How Do You Feel About Working w/ Your Spouse or Significant Other?

[Tober138]

For a few years, my wife and I both worked from our home offices, with a fair amount of travel mixed in (I am now back in an office environment). When we were buying our new house, our initial plan was to put in a second master bedroom and turn that into a shared office for both of us. After a bit of thought we decided in the end on separate work spaces, on different floors. It worked out fairly well - however we were each working for separate companies doing separate types of work, so we could pretty much be in the house together for 8-10 hours a day and barely see each other. I'm not sure if we culd work side-by-side in the same office day in and day out.

[TobinJ]

I always think of work life and home life as similar to dating two people at once. You can keep certain things to yourself if they weren't shining moments, you can talk about one with the other if you chose to, you learn social lessons from one and can use for the other, etc.

Separate departments that don't overlap are often like separate companies, so I think that would be okay.

For me I would be afraid that I would want to critique my spouse (manager or not) and that the same would happen to me. Heaven forbid if you're on a tight budget with the spouse but want to grab a soda at the machine or sneak out for McD's. Also If one of you gets promoted over the other it may make the relationship lopsided and add some jealousy, same thing if one of you has more friends, etc.

Honestly I think the hardest part for me...I make my spouse out to be super-woman cause that's why you want to marry someone...I'd be concerned my co-workers wouldn't agree...and that's not a judgement anyone but me is allowed to make.