If you’ve got a little cutie at your workplace, you might be curious if they’re as into you as you are into them. To figure it out before you pounce like a lion, there are some telltale signs you need to look out for. You may be thinking, “com’on dude, I know how to tell if someone is flirting with me,” but we aren’t talking about the obvious signs, like laughing too hard at your jokes or saying that you look great in your work uniform. Instead, today we’re breaking down 10 workplace flirting signs you might easily miss.
1. They ask if you’re attending work events.
A subtle sign of work flirtation is when your coworker asks if you’re attending a work event. Whether this is a work-hours event like a presentation or an after-hours event like a work holiday party, they are interested in whether or not you’ll be there. This becomes an even bigger flirtatious sign if they say they will only go if you go, ask what time you’re arriving, or ask if you two can go together.
Check out: 10 Signs your coworker has feelings for you
2. They talk to you after 9-5.
Everyone talks during the 9-5 – or whatever shift you have. Unless you work at a library, talking to a coworker is completely normal and not flirtatious. Not that it would be flirtatious at the library, but you get the gist. If this coworker starts texting you after or before work about personal things or they add you on social media and interact with you there, there’s some flirting going on. If they SNAP you, like your pics, or DM you, multiply that flirting by 100.
3. They compliment you to someone else.
Saying you look nice a bunch of times is an easy flirting sign to spot. A better one to look out for – especially in a very professional work setting – is when this person compliments you to another coworker. First of all, they are open to talking kindly about you to others, which is a pretty big step. Second, they know that the other person might tell you about this compliment, which brings the flirting back to you full circle. Subtle, yet sexy. Nice move, colleague.
4. You share mealtimes or breaks.
If your job assigns your breaks, then this sign won’t work for you. This one becomes flirtatious if everyone can request when they have lunch or take a break. You’ll notice a flirty coworker if they ask you when you’re going on break and join in, “happen” to take a break every time you do, or straight-up invite you to have or split lunch with them.
Check out: 10 Signs a female coworker likes you
5. If they can, they park their car by yours.
If you both drive to work and happen to arrive around the same time, you’ll notice that this person tries to park near you. And if there are no spots around, they’ll be quick to park further away but hustle so that you can both walk in together. This gives them a great excuse to enter and leave work together, giving you two a few sacred minutes of alone time off the clock.
6. They bring you a gift when you’re swamped with work.
Sometimes you’re just too busy to take a break to chat with your coworkers. If you find yourself in a tornado of work and this person gives you a gift, they’re thinking of you in a bit more than a professional way. When I say gift, it could be physical or an action. For example, if you can’t leave your desk to go to the birthday party for the secretary, this person might sneak a piece of the birthday cake back to your office for you. Or, in an act of kindness, they might offer to help you with your task so that you finish on time for the party.
7. They make a lot of eye contact with you during meetings or presentations.
If this person is sitting in the audience, they should be looking at whoever is speaking or presenting. If they are presenting, they should be distributing their eye contact equally throughout the room. But instead, you find them constantly looking at you, away, and back, they quite literally cannot take their eyes off you. Check if you have something on your face or in your teeth, but if you don’t, it sounds like a little flirting to me. Extra points if they throw a smirk your way.
Related: 10 Signs a male coworker likes you
8. They dress up if they know they’ll be seeing you.
For those who don’t work next to this person every day, you may want to start taking note of their style. If you have certain days that you know you’ll see this person, like if you’re scheduled on the same shift or have to attend the same weekly meeting, pay attention to whether they look top-notch or casual. Then, on a day they wouldn’t expect to see you, try to pop into or pass by their workstation to compare. If they put more effort into their look on the days you two meet, they definitely want to attract your attention.
9. They get excited when you have to work near each other.
This is another sign for those who don’t work in the same physical office as this person. Whether they’re in another department or you’re only scheduled together on certain shifts, pay attention to this person’s reaction when they find out you’ll be working together. Do they glow and get excited at the opportunity? Or do they just say “nice,” and walk away? A positive reaction will tell you more than what you think.
10. You both share inside jokes about work.
If you can cross the professional boundary with this person and get a little casual through some work jokes, you’ve already reached after-work friendship levels. If these expand to inside jokes between the two of you that have you cracking up in private, it’s now in the flirting territory.
Check out: How to tell if a woman is attracted to you at work
Conclusion:
So, how many of these workplace flirty actions did you check off? If it’s less than four, they might just be friendly. Four signs would be about a neutral to light-flirtatious zone, and anything more than four is straight-up flirting. The real question is, do you want to flirt back with this person? Are you into them? Spill the tea in the comments! So there you have it 10 workplace flirting signs.