Love, or at least affection for another person, knows no boundaries. It can develop even in the most forbidden settings. With more employees spending longer hours in the workplace, office romances are developing more frequently. Employers and jealous coworkers generally frown at these relationships, so what are you going to do when you get involved with one? The following tips should help you deal with office romances more appropriately.

1. Check your company’s dating policy. Some companies allow dating, while others strictly prohibit it. Some companies allow dating among employees, but not the manager-to-subordinate kind. Depsite many existing company policies, no one can really stop you from feeling the way you do. The decision to go ahead with an office romance all depends on you. Sometimes, it all boils down to a choice between your job and the other person, so know your priorities.

2. Recognize hints: Is the other person asking you to have lunch together more often than usual? Does he or she smile at you excessively? If the person sends out obvious signals that he has a romantic interest in you, you may want to check out early if he’s single or not. If he’s single, then maybe you should consider responding to him. On the other hand, if he’s already married, start thinking about how you’ll avoid the person.

3. Office relationship first before romantic relationship. Get to know the person you’re planning to date before going to her cubicle and asking her out. Is she single, married, divorced, or related to the boss? Once you’ve developed an office relationship, maybe you can ask her for a business lunch date prior to a romantic date. This will help you judge if asking her out is a good idea in the first place.

4. No means no. Stop asking the same coworker out for a date after she says no the first time. If the other person is not interested in you, give up and move on. Take it as a sign that playing with fire in the office is a bad idea.

5. Accept the fact that you’re flirtatious. On the other hand, if the other person responds (sometimes enthusiastically) to your signals, then accept the fact that you have a flirtatious relationship. It’s not a friendly relationship nor a professional one. It’s a blossoming romantic relationship and you should start dealing with it in a different manner. Ask her while you’re having lunch together if she’d like to meet after work one night for dinner.

6. Discuss it over dinner. If the feeling is mutual, ask the other person if he wants to keep your relationship private. Office romance is generally not acceptable, so you should probably keep it down. Also, talk about your options for seeing each other, and how you’ll respond to each other in the workplace.

7. Give the other person space in the office. You don’t have to hound the other person in the office when you’re officially in a romantic relationship. Be considerate of the other person while he or she is at work. Remember that your coworker also needs to socialize with other people at the workplace. Don’t be jealous and act maturely.

8. No PDA. Nothing makes fellow employees more insecure and jealous than knowing two of their coworkers have the hots for each other. Public displays of affection can create a scandal even if you’re not aware of it. Agree not to flirt at work, or at least never in the presence of others.

9. Be prepared for a potentially troublesome relationship. Office romance is a kind of “dual relationship” because you have two different types of relationships, professional and romantic. Relationships like this are sometimes difficult to manage because the two fields overlap. Sometimes, work matters interfere with personal matters and vice versa. The solution is to develop open communication, so that potentially explosive fights can be avoided.

10. Consider telling the boss. If you must reveal your relationship to your boss for any particular reason, then go ahead. Play with fire but know your limits. Your boss may even be able to help you if the company allows such a relationship. He may willingly put you or your partner in different departments to avoid possible conflicts. On the other hand, if he’s against it, then it’s time to think of other options or risk losing your job.

11. Transfer responsibilities if you’re the boss. If you have a high-ranking position within the company and you’re dating a direct report, transfer your responsibilities to another person. It’s virtually impossible to evaluate a person objectively if you feel differently about him than all the rest. Do this also to avoid any gossip about your judgments regarding your partner and his work.

12. Ask to be placed in a different department. This is the easiest solution to all “conflict of interest” problems. Simply talk to your boss about shifting to another unit. You have the option to make up another reason or just tell him plainly that you have a romantic interest in your department.

13. Don’t bring your differences to the office. When two people in the office are in a relationship, and they are constantly fighting, it’s easy to tell because you may see them not speaking to each other. Suddenly, they become unnaturally cold and professional again, and this brings unnecessary tension in the work environment. Be sensitive to your other coworkers when you and your partner are going through disagreements.

14. Talk about sexual harassment. An office romance can get really ugly when it starts to turn sour, especially if you have a relationship with your boss. Agree ahead of time that either of you is free to end the relationship when he or she starts feeling harassed. Sexual harassment happens when a person is discriminated against because he or she won’t comply to sexual requests. If this occurs, report it immediately to your other superiors.

15. Don’t expect a fairy tale ending. Like all other romantic relationships, office romances can end, sometimes bitterly. The only difference is that in other relationships, you have more freedom to not see the other person ever again, while in an office romance, you will still likely see him everyday when you go to work. Be prepared when the fire dies out, and you have to see the other person as a regular coworker again. If this happens, consider moving to another department, or resigning and moving to another job.

Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to see office romance as a bad thing. Lots of people find their lifelong partners in the workplace. Without office romances, Bill Gates would never have fallen in love with Melinda French when she was a Microsoft employee. Who knows? Maybe the company wouldn’t have been as successful either.

* To all the ladies out there, in case you’re curious, you should know the telltale signs if a guy likes you..