Can casual flirting help employees get ahead in the workplace?

While flirtation can be a useful tool in the workplace, it is important not to cross professional boundaries. (Photo: GT/Li Hao)

"My god, you look fantastic in that dress, it's absolutely perfect for you," 26-year-old Liu Yang coos to a rather rotund coworker almost twice his age as they pass each other in the hallway.

"You're looking quite handsome today, too," the woman replies, blushing.

At noon, while queuing for food at the canteen, Liu is at it again. "I bumped into your husband yesterday," he tells the woman serving him. "He said you always fill his tray with love, and now you're doing the same for me."

The woman smiles without replying. But as he sits down to eat, Liu finds two extra pork chops on his plate.

Liu works in the IT section of an online shopping company that sells imported baby products and cosmetics. Most of his colleagues are women, aged between 20 and 50.

"I often flatter my female colleagues," said Liu. "It makes them happier and more relaxed in the office. It makes the workplace less tiring, and I've also found that sometimes, being 'shameless' in the office and 'flirting' with my workmates is a good way to improve my relationships with them and to make my job go more smoothly."

Greasing the wheels

"Professional flirting is a good social skill to have for networking," said Li Sizhe, founder of Shanghai Wisdom Culture Communication Co. Ltd, a company that specializes in interpersonal relationship training for enterprises. "Flirting can make the workplace more relaxed. There's an old Chinese saying: 'If men and women working together, the burden seems lighter.'"

Li said the benefits of flirting in the workplace are that it can make one's coworkers feel more confident and cared about. He said that done correctly - that is, without slipping into lasciviousness or forcing unwanted attentions upon an unsuspecting colleague - it can make one's coworkers feel more attractive and capable, and thus help improve efficiency in a workplace.

Sue Mi, 24, who began her current job in a large real estate company around a year ago, said she initially found it hard to fit in to the already-formed social cliques in the office.

"I was confused as to how I could improve my relationships with colleagues, which directly affected my work efficiency and performance at the beginning," said Mi. "But I soon developed a unique method."

She said that she started gently flirting with a few of her workmates, initially just by asking questions about their work and their hobbies. She made a point of always listening intently, and by outwardly reacting positively to their comments by nodding, smiling and maintaining eye contact.

Mi said that around 60 percent of her inquiries were based on work, and 40 percent on their personal lives.

"For example, I asked a senior workmate about the leisure activities of one of our clients, and learned that the client loved to ski and play golf," said Mi. She then asked her colleague what his own hobbies were. "He smiled and told me he loved to play Chinese chess. So we had a long and interesting conversation about Chinese chess, which I also play."

In the end, Mi was able to get information about her client, as well as to establish a closer relationship with her colleague.