CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Love can't be regulated, but when it emerges at the office, it can quickly lead to big trouble, according to a new report published on CareerCast.com, the nation's leading job portal.

"When you spend 40 hours or more on the job each week, your office mates can start to become your dating pool," says Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com. "However, a romantic relationship with a peer, boss, supplier or client can have very negative consequences on your career."

If you decide that you'd like to start dating someone at work, your next step should be to investigate your company's policies on workplace romance. Some companies prohibit office dating, which means you may be fired or forced to change responsibilities or departments. And even if dating is allowed, office romance can lead to co-worker gossip, complaints of favoritism, low morale, damaged peer relationships and claims of sexual harassment after a break-up.

"If your relationship doesn't work out, the aftermath can be intimidating, even if it's just having to see your former flame in the hallway or watch them rise the corporate ladder ahead of you," says Lee. "If things get ugly, a sexual harassment suit may follow since consensual sex is not a protection against sex discrimination. Whether you're the accuser or defendant, your career can be irreparably damaged."

There are many pros to finding love in the office: you have a common bond that can extend beyond work; you'll likely get to see each other often, including commuting together; and if you're relocated, it's easier for your partner to follow along. "Of course, if you get laid off, your partner may get a pink slip too," says Lee.

For more information, visit CareerCast.com.

About CareerCast.com

CareerCast.com, created by Adicio, is a job search portal that offers extensive local, niche and national job listings from across North America as well as job-hunting, career-management and HR-focused editorial content, videos and blogs, and provides recruiters with the ability to post jobs directly to more than 500 niche career sites.

About Adicio, Inc.

Adicio provides the Internet's leading media companies with interactive classified advertising software solutions for the careers, motors and real estate markets, and powers the CareerCast.com and JobsRated.com websites. Visit Adicio.com, or call 760.602.9502 or 800.276.1332.