Getting smitten in the office: managers must deal with the inevitable--sex and love in the workplace.

Are intimate relationships between coworkers harmful to businesses? Should companies prohibit or highly discourage these from happening? These questions have been viewed differently over time and also viewed differently depending on the respective culture.

To start with, let's establish that cupid has always been floating about the workplace. Until recently, the perception was that most romantic relationships in the office were casual or temporary. However, this is very different today, especially in the U.S. corporate climate. According to journalist Shelley Donald Coolidge, as Americans are "spending more time at work than ever before--and many delaying tying the knot until later in life--it's not surprising that more people are falling in love on the job. Some say it's even one of the safer places to land a mate because the background check is already done."

Of course, this is not the case everywhere. In Mexico, for example, most people do not find their life-mate at work, but rather shack up with someone they dated while in school. However, romantic relationships of course occur in Mexican offices like they do anywhere else.

The corporate approach to love in the office has gone through changes. First, as the issue of sexual harassment became a costly legal problem for businesses, many attempted to impose a "no sex" rule in the workplace. Indeed, well-known personalities believed this was the right approach, including anthropologist Margaret Mead who asked for "incest taboos" against dating in the workplace. As quoted by psychologist Mary Loftus, Mead stated: "We need one [rule] that says clearly and unequivocally, 'You don't make passes at or sleep with the people you work with.'"

Many corporations took the advice. As Thomas Kochman, a cross-cultural expert, said, "Corporate America chose to have a workplace environment in which a kind of cultural neutering takes place between 9 and 5."

Over time, it became obvious this did not work. Love in the workplace blossomed, although often hidden from co-workers and bosses. Although companies have slowly begun to remove those rigid policies that were both unrealistic and probably illegal, experts continue to advise being discreet in office relationships. Mary Loftus cautions against playing "kissy face on company time."

"Coworkers and bosses question your professionalism and ability to concentrate on work assignments," she said, adding that dating your boss and sleeping with married colleagues are particularly bad moves.

It is interesting to see how different cultures view the same phenomenon. In Latin American countries, for example, making public the fact that two fellow workers are dating (at least, seriously) is simply seen as a normal part of life. It is difficult for Latin Americans to see a person platonically from 9 to 5, and then transform that person into a lover after work is done.

So while many companies may have strong feelings about the wisdom of mixing love and work, the fact is humans will be humans. The likelihood of romance taking place between people who work together and see each other every day is quite high and in fact practically impossible and probably unwise to prohibit. To shut ourselves out from potential lovers and long-term companions is, according to Loftus, cheating yourself of a wonderful relationship. Loftus ends her statement by quoting famous feminist-author Erica Jong who said, "The trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more."

Perhaps the time has come to recognize that two adults can have a personal relationship and still be capable of working together in a professional manner.

Ilya Adler is a business professor at Alliant International University's Mexico City campus and a principal of Koshman Communications Consultants.