The Office

by Lawyer Working Girl

As this year starts to wind down, I have to take a moment to reflect on all of the great opportunities that have come my way career-wise this year. One of those, which is the biggest, is the promotion that I received a couple of months ago that I've already shared with you all. I believe that this promotion is really just the start of more great things to come with my company and I am excited about the possibilities. (Another truly awesome thing is receiving my first bonus with the company! WOOHOO!)

Another thing that happened for my company this year was our move to our new office space. For about a year and a half my company was in a smaller building and smaller office space. Then we began to hear talks about moving to a bigger office space, which was the first sign that the company was growing, and that got everyone excited. Now that we've been in our new space for a few months, I look back at our old space, and I'm telling you, it's like going from a Pinto to a Mercedes. Our new space is so much bigger and better than the old office and has new technology integrated in that helps us to stay connected to the outside world (hey, we spend a lot of time at the office) as well as connected with our colleagues in the various offices. I think the new office has even had an effect on everyone's disposition. After all, when you spend a majority of your day at a place, don't you want it to be nice and one that you enjoy?

That got me to thinking about the pros and cons of working in an office. I often think that I would LOVE to be able to work from home where I could stay in my pajamas and post up in front of the TV while I work (especially on COLD days like today). How great would it be to just walk to my kitchen for lunch rather than the breakroom to heat up the lunch that I brought or running out and spending money on food? Although that sounds nice, there are things that I would miss about working in an office.

I read this interview with the co-founder and President of a web application company, whose main issue with the modern office place is also high up in my "pros" column: that it is structured for interruptions. Well, what he calls interruptions, I refer to as the social aspect of working in an office. I love socializing with my colleagues. That's one of the things that makes going to work fun. And the camaraderie, which goes hand in hand with socializing. We build these relationships that are unique in that if we had not worked together, we probably never would have met and would ordinarily probably never be friends (and here I use the word loosely as I do not consider my "friendships" with all of my colleagues to be equal). Also, for some, but not for me, a pro of working in an office means "the office hookup." That's all I will say about that one.

Aside from those two things another pro of working in an office is that you have people to bounce ideas off of. I wonder how many multimillion dollar ideas came from two people sitting around brainstorming? Also, having to go to an office gives me set working hours. If I'm at home it seems that it would be a lot harder to separate time for work and time for personal. Another personal pro is that I get my daily exercise in by walking to the office and back home everyday. Maybe if I worked from home I would carve out gym time, but at least this way, I'm guaranteed to get in some form of exercise everyday.

So, aside from the con in the interview that I flipped into a pro, what are the other cons of working in an office? Ok, maybe he is right that there are a lot of interruptions throughout the day. And there are always meetings. Also, there are the colleagues whose personalities clash with yours, which is really only a problem if you have to work closely with them. There's also gas money/public transportation fare/parking fees involved with commuting to work.

I really can't think of anymore legitimate cons to working in an office. Now, that's not to say that if I were offered the option of working from home that I wouldn't take it, but I guess coming to an office really isn't that bad. So tell me, Working Girls, what are your pros and cons of working in your office?

Working With The One You Love

So last week, I wrote about the different types of personalities in the office (feel free to revisit and add any personalities that you think I missed). Well, there is one group that I specifically left out, because I feel that they deserve a post all to themselves: the office couples.


Yes, ladies, in my office we have at least four confirmed, "it's all out in the open" couples. Let's take a look at these couples, shall we?


The Married Couple: The Husband has worked at the company for a good while and about 6 months ago, his Wife joined the team. Before his Wife came, he was constantly surrounded by other women in the office, one of whom my colleagues and I had labeled his Work Wife. Lucky for the Work Wife, she didn't have to suffer being dethroned because she left the company just before the Real Wife came to work with us. I rarely see the Husband and Wife together during the day, except maybe having lunch together. I think this is the way it should be. Most people who don't know them probably don't even know they are married.


The "We Met On The Job" Couple: We have two of these (possibly more that haven't been confirmed). As the label suggests, these couples met each other at work. They didn't know each other existed before walking through the doors of the company. They started working closely together and BAM! Next thing you know, they are sleeping over each other's houses, riding to work together, and listed as each other's emergency contact. I kid you not. To these couples I say, BEWARE. What happens when you break up? Will there be break-up drama? How will you keep from bringing that drama to work? Will you guys be able to continue working together after the breakup?

