Hugging Your Co-Workers is Inappropriate

People always hem and haw about how "inappropriate" and "bad" it is to date or hookup with people you know from a professional context. And for the most part, I agree. Sexual tension in the workplace isn't conducive to productivity or fostering "professional relationships." I won't claim to be the arbiter of upholding this standard, because I've clearly admitted in the past that I possess a rather lax view of this whole subject.

But that's not exactly what I want to talk about today.

What I am discovering today is that I really think there is something to be said for having that kind of relationship with a co-worker. Let's say, you're having the kind of day that I've had so far today. Let's get hypothetical and suppose that one or more of the following things have taken place:

-Your source of "expert" information on a subject told your editor that all the information you wrote for something is wrong, even though it came from them directly, and you now have to re-interview them and re-do half an article;

-A different editor took so long to review a document that half the information in it is now outdated and you must redo all your research and re-write half of your document'

-You sat in a meeting conducted by somebody with no people-skills, who boorishly delegated tasks to people with no respect for their other commitments or priorities and as that person's underling, you prayed the entire time that his Lumbergisms weren't reflecting poorly on you.

Let's say that even just one of these incidences had occurred. It would be an annoying day. What if all three happened? If all three happened, wouldn't it be fair to say that you might want a hug? You might really benefit from that feeling of being encased in other individuals arms for a minute or so, just to experience that fleeting sense of security, that reassurance that your world is not in fact, crumbling apart as you suspect. If you had a coworker you were married to or dating, you could obtain that sense of relief almost instantaneously, and then return to the tasks at hand feeling a little steadier and surer.

I know that the subtext here is all about my apparent inability to manage stressful situations. And that's something I'm working on, I swear. But right now, a hug would be nice. Everyone needs one now and then. Just sayin'.