You’ve heard of regular flirting, but what about corporate flirting? No, it doesn’t mean you should literally flirt with your co-workers. Despite it sounding like a walking HR violation, corporate flirting is what one TikToker calls her methods for connecting with new people at her company or in her industry.
Over the years, networking has gotten a bad reputation as people become exhausted by the expectation to constantly be networking and get put off by the feeling of having interactions with the main purpose of getting ahead and using that person down the line.
That’s where corporate flirting, or “bizzrizz,” as one commenter called it, comes in. It’s an approach for getting to know the people in your work world that centers on genuine connection and takes into account making the other person feel good.
In Srindi Rajesh’s (@srinidhi.rajesh) video, she explains that she heard creator Piper Phillips (@pipercassidyphillips) say that charisma is the number one factor that determines how you’re perceived in terms of success. Hearing that, Rajesh and her friend came up with a “foolproof” way to act and speak charismatically in most situations, especially corporate ones. There was born the term, “corporate flirting.”
“Disclaimer: Corporate flirting is very different from plain flirting. Please do not flirt with your boss or your peers or anyone at work,” Rajesh says.
Rajesh breaks down her approach to corporate flirting across seniority levels.
@srinidhi.rajesh Corporate flirting is one thing I’m actually really proud of – it’s helped me make so mant strong friendships #corporatehacks #corporatelife #success #corporateflirting #successmotivation #behavioralscience ♬ original sound – Srinidhi Rajesh
When engaging with someone you want to connect with who’s at your level, it’s all about creating space for more engaging conversation. She compares it to being on a date with dry conversation. But, after asking them a basic question, like where they went to college, and getting a basic response, like Northwestern University, she instructs people to respond in a way that acknowledges they were listening and pokes a little fun at the person.
For example, to the Northwestern alum, Rajesh would respond, “So you’re really smart, but you like freezing to death for half the year.”
This compliments the person while giving them space to share more details about themselves, like that they love winter and grew up in a snowy place, or that they hate cold weather. It may start as small talk, but it gives the conversation more room to grow.
“By you kind of making subtle fun of the situation, it shows that your guard is down and you’re willing to have a friendly conversation,” Rajesh says in the clip.
With a person who’s at a mentor level, she says people usually ask the person for advice or to share their own experiences. Her corporate flirting comes in later. Rajesh compares it to when you mention something, like your favorite flower, on a date and the person texts you the next day because they passed by a flower shop that reminded them of you.
The corporate version is hearing a potential mentor’s advice and letting them know in an email, Slack message, or at the office how helpful their advice was and what happened when you implemented it.
It not only shows that you’re thoughtful and remembered their advice, but that you’re putting in the leg work to build a relationship with them.
“If you continue doing this, you’ll build camaraderie with the person,” Rajesh says.
Finally, when talking to someone who is very senior, like a CEO, the key is bringing a ton of enthusiasm to the conversation since energy is infectious.
“Your excitement makes the person feel wanted and safe and welcome to be there and that is valuable,” Rajesh says. “… Who needs cuffing season when you have corporate flirting season?”
The video is approaching 2 million views and over 1,200 comments as of Wednesday morning. Commenters have mixed reactions.
“Charisma won’t buy you competency but it will buy you grace while you’re building it!!!” a top comment read.
“I call this bizzrizz and I’m full of it,” a person wrote.
“The world is made for extroverts and I’m too tired to deal with it,” another said.
“I am so exhausted just listening to all this effort. I just want a paycheck and a warm blanket,” a further commenter shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to Rajesh for comment via email.