We have all heard the phrase “never mix business with pleasure.” This would be one of the most controversial topics out there. Do relationships work beneficially in the workplace or at school? I would like to start off by pointing out that it totally depends on the characteristics of both people in the relationship and the environmental setting of the relationship. For instance, a high school relationship would bring a lot of immaturity due to age, and leave a lot of room for disaster. But how have some managed to start a relationship in high school and accomplished settling with their counterpart for the rest of their lives, living a very distinguished and accomplished life? It is true these people would have struggled to work through the hurdles of a relationship. At any point, they could have thrown in the towel and moved on. But the will to stay and honor a commitment made at even such a young age goes a long way.  That “don’t quit” and “never give up” attitude is being developed slowly and involuntarily. A person with this mindset will try their best to work out and achieve something they believe in. It is a magical feeling to be able to experience this in life.
But in the workplace, it is a completely different mindset altogether; there is more maturity in a relationship and coordination. But it is also difficult, as I have first-hand witnessed a workplace relationship. It was not easy for the couple as they were very excited to be together and that took a toll on their work life. This was during my time at a start-up software company, and both decided to work on the same project and were eventually approved to do so. But as time went by, it was evident that this relationship was causing them to miss deadlines even though they were working together. The individual efficiency had decreased from when they were working on different projects. Their after-work plans were all they seemed to look forward to and most of that workplace charisma was being dedicated to working on their issues. When there was an argument between them, they found it hard to collaborate on the project at hand. In such a setting it can cause absolute chaos. This is exactly how not to maintain a work-life balance. Conflict of interest was the driving factor, and this became such a big issue in about a year that the director of the company ultimately had to start subtly discouraging relationships within the office.
I believe that regardless of maturity levels, at school or at the workplace, if the people in a relationship can truly work out their problems as well as the external problems they are presented with a strict balance of both, it could be truly beneficial. They could help each other excel in their respective categories just through sheer support, mutual belief in values and unconditional love. We have seen the rise of many businesses starting with a collaboration between husband and wife who in some cases were high-school sweethearts, such as on “Shark Tank,” and hear of them mortgaging their houses, selling their cars, and sacrificing so much to provide support to an idea that they both mutually believed in. Many of those businesses have crossed the several million dollars mark in net worth and are well on the road to success. A relationship can be a distraction but also a blessing in disguise if the balance is maintained.