You are heartbroken and probably need to move on since the relationship with a colleague in the office didn’t go as planned. Handling breakups in the office is not always as easy as in a normal setting because you get to see the person every day, and even have to share the same office with him/her. This can be pretty tough—but quitting your job to avoid seeing the person is a crazy idea. So here are five things to do when you breakup with a colleague in the office:
- Keep it professional: Not always as easy as it seems, but the truth is that you have got to concentrate on your job, which is your primary reason for joining the company in the first place. As impossible as it might seem, you need to treat your ex like any of your other co-workers.
- Avoid gossiping: The urge to gossip and open up to a colleague in the office night crop up, but this is not the best way to handle it. When a relationship falls apart, it can be tempting to badmouth your ex to anyone who will listen. After all, it’s basically the first page in the breakup handbook. Keep off gossiping and chatting with your co-workers about the details of your split, no matter how much they ask you to spill the bin.
- Restrict your interaction: This might require a bit of humility on your part, but you won’t get over it if you do certain things the wrong way. So, while your emotions are still raw, you might want to practice the age-old breakup tactic of avoidance. Of course you can’t shirk those important team meetings or conferences just to keep your distance from your ex. However, you can change a few small parts of your schedule that could help ease the tension of your situation.
- Channel your energy on your official assignment: Rather than wasting your time churning over the fact that your ex is already talking about a date for this upcoming weekend, you could channel all of that pent up energy and passion into your work.
- Don’t rush into a new relationship: The need to urgently get involved with someone else in order to fill in some gaps might be tempting; but get over it, and don’t rush into a new relationship probably just to get your ex jealous.
Extra tip
Never get involved in another relationship in the same office because you want to get your ex jealous. This could spark serious rivalry and competition in the office, and could signal the beginning of the end of your employment.