I don’t get this. I have a few men at work I’m friendly with. But I wouldn’t ever call it “work spouse.” We used to have lunch (usually with others) pre Covid, will stop and chat, even text occasionally about work stuff or pets or benign things. Never would I ever label this anything other than a “work friend” just like the 5 other females from work I behave the same with.

Anonymous wrote:Don't sh*t where you eat, OP.

This. I'm a straight, married female, and the only work spouse I ever had was a gay man. There's no way I would be comfortable getting that close with a straight man or if my husband did that with a straight female. Other than that I've had close female friends at work, but not work spouses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband had a work spouse. Turns out they were f-ing eachother.

That's not a work spouse. That's an affair. You talk about your affairs to your work spouse...two different people/concepts.

So, my husband always had a work spouse. Always. Until I had an affair. Then never heard another word about work wives. Is it likely that he had a work (emotional or sexual) affair?

If you had an affair, then he probably did too. In fact, I'm sure of it.

My work spouse became my actual spouse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband had a work spouse. Turns out they were f-ing eachother.

That's not a work spouse. That's an affair. You talk about your affairs to your work spouse...two different people/concepts.

So, my husband always had a work spouse. Always. Until I had an affair. Then never heard another word about work wives. Is it likely that he had a work (emotional or sexual) affair?

Anonymous wrote:My husband had a work spouse. Turns out they were f-ing eachother.

That's not a work spouse. That's an affair. You talk about your affairs to your work spouse...two different people/concepts.

My work marriage had a dead bedroom.

My work husband was my boss. It was fun for a couple of years. But I started falling hard for him and taking “bullets” for him at work. I decided to get another job and never got another work husband.

Almost but no.

Yes but we haven’t worked together in 20 yrs. Still work in the same industry. We’re both now divorced. Sex is easy and casual.

“Work spouse” is like “emotional affair” - two made up concepts.

I'm a fed. Have you seen my coworkers? They're all 60+ years old. I think we're only 4 of us in our 40s.

My husband had a work spouse. Turns out they were f-ing eachother.

Anonymous wrote:I too dislike the term “work spouse,” but the few of my colleagues who could be described as a “work husband” were gay men, so no concerns about overstepping.

agreed. I had somebody try to tell me they were my work spouse. No thank you. Not my work spouse. Just a friend. I backed up by about 100 feet after that so there would be no mistaking how close we might actually be.

Anonymous wrote:Agree, the term is inappropriate and already indicates that whoever is using the term feels the need to convey to others that they have a unique relationship with that coworker. Nothing good can come from this.

This.