A Relationship in the Office

辦公室戀情

公司老板Joe找員工Sam和Lucinda談話。

Joe Tan: Hi Sam, please take a seat. Good morning, Lucinda. Please sit down. How are you both this morning?

Sam and Lucinda: Good, thanks.

Joe: I asked you both to come in this morning because there's been rumors floating around that you two are involved in a personal relationship. Now I know these kinds of things can be sensitive, but I do feel we have to discuss it.

Joe開門見山，說找他們兩人談話，是因為公司里有傳言，there has been rumors floating around...說Sam和Lucinda在談戀愛。

Lucinda: Yes, the rumors are true. Sam and I are in love!

Sam: It's true, I feel the same way about Lucinda!

Joe: Well, let me be the first to congratulate you! Falling in love is great and I'm very happy for both of you.

S: But?

J: Well, our company does have some guidelines for internal relationships.

Lucinda和Sam兩人都承認，they are in love. 他們確實在戀愛。Joe首先向他們表示祝賀。但隨即承認，公司在員工談戀愛方面有guideline指導原則什么guideline呢？

L: The company frowns on co-workers dating each other, right?

J: Let's just say such relationships are not actively encouraged.

S: But why? We are in love!

J: Well, there are many reasons, but one of the main downsides to interoffice relationships is that they can be a big distraction from work. Other employees can sometimes see such relationships as unfair. The end result can be jealousy, hurt feelings and a loss of productivity for the company.

Joe解釋說，公司之所以不鼓勵公司員工之間的戀愛關系，最主要的原因是干擾工作。其他員工會覺得不公平，最后造成a loss of productivity for the company. 公司生產力的下降。

L: But in today's modern working world, I feel like there is very little opportunity to meet people. Bars are smoky and loud. Internet dating can be very scary...it seems like I spend most of my time working at the office, so isn't it natural to find a co-worker as a partner?

S: I have to agree. Lucinda and I work on the same projects so we have a lot in common. I even think our productivity has increased as a result of our relationship.

Lucinda說，她覺得，酒吧煙霧彌漫、人聲鼎沸，網上交友又不安全，既然一天到晚待在公司，在辦公室找對象不是很自然嗎。Sam說，他們兩人是同一個項目組的，we have a lot in common. 說到這兒，老板Joe是不是理屈詞窮了呢？我們下次繼續聽。