Sometimes flirting with someone in the safe space of an office is simply part of work banter, and neither person ever intends for it to be anything more. Problems tend to arise when one of the pair wants to escalate matters into relationship territory while the other one has no intention of taking it further.

Try to decide in advance what your ideal outcome would be. Explore some of the following questions: do I have genuine feelings for this person or is it just a bit of a laugh? Do I really want to hook up with them outside of work? What effect would a relationship have on my day-to-day office life and on my career progression? These are just some of the areas worth considering. And whatever your responses, you should also try to anticipate how your colleague would answer the same questions.

Honest Boss: “I’m scared to face my office crush at our work Christmas party”