Our office romance is out of hand. Help!

Dear Aunty B,

We celebrated 10 years of business in May and enjoyed a great evening. But our party provided the spark for two of our staff members to end up in each other’s arms at the end of the night. Neither is attached (although one is divorced) so that is not the problem. But the issue I have is they are flaunting it in front of all of us. It is ridiculous when the courier arrives with yet another bunch of red roses or a gift box arrives to her from him when he sits just around the corner from her and could pop the flowers over himself. He actually opens the door for the courier and shows him where to go!

He also comes up to her desk in the day and puts his arms around her and they play handies in meetings. And I have not directly witnessed this but they have spent lunchtime in front of other people all over each other! Some of our staff are saying they won’t have lunch with them again because it was disgusting! It seems quite inappropriate behaviour for our office, don’t you think, especially as neither of them is a spring chicken. But I don’t think I have any rights to say anything.

Aunty what do you think? Over the top? Should I ask them to tone it down?

Bit miffed boss,
Vic

Dear Bit miffed boss,

What a killjoy you are. Why can’t something like that happen at our office? We haven’t had a good office romance for years! Mind you, I would be tempted to slap them across the wrists if they played “handies” in my meetings.

Look, we all suffer in the first throes of family, friends or colleagues love affairs. While they blissfully grope each other and leave dinner parties embarrassingly early, or grope over lunch, it reminds us that we have done nothing spontaneous or romantic for decades. And we feel vaguely old and undesirable and resentful… And jealous!

But Miffed, how you feel has nothing to do with them. Besides this stage soon passes. Within months the courier will no longer show up at the door, the flowers will stop and she will be lucky to get gift boxes ever again.

So relax. Enjoy the happy couple and let them transport you back to the time when you and your new partner annoyed the shite out of everyone.

If you must worry about something think of this: how are you going to cope with the first fight?

Good luck!
Your Aunty B

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