‘Work wife’

[ScottishShortie]

Just interested? Who would be perfectly happy if their OH got one of these on the 14th? 😂 #WorkWifeValentine?

YABU - perfectly fine, nothing to see here
YANBU - wtf?! You’d be having words…

I wouldn't be at all happy. While I trust my husband I'd be thinking that the "work wife" wanted more.

DH used to have a work wife, she was a groomswoman at our wedding. I wouldn't have loved the card though, and I doubt her husband would have either!

I have a work husband. My crewmate who I spend most shifts with in an ambulance. We have an ‘old married couple’ vibe in that we bicker, take the mick out of each other, know each other inside out and work through/experience a lot of weird, traumatic and funny stuff together.

I am single but not attracted to him in the slightest. He has a wife. It helps that I met her early on, am now also friends with her and she has no jealousy or hang ups about it. She understands the dynamic that develops between regular crew mates in careers like ours. I socialise with both of them. Even his parents (who I have also met) call me his work wife.

I wouldn’t send him this card though. If I ever was going to send him one it would be one that takes the absolute mick out of him and be treated as a joke.

I had a colleague that used to call me his work wife, really because we argued about everything one minute then would be working closely on something else the next. We got on brilliantly really and our arguments would be quite comical.
His actual wife didn't mind one bit. She worked there too and was a good friend of mine so she got it. Might have been weird if she didn't know me though.

Then we have the question as to whether the 'work wife/husband' is actually considered to be married to work - in the same way that people object to the term 'housewife'!

I wouldn't buy one but it is quite funny. Wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

No way would I like this at all, in fact it would erode our marriage significantly. I've been with DH for 15 years, and I trust him implicitly, but my first H cheated on me a lot, and the wounds are still there. Honestly, if my DH came home with this on Valentine's day, there would be no Valentine's evening between him and I, I just know that I would immediately withdraw and wouldn't even be able to talk to him. Luckily, he isn't a TWAT, and if a woman at work gave him this, it would be thrown in the trash and never mentioned. Why bring it home? Why risk upsetting your wife? To make her feel on shaky ground? Some men really don't help themselves.

I think it’s blurring the lines between professional life and personal by making it a valentine card - happy bday work wife is fine- sending it on lovers day is only ok if both sides are single

It would be really inappropriate for people who are in relationships of course.

I used to have a work husband... we don't call each other that now that we're both in relationships. We're still good friends though. He's also gay so...

When I see some of the cards on sale - especially some of the ones available from online card shops - it does make me wonder exactly what kind of person would decide to give them, and what their motivation might be.

I'm all for a genuinely funny/cheeky card given to somebody who you know will appreciate it, but some of them are so crass and grossly offensive - they're like a leaked transcript from Chubby Brown's dressing room. Many are often potentially bullying; maybe designed to make the recipient feel very uneasy, but feel they must be seen to be 'a good sport' and so suppress their disappointment or upset when opening it in front of everybody.

Also, whilst they're not offensive at all (except maybe to good taste!), WHO in 2024 is STILL buying all the Del Boy cards they persist in stocking in shops, with the highly-original, highly-hilarious concept of wishing somebody a 'triffic' or 'cushty' birthday?!

I'm firmly in the camp of 'men and women can be friends' but would not like this. I don't really like the term 'work wife / husband' either - though maybe that is a generational thing.

But a card covered with hearts on Valentine's Day is way overstepping the mark. Unless there is a reason to know their relationship will never be sexual, such as she is a gold star lesbian or 45 years older than him, I would be suspicious that the card is her testing the water to see if he wants things to go further.

The absolute only situations where I think this is ok:
Sent by a woman to a man where one or both is gay
From a real life spouse who is also a co-worker
From a heterosexual man to a heterosexual man as an in-joke about how they are such good work buddies

Anyone who refers to their 'work wife' or 'work husband', is utterly cringe.

If my husband was the type of person to send someone this card as a joke, I wouldn't be with him. Not because I'm remotely jealous, but because it would give me the ick and we definitely would not share the same sense of humour!

Also, whilst they're not offensive at all (except maybe to good taste!), WHO in 2024 is STILL buying all the Del Boy cards they persist in stocking in shops, with the highly-original, highly-hilarious concept of wishing somebody a 'triffic' or 'cushty' birthday?!

🤣🤣🤣 I often wonder this!!

Oh gosh, I can think of so many people who could send/rec that both male and female versions 🤭

Can’t see it happening to me and it’s a cheeky premise 😬

Yeah, if my colleague and I sent each other one it would be fine. We are both women who are married to men.
Hereosexual opposite sex colleagues etc not ok. Or gay same sex.

I'm the work wife to my boss

I wouldn't sleep with him if he was the only man left and the future of the human race depended on it

What on earth is a work husband? Sounds bonkers.

Exactly, or both single.

Otherwise very weird and overstepping.

I hate the work wife, or even the female "wifie" friend term. It's the whole a nagging woman organising lunch and reminding you of what is in your diary connotation for me. If you want a PA, pay for one.

I agree with this and hate the term work wife/husband.

If my DH got sent this I wouldn't think he was having an affair, but I would think his works culture was misogynistic and question why he was ok with that.

I don't care about the term 'work husband/wife', although I also don't really know anyone who actually says it in real life.

My guess is that the target market for these cards is single people at work who actually do fancy each other. But if my partner received this card from a female colleague, he would definitely be both baffled and slightly scared. We'd both be cringing at how desperate/OTT the colleague was, I think.

I actually work at the same place as my partner, which would add an extra level of cringe because I'd know the colleague who sent it to him.