The "We Tried To Hide It But We Were So Obvious" Couple: This couple was "hooking up" long before they were an official couple. They thought that no one knew, but it was so obvious. Most never thought that they would actually make it to coupledom. Well, they fooled us all. They are now the office super couple - when you see one, you see the other. They are practically joined at the hip. We are all awaiting the day she comes in with a ring on her left hand.

So that made me wonder, "Could I work with my boyfriend or husband?" (This really isn't even something that I have to concern myself with since there is absolutely no eye candy at the office, in my opinion.) If we worked closely together, probably not. As I've said in previous posts, I like having my space and a life apart from the guy in my life. I wouldn't want to work alongside him all day and then go home and spend our evenings together as well. I think that's too much "us" time. On the other hand, I guess it could be comforting to know that you've got at least one person in your corner at work. You've got a permanent lunch buddy. And when it's time for those company events/outings/happy hours, you've got someone you actually enjoy talking to to keep you company.

But what happens if your significant other gets promoted to a position above you? This would obviously change your working relationship, but would it also change your romantic relationship? If this happened to me, I would be afraid that others would think that I'm receiving special treatment because of the romantic relationship and not on my own merits. Why would I think people would think that? Because I think that sometimes of one of our office couples.

Working Girls, what do you think about working with the one you love? Have you had a romantic relationship with someone you work with? Are there office couples where you work? (Better yet, are you lucky enough to have eye candy at your office?? Do tell!)

Did He Just Ask Me Out?

I make fun of WG1 a lot for being one of those girls who is just too nice. You know, the girl in the bar who will talk to a guy for an hour because she feels guilty saying she's not interested. However, I have to counter that with the fact that some nights she is the exact opposite of that girl. Oh, WG1, she is such a conundrum. Point being, I am not that girl. If I don't like you, I will tell you (at least when I've had one too many tequila shots). 

So color me surprised but I think I'm in that situation, but my particular sitch is minus the bar and tequila and set instead in the office. And I'm dumbfounded. 

Ok, well we're probably going to have to start at the beginning for this one. I started almost two months ago at my new job. I've made a small amount of friends since I've been here. Two I met while at the conference, one I met at training, and the third I met while he was hooking up my computer. Apparently, I have a knack for being friends with IT guys. And I mean, who doesn't want the IT hook-up? Being friends with peeps in IT has its perks. 

So one of the first people I met at my new job was Jay. He set up my computer and then helped me set up my new Yahoo messenger (something I'm still not used to - using IM at work is foreign to me). Since that first day, Jay has always come around my desk to check on me, but I had always just thought he was being friendly/nice to the new girl. Then he would just stop by to chat, which at the time was so nice. I didn't know anyone yet! He filled me in on gossip (which is my weakness) and we'd chat about frivolous things which helps during a hectic workday. 

Then two weeks ago, I found out that Jay had given his two week's notice (except he really gave a month's notice). The whole thing had been kinda kept under wraps, which I had thought was weird. But Jay said he was just moving down to Miami, and since our company also has an office there he will still be with the company just in a different capacity. I was bummed, but definitely not so upset that it fazed me in any which way. 

So yesterday, I stayed late at work to finish up tallying the evaluation forms from the conference in Atlanta. Jay had also stayed late to finish up some things and the following conversation occurred over IM (which still boggles my mind that corporations use as a form of communication). 

Jay: U still here?

WG2: Yep, had to stay late tonight. 

Jay: your Internet working? 

WG2: Yea, I think so...why has it not been working today? 

Jay: ...um...obviously it's working...you're on right now...

Jay: I just wanted to make sure it wasn't slow at all today so I can reboot the server

WG2: Right....wow...I obviously have had a long day haha

Jay: Haha, that's ok

Jay: that's why I like you

Jay: Do u drink? 

WG2: yep

Jay: before I leave, we should go grab a drink sometime and talk

(Please note, I didn't know how to respond so I just didn't respond like any mature adult would do in this situation). 

Jay: But only if you want to...no pressure :) 

WG2: haha, no, yea, sure

Ok, so this convo I just sputtered out above is not verbatim. I know I missed some parts of our convo, but these were the points that stuck out to me. 

