Balancing work and a relationship is challenging under normal circumstances. But when your working with your wife, that can make balancing things immensely more complicated. Additionally, it can make things even more challenging when you have a role that is higher up than your partner. Even if you’re at the same level career-wise, you might still struggle to navigate your work and romantic relationship.
Don’t worry; even though it doesn’t seem like it, it is common for people to have personal relationships with their co-workers, and it’s easy to understand why. We spend eighty percent of our lives at work, so you will more likely develop deep bonds with your co-workers. Some of these connections can quickly turn into romantic relationships.
A survey showed that 46% of employees have had romantic relationships with co-workers, and roughly a third of that percentage resulted in marriage. Many of these couples continued to have prosperous relationships even after they continued working together while being romantically involved.
Creating that crucial work-life balance and maintaining a thriving relationship with your wife is possible, and we’ll show you how to do it. So continue reading to learn the seven ways to keep your work-life balance when your working with your wife.
Does Work Really Affect Your Relationship That Much?
The short answer is yes but let’s discuss it more. A high percentage of people prioritize work over relationships and themselves, which causes a major rift in their relationships.
As mentioned before, work dominates most of our lives. When you use the remaining free time to do more work, that leaves little time to prioritize what truly matters – your romantic relationship with your partner.
Working with your partner can also negatively affect your romantic relationships, especially with your wife. It’s very easy to fall into the sticky trap that because you see them every day, you don’t need to put in the effort to share quality time.
When you don’t feel that you must spend time with your wife outside of work, the romance can die, and you will notice an array of relationship problems arising. Some of these problems can become major, leading to divorce, which you want to avoid if you love your wife and genuinely want to spend the rest of your life with her.
If relations between the two of you turn sour, it can significantly affect your work-life balance and career if you remain working with one another.
What Are the 7 Ways to Maintain Your Work-Life Balance When Working with Your Wife?
So with all that juggling you have to do, how do you keep a thriving relationship with your wife when she works with you? Here are some of our very best tips for you to consider. If you follow these tips, you’re far more likely to maintain a positive work-life balance with your wife, who happens to be your co-worker.
Talk about and Establish Healthy Boundaries
This is super important. You and your wife need to set clear boundaries when you are at work and when personal discussions need to occur. You will also need to ensure that these boundaries are fair and do not strain your relationship or work life further.
Additionally, boundaries must be discussed regularly, especially when they are subject to change in the future. This will prevent unnecessary fights and arguments during your work and private time. Some of these boundaries could include the following:
- Always keeping in mind your workplace’s formal policy surrounding having romantic relations with a co-worker.
- Stick to a game plan about what you will call one another (for example, if pet names are allowed) and how you will interact with each other.
- Ensure you keep quarrels away from your work dynamic, which can affect job performance and company KPIs.
If you establish boundaries like these as early as possible, it is sure to ensure your relationship will flourish and will benefit you both mentally and romantically in the long run.
Separate Your Time for Work and Your Time for Dating
Another crucial step is to actively set aside time for your partner and your relationship. It may seem like simple and obvious advice, but so many couples that are also co-workers neglect to set time aside because of what seems like higher priorities – namely, work.
So, when you spend time with your wife, all work-related contact is a no-go, and quickly checking an email or making a quick phone call counts as a no-go action. Ultimately, avoid discussing and doing work when you should be seeking to connect and have fun with your wife. Trust us; your relationship will thank you for it. The career will still be there when you inevitably return to your work, so don’t sacrifice your marriage for work.
Additionally, if you run your own business, schedule a couple of events every week and stick to a strict no-work schedule. That way, you can see exactly when you will be able to seize the valuable one-on-one time.
Luckily, this is difficult; it can be as simple as setting aside an hour or two on the weekend or going for a quick coffee after work. However, remember that short dates are only ideal for a while, as the more time you can dedicate, the better.
Ultimately, we know that schedules and prearranged plans weeks in advance can take the sparkle out of the romance, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil.
Make the Most of Your Work Schedule
Here’s the thing; we know you are extremely busy together at work. Sometimes it seems impossible to get a full day or afternoon to spend with your partner. So, why not make the most of those mandatory lunch breaks – we all need to eat, right?
Join your partner on lunch breaks, turn it into a mini date, and get coffee or a quick bite to eat together. This will give you a proper break from the work day while you enjoy each other’s company without other co-workers’ watchful eyes.
This doesn’t need to be a daily occurrence. Still, it will shake things up occasionally when life doesn’t allow for much quality time. Make the most of what you have; you will see that balance is attainable if you know where to look.
Set a Limit on How Long You Each Talk Shop
It’s great to come home and vent to your partner or discuss upcoming projects or promotions, and we are not saying you shouldn’t. Of course, you should be able to communicate with your partner about how you feel.
