Is it ok to flirt at work?

You can be friendly, but not “flirt-friendly”. there is a difference.

This is not a good idea. eventually, the flirting situation will arrive back to your s/o and the end results is never good.

Either love your s/o or leave her. flirting can have severe consequences.

I don’t think serious flirting is ever OK at work.
Is flirting OK when you have a s/o? I guess in some folks relationships it is. Not mine.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by flirting.

If you are in a committed relationship, flirting is not OK ever.

Why would you even risk upsetting your S/O? They are bound to find out and if they mean that little to you, then break up with them first and then flirt/flaunt yourself. But don’t hurt your S/O just to get more attention.

No, work is a professional environment. Even if the atmosphere is very laid back and casual, thinking it is casual enough to permit flirting is making a mistake. You should not flirt at work regardless of your relationship status.

I wouldn’t flirt with anyone. My s/o is my world.

Aren’t there different levels of flirting? I always thought there was a difference between causal kidding around flirting and more serious “I might want to get in those pants” flirting. Never been unfaithful, but I have done a little kidding around with others in the workplace. I didn’t think too much of it.

@Adirondackwannabe I guess there are different kinds of flirting, I was just wondering what kind can just be accepted as ok, because to me, none is, but I know I’m not normal!

I say casual kidding around is OK. Flirting with intent is not.

Flirting is unprofessional at best and disrespectful to your SO at worst. Not recommended in the professional setting. It diminishes credibility in the same way that gossiping or having drama does.

@aprilsimnel Thank you for answering.
@Trillian I agree that is disrespctful, thank you.

Now you’ve got me thinking. I’ve never been considered unprofessional in my career that I know of, but I have engaged in a little light flirting from time to time.

My boyfriend and I met at work, and seriously flirted with each other, it’s how we got together.

There are too many variables to just say yes or no. Length/type of relationship, intensity/frequency of flirting, type of work environment, whether or not one party is a pimp, etc.

I recommend it only when people are from different departments.

Light flirting is okay, pretty much anywhere, and irrespective of your relationship status.

Serious flirting is not okay if you have a S/O. At work, it’s best not to do it in public, IMO.

Light flirting is okay I guess but I always prefer professionalism.

Joking with other members of your workplace is OK, but out and out flirting is most certainly not OK.
In your case it worked out fine, but generally I would say it is not acceptable.

In this case, it definitely isn’t, and I doubt you’d be asking unless you really already had an idea that it was. I can see it being ok between two single people (ie, people not in relationships of any kind, not just unmarried), but you admittedly have a significant other, and all I can guess is that if people know that, and you’re seen flirting around with women at work, then she really doesn’t seem all that significant to you at all (and it makes you look like a royal douche).

It might seem playful and harmless, but it rarely stays that way. Are you planning on telling your S/O about your adventures in flirtation at the workplace? Don’t flirt… If you feel the need to, then that might be a sign that your relationship really isn’t working.

If you are single and the other person is single, go for it. Otherwise, I find it wrong.

Good god yes, an absolute minimum requirement. Nothing wrong with harmless flirting weh hey!!

It’s ok with me

Would you be comfortable with going home and telling your s/o “I hung out with this really cute guy today and we flirted a little”? If not, then no. Honesty is the golden rule.

Not if you’ve got an SO. There’s some leeway for those who don’t realize that they’re flirting.

People should be at work to work not socialise! I know I’m a stick in the mud but I have good reason, it was through flirting at work that lead to the biggest trauma of my life, I found her out & the was the end of that, don’t do it! :-/

I don’t think it’s right to flirt while in a relationship. I see it as being disrespectful to your (general your) SO. I also don’t think it’s a good idea to flirt at work because things could change and then there could be problems between the two people that were flirting.

For gods sake this question is NOT about me. I wouldn’t even look in another mans direction!

Personally the litmus test I use is that I would not do anything without my SO around that I would do in front of them, tends to take all the grey area away

I’m surprised at the number of 100 percent zero tolerance flirting responses for those with S/O’s. Not even a little bit in fun?

@Adirondackwannabe Fun can lead to sex!

@Sophief Or sex can lead to fun. I have much better self control. I determine when I drop my pants.

@Adirondackwannabe So if you s/o came up to you right now, while your busy at work and unbuttoned you, you would say “not now, I’m busy”?

