To ask those who WFH with a partner who also WFH if you have separate offices/spaces?

[HairyHocks]

DH and I have both been WFH for the last year and it's not obvious when either of us will be back in the office.

I've always had my own office in the past, and have struggled not being able to talk to myself, wander about when on the phone, and even just be quiet/still to think.

DH has always been in open plan offices and enjoys the company. He genuinely can't comprehend that I'd like my own space, and he takes it a bit personally.

We have a room that could be turned into a second study without it being a great loss.

Out of interest, how common is it to work in separate rooms?

YABU - partner and I work in the same room without wanting to work separately

YANBU - partner and I work in different rooms of the house (or absolutely would work in a separate room if one was available).

I have a corner of the living room, he has a corner of the kitchen. We filled our spare room with a second baby 10 years ago.

DH in loft conversion room which is student son’s bedroom when he’s at home. I’m in the home office ie little bedroom which we’ve always had as an office. When DS is home DH goes in office and I use dining room table. I have strict rules - door shut means do not disturb as I might be recording lectures. We have had words about husband coming down stairs and blowing nose very loudly (like foghorn) which has meant a ruined lecture recording. Think me going absolutely ballistic. Yes you have sinus issues DH so do it in the loft room with the bloody door shut. When I’m in dining room which leads to kitchen I tell him when he cannot come in so he knows to get coffee etc sorted beforehand. Again, door shut means no entry.
I have been clear on living as I used to when working at home pre- COVID- we do not need to know that the other one is going out for a walk etc. That drove me mad - in the middle of thinking through some research and the door opened for him to tell me he was going for a walk... I stopped that straight away. I just go out when I want just as used to when he was at work. We eat lunch separately as we like different times. I made it clear that I was going to work as though I was at work as far as possible not as though it was the weekend or holiday. I’m sure this has helped me get through it to be honest.

Own rooms at home. It was a key driver in why we bought the home we did as we both like a designated workspace at home.

I am wfh partner works shifts I work in the living room and on his days off he usually just uses the upstairs and comes down if he needs the kitchen

I wish we had enough space to have dedicated wfh areas. DH works in our bedroom and I work in the living room at the dining table. We initially worked in the bedroom together but it only lasted 1 morning. DH works for an American company, with an American boss and he manages an American team so once they came online at 1pm it was game over for our shared office. We are both on the phone on and off all afternoon.

We have three kids (one born in the middle of the first lockdown) in a 2 bed flat. We cannot move because we are moving abroad and have a long wait for a visa interview but it’s an unknown length and we can sign a rental agreement for less than 6 months (plus our 2-3 month notice period). Neither of us have had the vaccine as we are too young but if I had I would go back to the office (key worker national govt working on covid).

Can’t sign*

Separate studies, we're lucky enough to have rooms to do that (though mine is also my bedroom so I spend most of my time in one room which isn't ideal). There is no way we could work in the same space! We've each worked at the kitchen table, at a desk in the sitting room etc. in previous houses to facilitate our own space. It's not a social occasion, it's work!

We work separately. DH takes a lot of calls and I have a lot of meetings, plus we both deal with sensitive information and for different organisations.

YANBU

Other than a 3 month furlough for me, we've both been working from home full time. The plan was for his office to open after the first lockdown eased but this didn't happen due to the subsequent lockdowns. He's been given the green light to WFH for at least another 12 months. I will be WFH for the foreseeable future unless I get another job.

I love him, he's the light of my life and the air that I breathe, etc etc but I swear I would have divorced him/buried him under the patio before now if we had to share an office.

I'm in the spare room and we're lucky we have a secondary living space that he has been able to fit a desk in. Because he's missing the camaraderie of work and the ability to toss ideas back and forth with his workmates, he seeks me out to tell me everything, including rants such as how Don Jones from the engineering department hasn't replied to an email in three weeks but now wants a teams meeting with all the technical managers in the next ten minutes and doesn't he know how busy I am.

I have taken to pretending I am on calls when I hear his tread on the stair between 9-5

We work separately and meet for lunch/visit each other during the day. We both get endless calls/video calls so it wouldn't make sense to share.

I'm a payroll manager and he is an accountant both for different companies so both discussing highly confidential information. So yes important that we have our own work spaces.

But why? Does it really matter if he overhears that Brenda has been paid less by accident this month or if you overhear that Peter has left it too late to file his taxes? No, of course it doesn’t matter - unless one of you hates the other and is going to do something with that information.

I've always worked in open plan offices but there are so many background calls and general noise that I find it easy to block out as a general din. Sharing an office with one other person who spends all their time on the phone is impossible for me. I find it hard not to listen to everything.

DH has the middle room, Son has the dining room and I have the living room. If DS2 is doing some WFH he has a spare room upstairs.

DP is in the loft conversion and I have the box room. I think we'd have split up by now if we were in the same room. I'm currently looking for a job that will take me out of the house as it looks like both of ours are going to be home based for the foreseeable future and quite honestly, I think we're getting sick of the sight of each other!

Separate rooms here. I deal with sensitive information and DH is on calls all the time. Neither of us would survive sharing, I'm very grateful we don't have to. We coordinate lunch together most days and the odd visit for some chat throughout the day.

We couldn’t possibly work in the same room. DH has commandeered the dining room and I have a study in what was once the small bedroom. We are fortunate to have the room to spread out and avoid disturbing each other.

Both - in same room was ready to kill DH (as he kept distracting me + liked singing to himself).

Separate rooms a godsend!
He still comes to up have a chat once in a while

@DrinkFeckArseBrick (great username btw) exactly!
Being the same space with one other person (especially if It’s quite small) makes you hyper aware of everything....

Seperate, we briefly tried being in the same home office when we worked for the same company but it didn't last long!