezing their muscles when you ask about their gym routine, but even a light tap on the arm while laughing at their joke or a lingering hand when being passed a pencil can be a huge indicator of some subliminal feelz.
11. You walk by their desk more than absolutely necessary
Any excuse to head in their direction seems like a good one. And while you’re at it, you might as well strike up a conversation, or at least drop a witty one-liner. It’s kind of like the adult-version of passing by your crush’s locker three times an hour in middle school.
12. You’re disappointed when they have a day off
If you tell me you also took them chicken soup when they were sick or bought them a pack of Emergen-C when they felt like they were “coming down with something,” I will just tell you to ask them out already.
13. You’ve joked about your work wife/husband relationship
It’s funny because it’s true! You love each other! You want to get married! Unless both of you are dating other people and have a 100% platonic relationship, then even jokes about being married from 9 – 5 every day means that you both could at least fathom the possibility of a life together.
14. You always volunteer to work together on projects
Maybe you really do just know how to work together so cohesively that being partners on a work proj takes half the time it would if you were working with someone else. You both know those office relationships are complicated. But if you can work well together at work, maybe you can work well together outside of work, too?
15. You want to hang out outside of work
Speaking of outside of work. They’re more than your coworker, they’re your friend (ahem, crush). And you want to see them outside the usual 9-5. Post-work drinks or going to that optional event are a regular occurrence in your work relaysh and the more time you can spend with your coworker, the better.
16. You compliment them more than your other coworkers
You’re such a sweetheart and you just love making people feel appreciated, right? But does Julie in accounting or Max in HR hear about how nice their new shirts are or how awesome their ideas are all the time? I didn’t think so. Your office crush friend, on the other hand, gets an ego boost from you on the reg.
17. Other people in the office have asked if you’re dating each other
Constantly confusing your other coworkers? This is a definite sign. If other people think there’s something going on between the two of you…it’s obvious there’s some chemistry there. And if other people are okay with it…then why not?!