@Adirondackwannabe You can have fun without flirting.

@Sophief Then I might chose to drop my pants
@Seaofclouds I think I might be too much of a flirt. I“ll have to think that over.

Depends where you work. I would consider it totally unprofessional and a threat to your credibility.
Like going to the office wearing a halter top when all the men are wearing suits. Career limiting.

No, it is not. Why complicate life?

I don’t understand the “work” thing, isn’t it flirting the same everywhere??? and wrong by the way, would you like your S/O to do the same?

The movie Erin Brockovich, although the movie was about toxic spills and how to be courageous, and I admire her for that, it was also a lesson on how not to conduct oneself, in other ways, whether there is flirting involved or not.

Someone please define flirting for me. Is it teasing a coworker, that you’ve been friends and a coworker with for seven years when she changes her hair color from brunette to black, then ask her if she is having an identity crisis.. Or saying I like your new boots, they look good. Or back to hair, oh, I like your hair new hair style, it looks great. I don’t know if that is flirting, women in my office always comment on anything new for me. What do you consider flirting. Maybe the flirting you describe is the more direct and sexual in nature. I guess I am just ignorant.

@aprilsimnel
what she said

My short answer:

If you like your s/o, then it isn’t okay to flirt, unless you wouldn’t mind your s/o flirting with someone else too.

If you do not like your s/o, then it is okay to flirt, only after you’ve told your s/o good bye.

Flirting is flirting. Being nice is being nice.

There is a difference, no definition needed.

As a general rule Id say no. However, it really depends on the work environment & the people you work with. Personally, I see nothing wrong with a little cheeky flirting here & there. Whether or not someone has a SO I dont feel is particularly relevent as it’s just flirting & isnt leading anywhere. Flirting is just one of the ways men & women communicate.

If you wouldn’t do it in front of your s/o then you shouldn’t do it at all.

GA, GA @wilma, I think that when you flirt you open a door where feelings can get trough and become love, or a very sexual atraction, why do people flirt anyway, I did because I wanted to atract my now fiance, it was like an invitation, like “I’m open to it”

People who are dedicated to not cheating, or not making the s/o suspect anything, needlessly, make a point of not appearing (to anyone) to be flirting. There are so many good answers, and I am giving points to all of them, but @jonsblond put it in the simplest way.

I think when another person likes, or is attracted to another person they work with then ACTS indifferent to their feelings; it still shows up to the other person consciously or sub consciously. So, why fake it, might as well flirt and release the tension. The feelings are still there, we just learn to hide it, repress it and have another wet dream, or whatever. Doesn’t mean you have to sleep with them. It’s worked with me for 22 years now, and I haven’t cheated once. Ok, I take that back I have lusted, please forgive me- I feel like I am writing in the bible belt all of a sudden.

@Garebo
I think there are some things best not to say at work. For example, I don’t want my co workers to tell me to my face things about my boobs even though I see them looking at my boobs and when tell me kindly, “you look very nice today” instead of, “damn girl, your boobs look fantastic in that blouse!” We’re all human, some of us lust or ogle a bit but we don’t have to verbalize it or act on it even if we seem transparent in our attentions to others.

“damn girl, your boobs look fantastic in that blouse!”

Whoa, that’s well past flirting, IMO. That’s just obnoxious. I think of Level 1 flirting, as it were, as being teasing and playful. Flirting with intent gets into touching, giving the flirtee intense looks, and the flirter making sure that the flirtee sees them giving the occasional glances at certain body parts. I realize that many people don’t see the difference, but those are mine.

Maybe that’s the problem for me. I’m seeing Level 1 flirting by men when they were hoping that I’m seeing it’s with intent. :/

@aprilsimnel Thank you for that answer. I looked at that and said ” What kind of pig says this?”

These are all good answers, but I wanted to add one point that no one seems to have touched on. Most companies have strict policies regarding sexual harrassment. You don’t want to be disciplined or even fired for making an innocent remark that is viewed as a come-on by the other person. So if you flirt, keep it light and friendly, and don’t make too many personal comments about the other person’s attire, physical features, etc.

That is an excellent point @lonelydragon . Do not do it, If fo no other reason, for the sexual harrassment thing. Not even light and friendly.

I think you already know the answer . . . .