When our operator went out to luch today, it was my turn to answer the phones. One of my co-workers(who usually works outside the office) called in and seemed sort of stunned to hear my voice. We struck up a quick conversation about things that were going on inside the office for 5 minutes or so. About a half an hour later, he called back to ask me out. I gave him my cell number, but I’m sort of stunned.
What should I do? He’s a really nice guy, and I would like to go hang out with sometime. But everyone has always warned me about dating co-workers. Any good or horror stories to tell?
Do you see him every day at work, interact with him regularly at work? In either case that would make dating very dangerous if you eventually break up badly. But if you can both be adult and promise to keep what you do outside work from effecting work it can be good. You likely share interests and know a similar group of people through work. Good luck. Take it slowly so no-one gets there heart broken and all should be well.
I’m not saying don’t go out with him if you really want to. I’m just sharing my experience-I’ve gone out with co-workers twice and both times it did not end well. The first co-worker I was able to be friendly with when our relationship ended. He is a mature, very decent guy. But the second was such a complete ass that it made working with him very uncomfortable. I was overjoyed when he quit. Since then I don’t go out with co-workers.
I’ve slept with two temporary staff from our office and my current girlfriend used to work there full time, but they all left before anything fun happened 
I’ve been seeing a guy from work for 2 years, and everything is great. But the conventional wisdom is not to do it.
My SO and I have been together for 3.5 years and we work together. Same department. See each other every day, all day.
It’s amazing we haven’t stabbed each other yet…
My fiance and I work for the same company, but in different departments. We’ve been together just over 2 years and it’s wonderful. We really like working for the same company - we understand each other’s successes & frustrations, we have many friends here, and we can have lunch together whenever we want!
I’m marrying my ‘dating at work’ guy. We’ve had two different jobs together in the same department at two different stores. The only problems we’ve ever had were with management getting in a tizzy that we were working in the same department.
Don’t fish off the company pier. Don’t dip your pen in the company ink.
That out of the way, I agree with Bippy. If you can be adult about it and keep it out of work, have at it.
Where I work, there is at least one office romance going on (and god knows how many people carrying torces for my married self, 
but I digress). The obvious one is excessively distracting. Constant visits to each others workspace, similarly timed lunches and breaks from which both are late, overall reduction in productivity for both of them, and general inappropriate behavior on each others part (I swear I saw him playfully bite her butt when she was standing next to him and they thought no one was watching). Management has done nothing to stop this. At the very least, one of them should be transferred to a different department.
Make sure your job doesn’t have a policy concerning inter-office romances. If they do, keep it on the down low if you persue the relationship, and be professional towards each other while on the clock. As long as you aren’t a distraction, then management should be looking the other way. If it does interfere with your performance and/or productivity, expect management to come with both barrels blazing.
I married someone I used to work with. We met in the same office, but when we got married we were working in different offices. 14 years later and still happy.
We’re going to meet up for drinks next week, but that will probably be it(unless I have a really good time). We don’t see each other at the office since we work in different divisons, but there hasn’t been any awkwardness yet.
Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciate it! 
I dated an older woman I met at work for a while. No major problems. She moved away, not because of me, though. We had a lot of fun together.
I dated another woman I met at another job. We got married and now we have two girls.
My mother and father met at work.
Two couples who met on the job where I work now just got married. I joked with another woman who got married soon after the other couples: “What? You’re marrying outside the company??”
So I guess it’s hit or miss. Maybe it’s more troublesome if you tend to date a lot of people.
Your company got any rules on this? That can be kind of important, depending on how things turn out.
No, there’s no company policy on office dating. My boss is head of HR and Payroll so I would have been told immediately after informing her of the situation.