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Working in banking takes up a lot of time – so it’s no wonder the workplace is often where many meet their partners. Banks like UBS and Credit Suisse have laid down rules.  finews.com offers some tips.

Conducting a relationship can be one of the biggest challenges, even under the best of conditions. Getting involved romantically with a colleague increases the likelihood of  headaches further. Close working ties with working colleagues can lead to additional conflict potential. Just how precarious the relationship between work and life can be is illustrated by the example of disgraced former Raiffeisen head Pierin Vincenz and his wife, Nadja Cerregato, as finews.com reported.

This might not have happened at all companies. Depending on the country and industry strict rules prevail, usually making a relationship with a superior impossible. To better navigate this minefield,  finews.com has addressed the four key questions relating to this issue.

1. Transparency or Discretion?

Even if you want to, don't yell it from the rooftops: a certain level of discretion is advisable for romantic tie-ups. Should things go wrong, would you want the whole office to know about it? Depending on how closely one works together, revealing a relationship can have a long-term impact on one’s job.

Swiss companies aren't quite as severe as some of their U.S. peers, where relationships between colleagues may be completely taboo – if two co-workers fall in love with each other, one of them has to resign. Employers in Switzerland adopt a more pragmatic approach to avoid a conflicts of interest.

At Credit Suisse and UBS employees have to inform their superior about such romantic relationships. The bosses must then decide, together with human resources, whether there could be conflict potential. If so, one of the pair may get transferred to another department.

Therefore, it's advisable to be reasonably sure about wanting to stay more than just colleagues before going public with an intra-office relationship. To risk the loss of a hard-earned position for a short-lived affair isn’t worth it.

2. What if it's Your Boss?