Mad Men, the Emmy-award winning critical television darling, stars Jon Hamm as Don Draper; a charismatic charming advertising hotshot who smokes and drinks his way through the consistently changing times of the sixties. Something else Mr. Draper revels in from time to time is having sexual frissons with females he should be ignoring, considering his wife Megan (Jessica Pare) is waiting for him at home. Here, we provide the top tips on how best to proceed with an office relationship...
Mad Men: Season 6 is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 4th November 2013 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment
#1) Know their relationship status – Maybe you aren’t on a downward spiral like Don Draper in Mad Men: Season 6, but adulterous affairs at the office might start your own. It’s always best to be aware of your love interest’s other romantic alliances. Office relationships often face an uphill battle these days as it is, so ask yourself - do you really want to throw in the added hurdle of being seen as the office home-wrecker? Proceed with caution...
#2) Check the company rules – Think your blooming relationship can survive the stress of being unemployed? Better check your contract for company rules and regulations of office relationships. You wouldn’t want to run afoul of office policy and find yourself without a job.
#3) Take it slowly – Given the inevitable overlap of professional and personal life, if you begin seeing a co-worker, it’s best to go about your relationship seriously rather than casually. Think of it as a prudent insurance policy in case the fling fizzles. If you conduct yourself well, it won’t be too difficult to go back to working harmoniously with the person afterwards!
#4) Keep the passion private – Lest you want to be the topic of watercooler discussion, it is best not to be too flirtatious or open with your affections -And against all costs, avoid drastic, attention-grabbing wardrobe alterations if you want to avoid being the butt of office jokes. This tip is especially pertinent if you are trying to keep the existence of your relationship under the radar from your boss and colleagues - as Harry Crane states in the early days of the show, ‘Draper? Who even knows anything about that guy?’
#5) Be especially vigilant with your emails – This wasn’t a problem in the ‘free-and-easy’ times of Mad Men, but nowadays, it’s easy to send a message meant for one person to someone entirely different (let’s face it, it’s happened to us all.) Email is extremely accident-prone, so perhaps it’s best to save those romantic communications for your personal accounts. The potential embarrassment stemming from colleagues seeing these notes far outweigh the benefits of getting the message to your significant other quickly and conveniently.
tagged in relationships Mad Men