Safeguard Against Workplace Temptations

If you work with a Flirty Frank or Tempting Tina, there are some ways you can stand strong against temptation.

Coworkers often are required to work on projects or solve problems together, and the resulting closeness can build teamwork — but it can also build a feeling of intimacy. Be honest with yourself. If you’re dressing to please someone at work or lingering in the parking lot hoping that person will ask you to lunch, stop now, before you’ve gone too far.

If you’re in doubt as to what conduct is inappropriate, ask yourself, Would I do this in front of my spouse? And if you’re still not sure, ask yourself, Would I do it in front of the Lord? (You are, you know.) Here is a simple rule to keep you on the straight and narrow: If you’d have to lie about it – don’t do it!

If you feel an attraction to someone in your office and have romantic or sexual thoughts about them, consider a transfer to a different department, a different site, or maybe you should quit. No job is more valuable than your marriage

I wish I would have followed that advice. Because I didn’t resist the temptation 25 years ago, I had an affair with a coworker. My relationship with Jake started innocently. I noticed that he laughed at the same things I laughed at, and he noticed that we both liked similar music, so we started to sit together in the lunchroom. We were just friends. . . until we weren’t.

I remember the first time we went out of the friendship zone and into the danger zone. We were sitting next to each other at a sales meeting when his leg brushed up against mine. I felt a spark at the contact point and was a bit disappointed when he moved it. A few minutes later, he shifted slightly in his chair and his leg, from knee to thigh, pressed gently against mine. I liked it, and didn’t pull away.

I should have. I sent him a signal that I was unguarded. If I’d moved my leg and not responded to his flirtations, I’d have avoided the biggest regret of my life.

After a few months, I “came to my senses” and confessed my adultery to God. I knew that I could not continue to work with Jake without being tempted, so I quit my job.  My husband forgave me and we rebuilt our marriage. However, the damage was devastating, and our recovery took several years.

Many Christian companies have codes of conduct that are safeguards against the temptations of emotional or physical affairs with coworkers. Here are some examples: 

1. People of the opposite sex should not ride in a car together without a third party present.

2. Don’t make personal (non-work related) phone calls to a coworker of the opposite sex.

3. Don’t have lunch with the same person every day. Move around the lunchroom or break-room and if you go out to a restaurant, go in a group.

4. Make sure that your e-mails and other correspondence are not suggestive, inappropriate, or flirtatious.

5. Talk about your spouse in positive terms, making it clear that you’re married and intend to stay that way.

6. Be careful not to make any lingering eye contact.

7. The only appropriate touch between business associates of the opposite sex is a handshake.

And here are a few guarding hedges to plant around your business travel:

1. If your job requires traveling with another employee of the opposite sex, do not get adjoining hotel rooms. If possible, request a room on a different floor.

2. If you have to meet with that person, offer to get together in the coffee shop or the lobby.

3. Call your spouse every night at a designated time and give him or her full permission to call your cell phone — anytime.

4. Ask the hotel clerk to block out all adult TV channels.

Discuss these lists with your spouse and add any other things you feel are necessary. Then, give your mate permission to correct you if you go out-of-bounds. Also, know that the best defense against an office affair is a healthy marriage. Be aware of other ways your workplace or career could be a stumbling point for the general health of your marriage and then resolve to address those potential areas of weakness.

According to an Orange County Register article titled “Workplace a Hazard to Marriage” (11/24/03) working with people of the opposite sex can be hazardous to your marriage.  If you, as a woman, worked with all women, your chances for a divorce would be much lower than if you worked with mostly men. If, however, you’re a married woman and you work with mostly single or newly divorced females, your divorce risk is much higher than if your coworkers were married.

If you’re in a workplace that’s a landmine of temptation or if many of your coworkers are swingin’ singles, be on guard.

Many years ago, my husband worked for a company that was rife with temptations. The owner hired receptionists and secretaries who were usually beautiful, young, and single; consequently, it was not a healthy environment for married men. In addition, some of Ron’s male coworkers ate lunch at a “gentlemen’s club”—a fancy term for a topless bar.

They often asked Ron to go with them, and even though he was tempted, he never went. They’d try to entice him by saying, “We won’t tell your wife. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” He would politely decline and say, “No thanks, I have a deal with my wife. I don’t go to female strip clubs and she doesn’t go to male strip clubs. They’re dangerous places.” These co-workers all knew that Ron was a Christian, and if he’d gone, they may have discounted his faith and labeled him as a hypocrite. I know that several men admired Ron’s commitment to me, because they privately asked him for advice about their marriages.

Your relationship could be an excellent example to other married coworkers if you stand strong. So be bold and fearless when you’re defending your marriage at your workplace. Resist and flee temptation before it overtakes you.

1 Cor. 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

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Adapted from Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome: How to Grow Affair Proof Hedges Around Your Marriage (Kregel Publications 2004)

Author Nancy C. Anderson (www.NancyCAnderson.com) and her husband, Ron, recently celebrated their twenty-seventh wedding anniversary. Together they conduct couples' retreats and marriage seminars to help others to predict, prevent or pardon infidelity.


Read more articles by author Nancy C. Anderson:

Is Your Marriage Malnourished?
The Warning Signs of Infidelity
"Small Stuff" Can Ruin Our Families
Forgiving the Unforgivable: Adultery
Five Creative Dates for Couples
Have You Lost that Lovin' Feelin'?
Can a Christian Marriage Survive an Affair?
Avoid the 'Greener Grass' Syndrome: Water Your Own Marriage
Is Your Home a Danger Zone for Your Marriage?
The Parable of the Coffee Filter