NWR: Work Spouses

pumpkinsandturkeys

Does anyone else have a work husband/wife? ie: that person at your place of employment that you talk to the most, share everything with, and turn to for things... Basically, your away-from-home spouse/bestie.

I work for a very large IT/software company, so I have a few work husbands because there are very few women in our office, but my #1 WH had his last day today, and Monday is going to be very weird without him. I was definitely closer to him than anyone else at work.

lc07

I do not. I think that they are unhealthy for those who are in committed relationships.

jenna8984

I've never had a male work spouse but at my last job I shared an office with a girl my age and we had like the same brain. We would chit chat ALL day (while working) about future weddings, future baby names, our brothers and their obnoxious girlfriends, etc, etc. 

I started a new job a few months ago and there is literally no one my age at this place and no one is friendly- they are all business all the time. I'm super sad without her!! 

jenna8984

lc07 said:

I do not. I think that they are unhealthy for those who are in committed relationships.

I definitely agree that a line must be drawn....I personally know 2 girls who left their husbands for work spouses. Of course this doesn't happen to everyone (with morals) but it can become a slippery slope. 

thisismynickname2

I totally get where OP is coming from. My "work spouse" was laid off at the beginning of Dec so it's been a bit of a bummer. We talked everything from politics to religion to dating war stories. We see our coworkers far more than other friends and family, so it makes sense.

That being said, my former work spouse was sooooo not my type in the looks department. No worries in the least of things becoming unhealthy.

pumpkinsandturkeys

I agree that there obviously has to be a line and certain decorum observed. I would never leave FI for a work husband -- it's a totally different type of relationship for me.

While I share every aspect of my life with FI, my work spouse relationships tend to revolve around the office and our actual work. A lot of what I do can get very technical and involved, and is difficult for someone outside of our industry to understand. It's nice to have someone who knows about the products and processes I deal with every day and who can commiserate with me, and who shares the same work colleagues, etc. Our conversations do branch outside of work, but the core friendship is based on where we're employed.

Also, I've never become the "work wife" of someone who wasn't married or also in a committed relationship. Working in an environment that's 98% men, it's important to me that the people I'm close with understand that what we have is a friendship and not a flirtation, and them having a relationship of their own helps with that.

melbelleup

pumpkinsandturkeys said:

Does anyone else have a work husband/wife? ie: that person at your place of employment that you talk to the most, share everything with, and turn to for things... Basically, your away-from-home spouse/bestie.

I work for a very large IT/software company, so I have a few work husbands because there are very few women in our office, but my #1 WH had his last day today, and Monday is going to be very weird without him. I was definitely closer to him than anyone else at work.

I have a boss.. who is a male.. who is the only person I really can talk to since we're the only two in the trailer...

BUT

My FI and I work for the same school district, so luckily, he gets to stay my fiance at work too.

JCbride2015

I have a work wife-- the woman I shared an office with this summer.  We have so much in common and would talk all day while working.  I've missed her this year in 3L, as we go to different schools!  Both returning to the job after graduation, so I hope to revive our workplace bestie-hood.

It got a little bad when a couple of attorneys started asking, "Where is your roommate?" when one of us showed up to a meeting before the other one.  We don't even look alike and I think we each got called the other one's name at least once.

pumpkinsandturkeys

I have a work wife-- the woman I shared an office with this summer.  We have so much in common and would talk all day while working.  I've missed her this year in 3L, as we go to different schools!  Both returning to the job after graduation, so I hope to revive our workplace bestie-hood.

It got a little bad when a couple of attorneys started asking, "Where is your roommate?" when one of us showed up to a meeting before the other one.  We don't even look alike and I think we each got called the other one's name at least once.

@JCBride2014 -- I'm the exact same way with our receptionist/facilities coordinator. So I guess I have a couple of work husbands and a work wife? Haha. We look fairly similar and are the same age, so people often mistake us for each other if they're just taking a quick glance. We have tea/coffee together every morning and often have lunch together, too. The worst part is that we frequently show up wearing the exact same colour clothing (hunter green, hot pink, grey with blue plaid), so people have just started calling us twins. She's really more of my work sister than work wife, though haha

JCbride2015

pumpkinsandturkeys said:

I have a work wife-- the woman I shared an office with this summer.  We have so much in common and would talk all day while working.  I've missed her this year in 3L, as we go to different schools!  Both returning to the job after graduation, so I hope to revive our workplace bestie-hood.

It got a little bad when a couple of attorneys started asking, "Where is your roommate?" when one of us showed up to a meeting before the other one.  We don't even look alike and I think we each got called the other one's name at least once.

@JCBride2014 -- I'm the exact same way with our receptionist/facilities coordinator. So I guess I have a couple of work husbands and a work wife? Haha. We look fairly similar and are the same age, so people often mistake us for each other if they're just taking a quick glance. We have tea/coffee together every morning and often have lunch together, too. The worst part is that we frequently show up wearing the exact same colour clothing (hunter green, hot pink, grey with blue plaid), so people have just started calling us twins. She's really more of my work sister than work wife, though haha

Oh I forgot, my work wife and I did this all summer!  It happened at least twice when we had big firm events and were in photos together.  It became a joke around the office.  

I mean, there are only so many places a law student would go to buy professional attire for her first firm job: pretty much everything was J Crew or Ann Taylor.  Fortunately we never exactly wore identical outfits, just similar colors/styles.

pumpkinsandturkeys

JCBride2014 said:

pumpkinsandturkeys said:

I have a work wife-- the woman I shared an office with this summer.  We have so much in common and would talk all day while working.  I've missed her this year in 3L, as we go to different schools!  Both returning to the job after graduation, so I hope to revive our workplace bestie-hood.

It got a little bad when a couple of attorneys started asking, "Where is your roommate?" when one of us showed up to a meeting before the other one.  We don't even look alike and I think we each got called the other one's name at least once.

@JCBride2014 -- I'm the exact same way with our receptionist/facilities coordinator. So I guess I have a couple of work husbands and a work wife? Haha. We look fairly similar and are the same age, so people often mistake us for each other if they're just taking a quick glance. We have tea/coffee together every morning and often have lunch together, too. The worst part is that we frequently show up wearing the exact same colour clothing (hunter green, hot pink, grey with blue plaid), so people have just started calling us twins. She's really more of my work sister than work wife, though haha

Oh I forgot, my work wife and I did this all summer!  It happened at least twice when we had big firm events and were in photos together.  It became a joke around the office.  

I mean, there are only so many places a law student would go to buy professional attire for her first firm job: pretty much everything was J Crew or Ann Taylor.  Fortunately we never exactly wore identical outfits, just similar colors/styles.

For us, it's literally 2 - 3 times a week, without fail. People actually ask us if we call/text each other before work. It has gotten to the point where I walk in our main office doors, stop at her reception desk and take off my coat, and we just laugh because it has happened again.

We'll also decide to wear our hair the same way, or both wear our pink-framed glasses while wearing the same colours... Our names even start and end with the same letter.

afox007

FI and I met at work and was basically my work husband before things got serious. I also had a work wife; it even extended as far as co parenting at work the few times she brought her baby in. We're still really close and since her and FI were bummed I was let go they joined forces and still include me on breaks via speakerphone

jdluvr06

I have a work husband. We're the two newbies and always get stuck with field trip duty at the museum so we spend a lot of time together.

FutureMrsN3312

My last job I worked with all men. I was very close to 2 of them. Everyone joked about my work husbands including my FI. My last day with them was December 17th and I already miss them. We could talk sports, kids, spouses, bust balls, and be brutally honest. I'm hoping I'll find a new work husband soon lol