Being a single guy in an office can be tough. We’re often working with a mix of men and women. And sometimes it’s difficult to tell office banter from hints of something more. A common question I see online from guys is how to tell if a female coworker likes you. It can be a complicated and somewhat risky affair if you don't have the right knowledge going in.
In this article, we’re going to cover a few things you can look for to help figure it out.
For most of us, we tend to see the same people more than 35 hours a week. For virtually every week of the year. Naturally, that means we’ll try to be pleasant with our colleagues to keep a positive environment.
Over time we’ll also find common ground and grow closer with some and this is where the trouble can start. Is she just being friendly? Is she the flirty type or is this intentional?
Let’s Investigate How To Tell If A Female Coworker Likes You
In my mid-20s, I worked IT Support at a company that was around 70 percent women. Most of them were around my age bracket too. This was great in a lot of ways. For instance, I got comfortable spending most of my day around very attractive, well-dressed women. The downside? It was common for them to flirt with the guys in IT as a way of getting a higher priority.
This was frustrating and a bit demoralizing but I chose to see it as a good thing. It made me far better at distinguishing between genuine interest and cheap flirting. This is exactly the type of thing we’re going to cover in this article today.
Let’s go through some of the things I used to look for that treated me well. Some of these I had to learn the hard way — read on and learn from my mistakes!
Goes out of her way to greet you each morning
Does she walk the long way to her desk just so she can personally greet you every morning? Maybe the first thing she does every day is make a coffee and stop by your desk for a chat.
This is a pretty good sign for the simple fact that she likes to start her workday with you. It’s also a great way how to tell if a female coworker likes you.
If she’s just the local office socialite and starts her day chatting to everyone, you can probably disregard this one. On the other hand, if she’s taking the time to come chat to you specifically each day. . .
She offers to help for no reason
Is her door is always open or she offers to help with your to-do list?
If it’s a BIG yes, then it’s a good sign she likes you. There’s also a chance she’s just being helpful, but this depends on the degree she puts you ahead of her other work priorities.
She wants to be near you or maybe thinks helping you will reciprocate in mutual affection. Either way, she’s not doing it for free, or as said by Joey, “Selfless good deeds don't exist”
Makes excuses to see you around the office
A continuation of the previous point, she makes excuses to spend time with you throughout the day. It could be as simple as asking you questions she could figure out herself. (“All my pens have gone missing. Do you know where I can get more here?”).
Sometimes it’ll be a bit more obvious. Like coming to sit at your desk because she’s had a rough day or just needs a break. She’s finding comfort in being around you and it’s an excellent opportunity.
This type of situation gives you so many opportunities to initiate something more as well. If she has had a rough day, suggest the two of you go get lunch together. This is one of the easiest ways to tell if a girl likes you at work.
She times her lunch breaks with you
If she spends her lunch breaks with you or, better, she matches her break with yours, then there’s a good chance this female coworker is attracted to you.
Lunch break is sacred and we don’t wanna waste a second of it on anything that isn’t fun. So if you wanna test her, you can simply change your break time for a week or two and take notice. If she asks why you changed your lunchtime, or adjusted hers with yours then you’re on the right track, my friend.
She talks to her friends and coworkers about you
If she’s talking about you frequently that’s a great thing for you. The best thing you can hear from her friends is “I’m so sick of hearing about you!” It means she’s thinking about you often and needs to share that with others.
One of the biggest mistakes I made at that IT job was mistaking a genuine interest for empty flirting. I considered her virtually a 10 and way out of my league so figured she just wanted faster repairs. This was until she invited me to drinks with a bunch of people from her department one night.
Naturally, I accepted this invitation, though I figured she was just being friendly. When I arrived, the first thing one of her friends said was, "So you’re the guy she’s always talking about”. The penny dropped at that moment and things went very well from there.
Now on the flip side, if she talks NEGATIVELY about you at work, then obviously this is a sign that she doesn't like you. If this is the case, then it might be time to find out if you've done something that rubbed her the wrong way.