However, the last thing you should do is have work dominate most of your conversations and leave no time to step into quality conversations with your wife.
Consider setting aside as little as twenty minutes daily to discuss your work experiences. Then shift it to lighter conversations or an activity you can do together.
An example is sharing a glass of wine while you sit outside and admire your backyard or city skyline. Doing this can help ensure that there are no negative spirals caused by work that can sour your personal time together.
A tip to avoid checking the clock is to set a timer on your phone. But when the time expires, remember not to cut your partner off if they are in mid-sentence. Try to use the time limit as a soft boundary that will allow you both to ensure you don’t get consumed by the work talk.
Share Day-To-Day Responsibilities after Work
This is a controversial topic, but gentlemen, it needs to be addressed because this could be fundamental to the smooth sailing of your relationship – which in turn will make things easier to juggle and balance.
Don’t leave all day-to-day responsibilities (washing, ironing, cooking, lunch prep) that arise after work to your lady, who has likely had the same long day you had. Trust us, nothing sours a relationship faster. That’s why splitting up and switching up the day-to-day chores between you both will be the best thing you could do to help maintain a positive work-life balance as co-workers and partners.
See it this way; romance isn’t all flowers and fancy dinner dates; it also comes from supporting your partner and pulling your weight. So get to the drawing board and create a short list of must-do’s that must be done daily and assign clear roles between yourselves.
If you want to earn bonus points, you could even help your wife with one of her chores. Trust us when we say it means much more than you think. Additionally, doing chores together doesn’t have to be a tiresome and joyless experience. You can make it more fun. Set down a cleaning day; throughout the week, you can add clean-up songs to a shared Spotify playlist. When chores are more fun, it will feel like a burden shared is a burden halved.
Make Decisions Together – In And Outside The Workplace
Although some opportunities may be so exciting that saying yes immediately seems like the best move, you must keep in mind that what affects you affects your wife at work and in life. That’s why to ensure you have a happy life at work and home; you should have your partner weigh in on any complex or life-changing opportunities and decisions.
Additionally, don’t be half-hearted in your decision-making. Try to listen and take in what they say; it will show them that you love and respect them and your relationship.
After all, when you get into any relationship, you are no longer just thinking about your interests but your partner’s. This point is crucial to any sustainable relationship. You should want to include your partner in any choice you wish to make, and they should do the same. You never know; perhaps your wife could give you some clear insight that may ultimately change your initial decision.
Make Alone Time
There’s a reason this tip is last on the list: it is one of the critical points that should be on everyone’s list. Especially if you wish to succeed in balancing it all, and it can be divided into two parts.
Personal Alone Time
Whether extroverted or introverted, we all need that downtime to recharge. Even the most solid couples need to separate and decompress. Your alone time is crucial and should be put into your busy schedule so that you can emotionally, physically, and mentally be present for your partner but also for work.
Couples Alone Time
This is different from scheduling a date together. You both need to find a spot where you can silence the fast-paced and noisy world and really find an activity that connects you. An example can be telling each other what you appreciate or love about one another during an evening under the stars.
Both these two parts are especially crucial when you have added responsibilities like children and family time in addition to working together. We all need time to power up and ground ourselves to tackle the future. That is why alone time together is one of the key pillars in helping you make this all work for the better. Even if you feel guilty at first, you will soon realize that it may be the only thing keeping it all together.
A Word of Caution – When Working with Your Wife
So this is the hardest thing for anyone to keep in mind, but it is something that should be practiced every day. You both need to keep your work and personal life entirely separate.
What we mean by this is that if you fight at home, you should never let that impact how you treat or work together while at the office. Likewise, if you have a disagreement at work about work, you should refrain from bringing it home when you’ve already punched out for the day.
Another point to mention is that although it is likely known amongst your co-workers that you both are married to each other, it is vital that you still maintain your privacy and avoid workplace gossip, as this can be detrimental to both your and your wife’s career.
Also, gossip has a nasty way of spoiling any relationship. So any problems you have with one another should always be addressed privately and one-on-one. No third parties are allowed.
Conclusion
Navigating and balancing a relationship and work is extremely difficult. It presents challenges that many couples won’t ever face. If you cannot work together and maintain a healthy work-life balance, seek a relationship specialist to provide more tips to better equip you.
It may seem intimidating, or like you don’t need one. Still, even if your relationship is rock solid, there are always ways you can make things even better, and who wouldn’t want the ultimate relationship? However, our tips should give you a good starting point and help you get a head start on finding a new normal when working with your wife.
Finally, we will end with this: if you can communicate, connect and respect each other in your partnership – whether at work or home, then balancing will be easy for both of you. Remember that a job is replaceable, but your relationship isn’t. So make sure you set it as one of your top priorities.