Maybe I'm crazy, but last night I was pretty sure that Jay was hitting on me. I know I could just be imagining things, reading into stuff that isn't significant. But I'm pretty sure I'm stepping into unknown territory with this. 

I am in no way attracted to Jay at all. He is a nice, solid guy. Someone that would have been great to have as an office buddy and I'm totally sad that he's leaving. But would I want to grab a drink with him before he leaves for Miami? No, probably not. You're moving to a different state...that requires a plane ride to visit on a moment's notice. Odds are that we're not gonna start dating. I guess I don't understand why he'd even bother asking me out, which is why I'm questioning the fact of did he/didn't he just ask me out. So am I exaggerating this situation here? Am I making this up out of thin air? 

And please, please readers tell me what to do. Because I'm at a loss for words. 

Working Girl Reads Tabloid Love

Summer has begun and I couldn't be more excited to be lazy on the beach and read chick lit while tanning (or in my case, adding more freckles to my already freckle-infested skin). My recommendation for a must-have, perfect-for-the-beach summer read is Tabloid Love by Bridget Harrison. This memoir combines all my favorite Working Girl things: office romance, gossip, and journalists. Have I mentioned I want to be a journalist? Well, surprise, I do!

Harrison writes about being a thirty-something woman in London who is fervently chasing her dream to be a great journalist. As all her friends are starting to settle down and get married, Harrison and her boyfriend slight and she decides to apply for a four-month exchange program, which allows her to leave her job at the London Times and work for the New York Post. Harrison ends up loving her job (and her cute boss) so much that she stayed at the job for five years and even landed her own column on dating in the city.

The rest of the story is about her trials and tribulations of dating in New York (and the Hamptons). Harrison's true tales of trying to find "The One" in the jungle of the dating world are zippy and funny - she races for murder scenese to interviews with matchmakers in a typical day - making the read not only entertaining, but funny. I found myself chuckling out loud at points (which is embarassing when you are laying on a sandy dune next to a incredibly hot lifeguard dubbed Mr. "Save Me, Save Me" by your friends). Overall, you find yourself rooting for Bridget the entire way through - especially when she falls hard for her editor and she has to write about their relationship in her dating column.

Bridget is a real-life Carrie Bradshaw without all the over-the-top glam outfits (she gets hand-me-downs from her best friend who works for Page Six) and backdrops that cost a pretty penny (Harrison loves dive bars).

Bridget Harrison is a real Working Girl with all the bumps in the road that come along with that title. I not only love her cheeky writing, but also admire her for putting it all on the table - speed dating and all.

Romance in Conference Room 1

After some fun Internet research (while I was supposed to be doing data entry might I add), I discovered a office romance survey on CareerBuilder.com (while trying to find a new job to replace my current shitty one). The survey was quite intriguing revealing that almost half - about 40% of workers - say they have dated a co-worker at one point during their careers and 20% admitted to dating a co-worker more than twice in their lifetime. 

I can unfortunately admit to being part of that 40% having awkwardly dated not just my co-worker, but my older and less mature boss. Admittedly not the best move on my part but when you see someone day in and day out for nine hours a day, five days a week who can blame you for having a crush on the guy in the office next to yours? Guys who you weren't normally attracted to suddenly become Greek gods in these situations. Friendships grow quickly and relationships can grow even faster. In fact out of those 40% who admit to having relationships with co-workers, 29% go on to marry the person they dated. I like those odds. 

According to Career Builder's annual survey, however, they say that office romances rarely begin with flirty e-mails or romps in the supply room between meetings. 13% of workers said that their relationships began outside the workplace when co-workers "ran into" one another at other functions. 

Other spark inducing situations for co-workers include a particularly drunken happy hour where 11% of co-workers felt the love, 10% learned to love one another while putting in over-time, another 10% admit to falling in love at first sight and another 2% admitted that a company office party brought them together. 

Did I mention I currently have a crush on a younger, very cute Working Boy at work? Maybe I thought this survey might give me insight to my flirty 9 to 5 relationship. Now if only he didn't have a cute, young Working Girl of his own that he treats to lunch three times a week. 

Sigh. I think I'll just keep crushing on Jim Halpert.