Work and Play: Drawing the line at your office

Monday through Friday for 40 hours or more most of the corporate world are trapped in an office, at a desk, in a cubicle, working. During this time, it is very common to develop strong working relationships with the people you interact with on a daily basis. Often those working relationship can spill to life outside of the office, and although that's not necessarily a bad thing, one must be cautious of these interactions and follow some key rules.

•  "Never go full retard" - A quote from one of my favorite comedies, "Tropic Thunder"; Be yourself, but not so much of yourself you cross "politically correct" barriers. These can consist of telling racist jokes, being sexist, or inappropriate. 
• "Drink, but not to get Drunk" - If at an office it's okay to drink, but do so in moderation. A drunken fool is one thing, but a drunken fool who loses all of his peers respect, is entirely different. Being at office functions and letting loose of the reigns a bit can be helpful and showing subordinates that you are human and can be down to earth, but you never want to get so gone that image of leadership you hold is tainted. Have a number in your head of how many drinks you need to have, and don't break that count.
• "Keep it in your pants" - Look, I know, there are some good looking people in your office. Real good looking. And you guys may have some things in common, and that's cool. But don't ever confuse an "office relationship" with a "real relationship". Just because you guys have an inside joke about the coffee in the break room doesn't mean your perfect for each other. Odds are that any attempt will end badly. Whether it becomes impossible for you to get along with said co-worker, or they're in a position of power to abuse you, or even worse, SEXUAL HARRASSMENT, it's just not a road you wanna travel down.

With all that said, just keep it in mind as you walk around the office today. The office is a minefield filled with opportunities for danger. Tread carefully.