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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Husband and female colleague

279 replies

Lovetoread2024 · 20/11/2024 11:59

I am worried about my husbands close friendship with a female colleague and just looking for some perspective.

We have been married 10 years and have a daughter (6) We generally have a good relationship and all get on well.

A new woman started at husbands work about a year ago, they worked very closely together and would occasionally text but he has always been open about the texts, nothing secretive etc. She also is married with children and he says they have bonded over having kids a similar age.

I want him to have good relationships with colleagues but more recently I have been concerned about the nature of their relationship. He took a new role (same company just a different team) but they had a catch up and she got tearful saying she missed him. He told me about it and I thought that was a little odd, I said it sounds like more of an emotional connection than is perhaps healthy and perhaps he should back off.

Anyway turns out they have been meeting for one on one lunches out of the office during work time. I only found out about this as I saw a message on his Teams that popped up saying she was looking forward to seeing him. I asked him about this saying why have you been doing this and why keep it secret if you didn't think it was anything wrong? I said I didn't feel comfortable with him spending time out of the office, going on walks etc just the two of them as this feels like more of a date! I asked how many times had they done this and he said 2 or 3!

He said she was going through a rough time and he was providing some emotional support- that they are both married with kids so nothing would happen and he didn;t mention anything as he knew how I may react!

I am angry and told him I didn't want hi going for one on one 'dates' anymore out of the office. I said hanging out as a group/with others over lunch to catch up is fine (they work in the same place so not realistic to never see each other) but this was clearly becoming something more than colleagues/friends!

Am I being unreasonable/jealous?

OP posts:
Gemmawemma9 · 30/03/2025 14:27

Lovetoread2024 · 30/03/2025 14:04

Yes you’re absolutely right and I shouldn’t have said that. I just would rather he had a meaningless one night stand than all this!! Thanks for keeping me right though

Don’t stress love, I get what you meant.
Have a lovely Mother’s Day 💐

Ruby0707 · 02/06/2025 07:02

Hey OP, how are you? How did things work out for you?

OchreRaven · 23/08/2025 09:34

@Lovetoread2024 how did things work out? Hope you are doing ok x

MasterBeth · 23/08/2025 09:50

Parapaderapa · 20/11/2024 12:18

I used to go out for coffee/lunch with a male colleague 3/4 times a week, often drinks after work. We became good friends, still keep in contact, went to each other’s weddings, have been on holiday together. Never has there been any attraction from either side. There’s been a few male colleagues I’ve done this with over the years (not many women in my line of work!). It’s never been an issue for me and my husband has never been bothered by it. But, this is usual for me to have male friends, if your husband is one of those types who doesn’t have female friends and possibly only see women as a potential romantic interest then this might not be the same for your situation.

I generally think these threads veer too heavily towards the inevitably of an emotional or physical affair. Sometimes it's just a friendship.

However, this kind of sentence also always makes me laugh:

Never has there been any attraction from either side

How on earth do you know that? He may be deeply attracted to you! I've read lots of stories on here where long-standing male friends eventually reveal their desires after many years of "purely platonic" friendship. You just don't know!

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