7 Tips to Keep Boundaries with a Co-Worker

Like anything, there has to be rules:
A healthy work spouse situation is between people who would never let their friendship venture in to an inappropriate space, and understand that fine line.

1. Don’t share personal information about yourself at work, especially private details of your marriage. If someone does share personal information with you, tell your spouse so you don’t create a secret world your spouse is not aware of.

2. Be upfront and honest about the closeness and bond of your real-life relationship.

3. Don’t be alone with a person of the opposite sex separate from your job. Romantic relationships come out of recreational activities and intimate conversations.

4. Don’t drink with your work friend. When you drink, boundaries get blurred.

5. Introduce your real spouse to your office friend, so it isn’t exclusive.

6. Avoid constantly talking about your office friend at home. Don’t overdo it.

7. Aim to keep the mood light and happy with your work spouse so that drama from home doesn’t bleed in to what should be a professional relationship.

Keep the lines of communication open between other co-workers and your real-life spouse so that your work friend relationship is not interpreted as a clique, or exclusive.

Source: http://drphil.com