'Work wife/husband'

[chestylarue52]

The phrase makes me cringe but I'm not sure why.

For those of you who have a 'work wife' or 'husband' (DWW/H?!) - what do you do for each other?

[Nocabbageinmyeye]

I heard it once on an episode of King of Queens but never ever in real life

[MrsLucyEmerson]

I travel a lot for work and am close friends with a man who often takes the same trips as me. We have breakfast together at hotels, we try to be on the same flights, we go for dinner together if there is no official work function planned.

We get on extremely well and often I post photos of us in exotic and not so exotic places that our work had taken us to.

I joke that he is my work husband and we talk about ´going on a mini- break / city-break" together although the trail tu is lots of meetings and interminable powerpoints.

He has a wicked sense of humour so long flights and voting meetings are made tolerable.

He is gay and happily married. I am straight and happily married. The expression is just a bit of fun to provide levity on dire work trips.

[ineedamoreadultieradult]

Yes it's awful. Loads of people use it where I work. They will go on breaks/lunch together, help each other with work even if they are not meant to in the company structure i.e work in different departments, email each other through the day about in work related stuff and generally bitch about other people to each other.

[PastysPrincess]

I had a boss that used to call me his work wife because I would nag at him at much as his actual wife.

[Snoopysimaginaryfriend]

I've had that phrase used about men at work and myself numerous times. I'm a police officer and there were a couple of men I was posted with on a regular basis because we were the only ones who were taser trained. They became my 'work husbands'. It was just a bit of a laugh. My real life husband actually worked on the same team and would use the phrase.

[MyCalmX]

I hate it too and would be annoyed if someone described me as their work wife.

The saying started as not a compliment, it was you nag/do everything for me/I have to do everything for you etc.

What's so wrong with calling your colleague a friend Mrs

[BeingATwatItsABingThing]

Meh. Doesn't bother me.

Working in a school, I have a partner teacher. We plan together and do lots of work together. Wouldn't call her my work wife though. Hasn't occurred to me to. Next year I'll be working with a male teacher. Still won't be calling him my work husband.

[MrsLucyEmerson]

Nowt wrong with calling him a friend! The work husband is tongue in cheek. That's all.

[statetrooperstacey]

I have one of these. We work together just the 2 of us every shift.
I know all about his physical ailments, his kids football matches. His family, his new bed, his car service, how much his mortgage is, what he is having for tea, his shoe size, everything really, and he knows most of the minutiae of my life. Don't mind the phrase myself.

[MrsLucyEmerson]

state
Me neither!

My work husband likes early nights so if there are work dinners, I cover for him when he wants to sneak back to the hotel. He doesn't have to tell me, I just know that at 10.15, he will want to be off and I'll make an excuse for him. He'll save me a seat and pick up coffee for me in the morning because I am not a morning person.

Yes, it's all a little childish and high school but then so is corporate life.

And our relationship is somehow more intimate than any other work friendship.

Not sure why it bothers anyone else.

[MsHopey]

My DH kept calling someone his "work wife", just because she does him favours and fancies him.
I told him she's allowed to be called the work mistress because I'm the only wife he's got.

[BigDamnHero]

I tease DH about his 'work wife' but I mean his (male) boss. I believe DH's boss's GF also refers to them as a work couple...and she works in the same place!

[Herewegogo]

I had a "work husband" in my previous job, hadn't really given it too much thought!

[MrsLucyEmerson]

It's a lighthearted thing that makes boring work bearable. It might be a cringy expression but it does suggest a different type of relationship than work friends.

[zeebeedee]

I've had 2 'work husbands' - in both cases circumstances dictated that he and I were taking out one or two teens/children, to places where the cheapest entry was a family ticket (and all our relative ages, made this look realistic to others) It just became a bit of an in joke - one of them did accidentally call me by his real wife's name; when I asked if this was because I was always tidying up behind him and reminding where he needed to be he agreed!!

[zeebeedee]

Also have had a 'work son' - a teenage apprentice, who needed quite a lot of support, and used to come and sit in my office when he was worried about things.....