Do you have an office Wife/Husband

1. Do you have a coworker of the opposite sex that you are especially close to at work?

2. Does this coworker know your birthday and go out of their way to celebrate it with you and vice versa?

3. Do you share private details about your marriage with your coworker?{{more}}

4. Does this coworker know your favorite foods, your fears and even a few of your secrets?

5. Does it feel easier talking to that coworker instead of your spouse?

6. Do you engage in activities with this coworker that exclude your spouse?

7. Do you feel you cannot tell your spouse about this person or do you find yourself constantly talking about how great this person really is to your spouse?

If you answered yes to 2 or more of these questions and you are currently married, you are engaged in an office spouse relationship. Be careful.

Working long hours with the same people can create a false sense of reality, and it’s easy to develop a friendship that mirrors the emotional connection of a real marriage. This can put your real marriage in jeopardy, as office spouse relationships often begin as innocent relationships and develop into physical relationships.

According to a recent article by Heather Hatfield and Dr. Louise Chang of www.webmed.com here are a few tips to safeguard against dangerous office spouse relationships.

Don’t share personal information at work, especially information about your marriage. If someone else starts to share their information with you, let them know you are not interested. Don’t let it get personal. If someone does share personal information with you, tell your spouse about it so you’re not creating your own world at work that your spouse isn’t aware of.

If you do get personal, be careful how you categorize your marriage. If you are not getting along with your husband, and there is someone at the office who does care for you, and you tell them that, then you’re off and running. If you say: ‘I am crazy about my husband and we love each other so much,’ the other person is less likely to invest time or emotion into the relationship.

Don’t be alone with a person of the opposite sex separate from your job. Don’t ride in that person’s car alone. Don’t engage in recreational activities after work, or if you have to travel for work with one person, bring your spouse or a friend. Romantic relationships develop out of recreational activities and intimate conversations — those are the two major hooks.

Don’t go out drinking with a really close coworker. Alcohol can blur the lines of a close relationship and push it over the line when people go out drinking.

Introduce your spouse to any close friends you may have at work.

 Include your real spouse in activities you might do outside work with coworkers.

Do not constantly talk about your office friendships at home. However, your spouse should know about ALL close relationships at work.

Karen Hinds President/CEO –
Workplace Success Group,
Toll Free: 1-877-902-2775;
Tel: 1-203-757-4103
A CT Winner of the Make Mine a Million Dollar Business award!
Karen@WorkplaceSuccess.com