Invites you to events outside of the office
She wants to spend time with you outside of the workplace. Great! It might be an invitation to lunch with a group of coworkers. Or maybe just you and her having a few drinks after work.
Whatever the situation, it’s the perfect opportunity for you to get to know her better and see where it goes. It’s also a great segue on how to tell if a female coworker likes you. Simply by seeing how she reacts to you outside of the office, it can become clear.
You hear from coworkers that she likes you
I’m not talking about her friend saying this woman straight up said she’s interested in you. I’m sure you’re more than capable of figuring that one out for yourself. What I am talking about though is others around the office insinuating something is going on. This is probably the easiest possible way of knowing how to tell if a female coworker likes you.
It’s much easier to pick up on these things when observing from the outside so don’t discredit these comments.
“So are you and Jessica officially dating yet or what?”
This may be the most obvious signal you’ll ever get, albeit from a different person. My response to this is always to ask what makes them say that. More often than not, this other person is about to tell you all the signals they’ve noticed. Make a mental note of them for future reference.
It’s much easier to see these signals from the outside. When you hear them from someone else, everything can seem so immediately obvious.
Conveniently sits next to you at meetings and events
Ever noticed that in a room full of chairs, she always picks the one right next to you? It’s more than just a coincidence. If you’re into someone, you want to be near them. You want to sit close to them, chat to them and get to know that person better.
This point is a perfect example of what that looks like in the workplace. She’s taking an opportunity to be closer to you in a subtle way. Make sure you’re paying attention.
Always asks if you’re going to work functions
Similar to above, she’s asking if you’re going to that work party next week. It’s not that she’s asking every person in the office, it’s because her night will be better if you’re there. Depending on your work environment, she may even be asking because you’re the only reason she’d go!
I know I’ve personally done this on a few occasions myself actually. Only going to a work Christmas party if the woman I’m into is going. It’s an opportunity to go do something fun with her, even if it’s still work-related.
Deliberate eye contact
Like touch, eye contact is usually a strong and deliberate signal. We’ve all been there at some stage. You're at the local bar with your buddies and as you look around you notice someone looking at you. You pause for a moment. For what feels like forever (probably a fraction of a second) you hold each other’s gaze. Until she smiles shyly and looks away. While we may do a great job of convincing ourselves it was nothing, that’s rarely the case.
That same lingering, exciting and almost uncomfortable eye contact is what we’re looking for here. Albeit at work so probably a bit more subtle. She’s paying you more attention than others and is watching you, hoping that you’re paying attention to her as well. She wants to be noticed and that’s a great way to go about it.
When this does happen, hold that gaze for a moment longer. Not an awkward stare, just let her know that it’s deliberate and you’re into it too.
Extra attention
Similar to the previous point, you may notice she’s paying you more attention in general. If you’re with a group of people, keep an eye on who she’s looking at when others are speaking. Is she looking at you even though Dave is the one telling a story?
Often more obvious, what about when someone says something funny? Even if you had nothing to do with the story you may catch her watching your reaction. If she likes you she’ll also care about whether or not you’re having a good time. Subconsciously, she’ll be watching how you’re responding to everything that’s going on.
She always seems to know where you are
This is another subtle one that falls into the same category as my previous point. She cares about you and pays attention to what you’re up to.
If you work in the same space, she’ll notice when you leave the office. She’ll remember if you said you had to go somewhere and she’ll know if you have the day off. You can even use her knowledge as a subtle test to see if she likes you.
This one was subtly pointed out to me one day when I was away. I was out at a meeting. I get back and someone says “I wasn’t sure where you were so I asked Anna. She always seems to know where you are.”
Once again, others sometimes notice these things better than we can ourselves.
Takes an interest in your personal life and hobbies
When we’re interested in someone we care about them as a complete person. Hobbies, interests, opinions, family, etc.
