Sweet and sour

There's no telling when cupid will strike, but with the long hours we spend at work it's no surprise that when you fall in love it's often in the office. According to the TUC one quarter of all long term relationships start at work. A recent survey on www.monster.co.uk, the careers website, also revealed that 60% of UK workers have had affairs amongst the Post-it notes.

Just like the course of true love, though, office romance doesn't always run smooth. In fact, embarking upon a torrid affair could make or break your career even more than drunkenly abusing the boss. Just listen to the tale of this anonymous lady from Bristol.

"I'd been in my new job a few weeks when I was invited to a leaving do. Of course, we all got wildly drunk and I ended up snogging my new boss. We could barely look at each other the next morning and that's when things went wrong. We started avoiding each other and before long stopped speaking. It was awful and when the first chance of a transfer came up I grabbed it. I've avoided him ever since."

In an ideal world, office relationships would be strictly professional. But that's almost impossible when you think of the raging hormones that abound in the office. Apart from spending more waking time with our colleagues than even our partners, it's no surprise that they get to know us personally as well as professionally. And after a hard day at the keyboard all it takes is a good looking shoulder to lean on to fan the flames of love.

"You should see our Christmas parties!" says an un-named civil servant at the National Assembly for Wales. "After several drinks we're all at it. In fact you can't move on the dance floor for colleagues snogging each other. It's now just accepted as part of office life. And because we start our holidays the day after, when we get back to work we're all acting as if nothing happened. It's hilarious!"

Which is why, when it's handled right, office romance works wonders. Suddenly, instead of dragging yourself into work with a look of abject horror on your face, you are leaping out of bed and desperate to get to your desk. Self esteem goes up a level, morale shoots through the roof and productivity soars, especially if you are spending some late nights compiling reports with the object of your affections.

But what happens when the romance turns serious? And what if the object of your affections is your boss? Jenny and Glenn work in a London nightclub and have been seeing each other for a year. Jenny works in the office but Glenn is the club's director.

"I'd been working at the club for a fortnight when I met Glenn," says Jenny. "He walked into the office one day and as soon as we looked at each other something clicked. I'd never believed in it before but I now think it was love at first sight.

"A week later we had a drink in the office, decided to go to some other clubs and ended the night by kissing. Of course, I thought I'd blown it," Jenny says. "Kissing the director of all things! It didn't help that I was 22 and he was 42 either. That meant that we had to keep our affair quiet, and we managed it until we were caught kissing in the car park. The security camera filmed us and before long everyone got wind of it.

"Luckily it didn't cause a problem, though. We're now living together and have even talked about getting married. Getting that job changed everything and I know I'm with the man I'll be with for the rest of my life."

Which goes to show that an office romance really could strike when you least expect it. Suddenly those drunken party kisses don't seem like such a daft idea after all…