Office Mate: Your Employee Handbook for Romance on the Job (Paperback)

~ (Author), Helaine Olen (Author)
Key Phrases: secret admirer, potential office mate, office spouse, Human Resources, The Rules, The Vault (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The greatest pool of potential mates isn't online, or in a bar, or at the gym. It's on the job. With more than 40 percent of American employees logging over 50 hours each week, where else are people going to find time to look for a date? Work-based romances develop gradually over months and years, allowing people to get to know one another instead of rushing to judgments based on first impressions.

Office Mate teaches readers how to make the most of the office dating pool, offering specific dos and don'ts on what to look for in a potential paramour, how to handle the romance day to day, and how to protect a career if the relationship goes sour. Stephanie Losee and Helaine Olen's practical guide is useful even for those with no eligible candidates in their current nine-to-five gig, with tips for readers on how to expand their professional networks to jumpstart both their love lives and careers. With fun "Instant Messages," fast facts, first-person Water Cooler Confessions, and Famous Dates in Office Mate History, this hip handbook gives singles everywhere the green light to take that office flirtation to the next level.

About the Author

Stephanie Losee is a frequent contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine and Northern California Public Radio. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, the New York Post, and Child. She's been married for 16 years to a man she met on the job. They live in San Francisco, CA.

Helaine Olen's work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Variety, the Washington Post, Salon.com, Working Woman, and the Chicago Tribune. Her essay for the New York Times's "Modern Love" column, "The New Nanny Diaries Are Online," was included in the anthology Modern Love. She too has been married for 16 years to a man she met when they both worked together. They live in Westchester County, NY.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media; Arc/Galley edition (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598693301
• ISBN-13: 978-1598693300
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #744,261 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The complete book on office romance is also perfectly written, October 21, 2007

By	BookGirl (Phila, PA) - See all my reviews

I love this book! It's so well written: funny, thorough, smart. These two have done their research and write from experience. It's about time a book like this has been written--hard to believe it's the first one out there. Thanks to the authors for showing that office romance can be done, and done well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding true love at work, November 26, 2007

By	StudioCityBookLady (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

As one of the women quoted in the book puts it: "If I didn't date people I worked with, I would never have had a date." Plenty of people DO find true love at work, and it doesn't have to be a disaster even when things don't work out. "Office Mate" provides practical advice and real research to help guide people through these shoals, and it's a fun read to boot.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dating Guide for The Rest of Us, November 16, 2007

By	P. Livingston - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here's what I love about this book 1. It's a great read. Yes, it has a storyline, you can follow it, it has useful sidebars! 2. It's smart. The ideas are practical and accessible 3. They use (gasp!) studies and books to make their points! This part impresses me as I've read a few too many books based on the author's opinion or maybe a couple friends of the author. 3. They made me laugh and it felt like a conversation with a witty smart friend. 5. It's not just for 20 somethings. As someone who sure isn't fresh out of college, they talked to me and make their ideas possible and doable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will now use it as a reference because who knows maybe there's a work buddy and potential romatic partner out there for me!