According to an article in USA TODAY, quoting a survey done by Fortune Magazine; the wall dividing love and the workplace may be falling. Chief executives indicate that they are being forced to be more tolerant of office romances due to the fact that long work hours make it hard for employees to meet members of the opposite sex outside the office, says the survey.

Of the 200 CEOs polled for the October 1996 issue:

• 79% say office affairs aren't a company's concern as long as an unmarried couple is discreet.
• 21% say office romances inevitably result in problems for the company vs. 75% who disagree.
• 78% say that when an office romance develops, neither employee should feel obliged to leave the firm.
• "More and more companies are trying to promote the idea of the workplace as something that is not opposed to your private life," says Joseph Bacarro of the Society for Human Resources Management.

But bosses still are cautious:

• 39% say couples working together can hurt productivity while 29% say they can improve it.
• 77% say office romances can increase a company's exposure to sexual-harassment lawsuits.
• 53% say marriage to a colleague can damage a manager's career while 46% disagree.

Bosses such as Orin Smith, presi

dent and CEO of Engelhard, a Fortune 500 chemical manufacturer in Iselin, NJ, say workplace relationships are risky.

A relationship gone astray may hurt a manager's effectiveness, he says.

Some CEOs say a romance between a manager and a subordinate can result in the appearance of favoritism. Others say a corporate courtship between any two employees can link their careers in the bosses mind, affecting decisions about promotions and firings.

"It's really great when they work out, but usually they don't," Smith says.

My personal opinion on this matter is that you should pursue relationships with single women in your workplace. Just be discreet about it and don't try to seduce every single woman in your workplace. Be selective because word gets around among the women that you're just using women for sex.

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