If you WFH, how much do you interact with your spouse during the work day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All day. I work up in the converted attic. He works on the main level. But, he makes my latte and oatmeal and we split up morning school runs for our MS and HS kids.

We workout together mid-morning. Sometimes a quickie somewhere in the work day.

We might hit Whole Foods together after the workout one day a week for groceries.

Afternoon everyone is home. Dinners together--alternate who makes it. Kids different sports team runs. Couch at 9pm to watch Netflix.

I have been WAH since 2005, but husband never was (just one day every other week) until Covid and he's been full-time WAH since then. He used to have long hours and it would just be by text. IF he worked out--he had to do after the day was over and would get home after dinner. This has been so much better for our marriage and we both really are loving it.

He has been offered pretty crazy $ to take on a new role but it would require a lot of stress and possibly less at home, if at all. At 50, we are thinking time is now more important. His prior schedule did a number on our marriage since he was out of the house so much and got home so late in the evenings.

This sounds so great!

It is. It has done wonders for our marriage and personal happiness. I was doing the full brunt of kid duties and household stuff prior. I have essentially 'retired' from it somewhat and my husband has really leaned in. We have 4.5 years until empty nest and he's making up for lost time. Seeing what I was handling for so many years on top of my regular 9-5, has really made him even more thankful and appreciative.

[Anonymous]

Every day I take a morning break and visit him in his office, and we do lunch together. Sometimes we'll do all afternoon together (yes, *that* too) as well if it's a slow day. It's nice!

[Anonymous]

Try to fit in a quickie in the morning, coordinate a break for gym or walk together 2-3 days a week, and otherwise only bother for important issue. WFH can be great for couples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Title says it all, but do you spend time together during the day? Like lunch or on short work breaks?

I like to hang out with DH on my short breaks and at lunch, but he would prefer to work straight through with zero interruptions. Kind of feel like that defeats the purpose? We also have three kids. Since I only work PT, he expects me to keep them entertained and away from his office until 6.

This doesn't sound abnormal to me at all, aside from the occasional mid-day bumping uglies break from time to time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try to fit in a quickie in the morning, coordinate a break for gym or walk together 2-3 days a week, and otherwise only bother for important issue. WFH can be great for couples.

this would be perfect

[Anonymous]

We eat lunch together every day - just casually at the kitchen island. But its no big deal if someone has other lunch plans or has to eat early or late because of a meeting. We will also chat several times throughout the day. I work on the main floor so every time DH comes downstairs from his office I'm there so its hard not to chat. And we do try to make some time for adult activities on days where we're not that busy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The purpose? The purpose of WFH is to… work.

OP didn’t say that she expects to spend the entire day with him.

OP: DH and I both work from home. We sometimes eat lunch together if our lunch breaks overlap. Other times, he’ll come into my office just to say hi (and vice versa). But generally we don’t interact too much in person. We do exchange texts and whatnot.

This is us although we try to schedule our lunches together every day because it's nice to have meals without the kids.

My office has french doors so if he comes down he can see if I'm on a call or working hard on something. His office has solid doors but he usually leaves them open because he's in a quieter part of the house so I can peek in and see if he's busy. But generally we leave each other alone except for lunch. Sometimes we will take a walk together.

[Anonymous]

We don’t interact at all except for a quick chat while we prep lunch and head back to our desks. Our preschool still has “covid hours” and so we don’t have time for lunch or breaks. One of us has to start at 9:15 due to the start time and one of us has to leave at 4pm to pick up.

[Anonymous]

Everyone is different, but how can you keep the kids away while you’re working part time? I hope you’ve both figured out a division of labor that doesn’t leave you feeling resentful.

DH likes to hang out so we spend lots of time together during the day. I thought I’d struggle with him home all the time but I hate it when he goes to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t interact at all except for a quick chat while we prep lunch and head back to our desks. Our preschool still has “covid hours” and so we don’t have time for lunch or breaks. One of us has to start at 9:15 due to the start time and one of us has to leave at 4pm to pick up.

Both of us are on the phone / in meetings 5-6 hours a day. All these people eating lunch, working out, running errands - how many hours a week do you work? What are your hours?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t interact at all except for a quick chat while we prep lunch and head back to our desks. Our preschool still has “covid hours” and so we don’t have time for lunch or breaks. One of us has to start at 9:15 due to the start time and one of us has to leave at 4pm to pick up.

Both of us are on the phone / in meetings 5-6 hours a day. All these people eating lunch, working out, running errands - how many hours a week do you work? What are your hours?

One of the PP here. We just go for a quick run, walk the dog or have sex, which is 15 min max for us. I know, everyone in dcum has tantric, hour long sex. I work 40 hours, anytime from 5 AM to midnight. H works for an international company, around 70 hours and his hours are weird, he can have meetings at 6 am. We don't really eat lunch and never run errands. We're both senior enough that we can take a break in the middle of the day.

[Anonymous]

How do dual WFH all have so much time to hang out?

Kids are in school only 6 hrs, and if they span enough grades you can have an elem leaving at 9am and middle school home by 2:30pm. We can work before and after that but the house does get more chaotic when they are home, so those 5 hours need to be focused on work not gym and quickies.

Or maybe it’s only people with high school students and long tenure in their jobs — so you can kind of coast at work and kid will be after school activies and take the late bus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do dual WFH all have so much time to hang out?

Kids are in school only 6 hrs, and if they span enough grades you can have an elem leaving at 9am and middle school home by 2:30pm. We can work before and after that but the house does get more chaotic when they are home, so those 5 hours need to be focused on work not gym and quickies.

Or maybe it’s only people with high school students and long tenure in their jobs — so you can kind of coast at work and kid will be after school activies and take the late bus?

You sound envious. Some of us make our own schedules because we are senior enough and yes, our kids are older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t interact at all except for a quick chat while we prep lunch and head back to our desks. Our preschool still has “covid hours” and so we don’t have time for lunch or breaks. One of us has to start at 9:15 due to the start time and one of us has to leave at 4pm to pick up.

Both of us are on the phone / in meetings 5-6 hours a day. All these people eating lunch, working out, running errands - how many hours a week do you work? What are your hours?

One of the PP here. We just go for a quick run, walk the dog or have sex, which is 15 min max for us. I know, everyone in dcum has tantric, hour long sex. I work 40 hours, anytime from 5 AM to midnight. H works for an international company, around 70 hours and his hours are weird, he can have meetings at 6 am. We don't really eat lunch and never run errands. We're both senior enough that we can take a break in the middle of the day.

baloney

[Anonymous]

We eat lunch together and sometimes go for a short walk in late afternoon during a break, much like I would do when I went into the office.