To work somewhere that my partner works?

[Anyonewannawoo]

We’ve both moved to a new area and the company he works for seems perfect and they’ve got a role that’s right up my street.

However, we met at our last place of work and I don’t want to seem like I’m following him (he’s quite keen that I get in there as it’s a good place to work).

I was wondering if I wrote in my cover letter/email that I am in a relationship with a member of staff? I’m not sure.

No. You don’t need to declare that. However if they ask you, say yes. Some companies have policies on couples working together but they should make that clear. If you apply just don’t mention it unless asked. I’m assuming it’s in a different department of area of the office.

I think that you declare it when you are offered the position.

Would you actually be working together, or just in the same organisation?

From bitter experience I wouldn't work closely with someone I was in a relationship, but it's fine if they work in a different part of the business. What you want to avoid is:

Consequences for your employment and/or wellbeing if you split up/have relationship issues

Being in a position where you or he can be accused of mismanagement, favouritism or conduct issues by virtue of your personal relationship (for instance one of you is managing the other, or your work areas require you to make financial decisions together)

I think it's fine for you to work for the same Company but not in the same department or for the same line manager. If it's a big company I don't think anyone will be bothered.

We would allow that as long as you're in different departments, but we wouldn't hire spouses/partners into the same team

It depends on the size of the organisation. My employer has 14,000 staff, so it's very common for husbands and wives, bf/gf and same sex relationships to be successful there because it's possible to work in completely different buildings, let alone departments.

You need to understand the lay of the land, to decide if it's viable to work for the same employer and be able to operate completely independently.

The nice thing is being able to car share and have the occasional lunch together.

A previous employer forbade certain roles, such as auditors. Current employer does not allow relationships between people at different levels of the same reporting line.

For some years, I went out with someone in the same department, but we were in different countries. We currently have a husband and wife in the same business unit, who asked not to be sat close to each other; they're on adjacent blocks of desks, but at least have their backs to each other.

There are and have been various relationships, including marriages in my two main jobs. They have both been large, multinational companies, and it can be quite easy not deal with people who sit in different areas and whose departments are different, so they don't work closely.

It can be more disruptive in smaller organisations/offices, particularly when a couple are getting together, or if they have an argument or break up. Of course, some people are better at hiding what's going on than others, but it's easier to do that in a larger organisation.