A Reddit user seeking advice on whether to rent a 2BHK apartment with a coworker triggered a discussion online, with several people warning against blurring the lines between professional and personal life.
The discussion began after the user shared a post on Reddit’s r/IndianWorkplace forum titled, “How bad of an idea is it to move into a 2BHK with a coworker?”
The user said she was considering renting a flat with a coworker and wanted to understand the potential downsides rather than the benefits.
“I’m considering renting a 2BHK with a coworker, and I’m mainly interested in the downsides rather than the benefits. What are the biggest cons or reasons why you’d avoid this arrangement or keep it as a last-resort option?” the user wrote.
Providing some context, she explained that she had known the coworker for around eight months. While both shared an easygoing equation at work and often chatted when work was slow, she did reiterate that the relationship was still very much that of coworkers rather than close friends.
“She is 6-8 years older than me. We have a very easygoing coworker dynamic and spend a fair amount of time talking nonsense whenever work is slow. It’s a fun, low-drama bond, but it’s very much a coworker bond. I wouldn’t use the word friendship,” she said.
Many users argued that living with a coworker could blur the distinction between work and home life, leaving little room for personal space or a break from office interactions.
One user advised against the arrangement altogether, saying that being around the same person both at work and at home could become overwhelming and that the situation was very different from two close friends working at the same company.
One of the Reddit users warned that personal and professional dynamics often influence each other, adding that disagreements at home could easily spill over into workplace relationships and vice versa.
Several users who claimed to have lived with coworkers in the past also discouraged the idea. One user summed up their experience bluntly: “Been there, done that. My answer is: don’t do it.”
Others pointed to the possibility of workplace gossip and conflicts arising from shared living arrangements. A user said that flatmates often end up discussing work after office hours and warned that frustrations at home could be shared with colleagues, creating unnecessary complications in the workplace.
“There’s just so much that can go wrong. Living together tends to bring out our worst and most vulnerable sides, and that can either be a great thing or go terribly wrong very quickly,” the commenter wrote.
Another user expressed concerns about privacy, arguing that living with a coworker could make it difficult to keep one’s personal life separate from office conversations.
“It’s the worst idea ever. Your personal life could become a topic of discussion in the office. Whatever you do might find its way back to your colleagues. How can anyone live freely in such an environment?” the user said.
While the post sought opinions on the drawbacks of sharing a flat with a coworker, the overwhelming consensus among commenters was that maintaining clear boundaries between work and personal life is often the safer choice.