If it naturally comes up in a group conversation, that’s one thing. How often do you ask others about personal topics or actively want to talk about their hobbies? The only time I ask about these topics is when I’m genuinely interested in them for one reason or another.
If she does start asking these questions, it’s another great opportunity to really get to know her and build rapport. Flip the conversation around and learn more about who she really is too. She'll appreciate this because paying attention to what she says is something women like in a guy. Since we all love talking about ourselves, it makes for smooth, easy conversation you can return to later.
You often catch her checking you out
Imagine you’re in a café doing some work and a hot girl walks in and sits near you..will you never check her out?
How about someone in the same office and has a secret crush on you?
Yep...a lot of secret glances.
Girls can’t stop themselves from sneaking a look at the guys they secretly like, especially if they work together. So try to catch her staring at you. If she blushes and shies away, then game on amigo, this coworker probably likes you.
Body language gives her away
No matter how much she tries to hide liking you, her body language will soon give her away. You just need to sit tight and look for this bundle of behaviors:
- She gives you Bambi/dilated eyes
If she likes you, her pupils will expand a little the moment she lays eyes on you. That’s her brain’s way of saying, “I want to see more of this – you.”
- She invades your personal space
When you speak, does she lean forward or away? Is she's always too close that you can smell her perfume "or breath"?
That means she's comfortable invading your space.
- She plays with her hair
The oldest sign in the body language book. When a girl twirls her hair behind her ears while talking to you, it can mean she subconsciously wants to show you more skin.
P.s.: It can also mean her hair is bothering her and she needs a haircut.
- She’s always facing you
Pay attention to your legs the next time someone you're in a hurry and someone stops you for a chat. You'll see that one of your legs will unconsciously point to the door.
Similarly, if a female coworker likes you, and you’re talking face to face, then her body will totally point. This also happens in group meetings or when she’s across the room talking to her friends. If one of her feet is pointing to you, then you’re the one she has eyes on.
- She touches you for no reason
If your female coworker likes you she will find excuses to touch you for trivial reasons. Of course, she won’t grab your touchy – maybe not now - but you may notice a gentle touch/rub here and there.
Her touches won’t be like the rest. You’ll often notice a feminine, prolonged touch on the shoulder, arm, or back. Also, her handshakes will often take longer and her hand will be softer than usual.
She notices any changes in you quickly
When you’re paying close attention to someone you’re going to notice any subtle changes in appearance.
She may simply comment on your new shoes or a trinket you’ve just put on your desk. Maybe you spent the weekend outside and she comments on how tanned you look on Monday. She might even notice that you're a little more confident because you have a feeling that someone likes you (just don't be a jerk about it).
The actual subject is irrelevant; something subtle changed and she noticed. Don’t ignore that.
How do you tell if a coworker likes you or is just being friendly?
It's easy to tell. Just pay attention to these two signs:
Sign #1: She does it with everybody
If she’s friendly with everybody then the chances are you’re not the exception. Some women are just flirtatious by nature and your coworker might be one of them.
Sign #2: She has a long list of lovers and ex-boyfriends
If her history is full of male attention then that’s probably her goal with you, and the next guy: Make him feel important, confuse him with mixed signals and give him a “sorry, we’re just friends” line if he asks for more.
Either way, trust your gut. If it tells you she likes you, and she probably does.
Never Wonder How To Tell If A Female Coworker Likes You Again
Knowing how to tell if a female coworker likes you isn’t particularly easy. Hopefully, these tips make it a bit less challenging and can get you to the next steps.
With any luck, you may have started to relate some of these points to how she’s been acting around you. If that’s the case, things are looking promising for you.
However, if she's showing none of these signs, it might not be too late. You can take some advice from our guide on how to make a girl like you. It might be enough to get your coworker's attention.
But if it seems like she might be into you, don’t be afraid to initiate something. Interest won’t last forever if you don’t go for the next step. Invite her to something low-key outside of work and see how things go from there. Good luck!
