Throughout my working life, I’ve always had a “work wife” or “husband” who I spent all of my time with at the office. When I worked in the creative department of an ad agency, everyone worked in pairs. Art directors were paired with copywriters and the teams did everything together. We sat next to each other, attended all meetings together, got lunch together and traveled together.
I think often we take these relationships for granted because they are part of office life, but these people end up becoming really meaningful to us. My various “work spouses” throughout the years knew just as much about me (if not more) as my closest friends.
When I started working on my blog full time, it was a solo operation, and one of the things I missed was being around people at work. The best thing that happened to me was meeting Seri, who decided to share an office with me.
Since then, both our businesses have expanded and we left for separate offices at the end of last year.
When KISSES DELUXE Chocolates asked me to #SayMore to a few people for Valentine’s Day, I decided to honor a few of the women I work with, by throwing a “work wife” inspired brunch smack dab in the middle of the work day.
These women don’t all work for me, but they have all played some part in helping me build Mommy Shorts, including of course, Seri (aka Little Miss Party) who put together the entire affair, as she does with every event I’ve been tasked with over the past few years.
On the guest list was Pam (my right hand person since December), Abby (Seri’s assistant who helps me out pretty regularly), Cara (who helps me manage brand partnerships), Andrea (a new contributor to the site) and Danielle, the amazing “Best Case Scenario” photographer who I hope to work with again.
I also invited our longtime nanny Ruth, who has helped me out at work more than anyone else, because I would not be able to leave home to do my job if there wasn’t someone I trusted back at home with my kids.
I wish I could have invited Annie, last summer’s intern who has continued working for me remotely, but she’s away at college.
I see and talk to these ladies almost daily, but life in the blogging world is a lot more fast paced than you might imagine, and it is not often I grab lunch, let alone take the time to sit down with everyone and thank them for supporting and believing in me.
Over heart-shaped frittatas and pink salmon toasts prepared by Chef Sue, I tried to let all these amazing women know how much they mean to me.
We drank mid-day cocktails and toasted the fact that our current jobs allow us to have brunch on a Wednesday at 11am, instead of sitting in cubicles at huge companies like most of us were doing just a few years ago.
I wrote each person a little love note and though I won’t tell you exactly what they said, I will tell you that my handwriting has become totally embarrassing. The handwritten note is truly a lost art.
I hope the KISSES DELUXE chocolates everyone got to take as a gift on the way out more than made up for it.
And if not that, then the champagne.
GIVEAWAY:
I’ve given out over twenty boxes of KISSES DELUXE Chocolates to readers over the past few months and today I am giving away ten more, along with a $250 gift card.
KISSES DELUXE Chocolates are twice the size of a regular Kiss and filled with rich creamy chocolate with a roasted hazelnut at its center. They come in special heart-shaped boxes for Valentine’s Day and are the perfect way to say a little bit more to someone who is special to you.
To enter, you must be a Mommy Shorts subscriber. Then tell me about your work wife or work husband to win.
I’ll be giving away the $250 Amex gift card and six boxes in the comments below and four additional boxes on Instagram, for a total of 10 winners.
I will announce all the winners on Valentine’s Day.
Good luck!
Winner Update:
Congrats to Jessica C, Ess, Courtney, Avery, Mellissa, Lisa Dickson and @yvecheng, @ereef, @jess8589, @baballance! Please contact pam@mommyshorts.com to claim your prize.
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This post is sponsored by Hershey’s KISSES DELUXE chocolates, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’m lucky because at my current agency I have both a work husband and wife (plural marriage?), since we rotate partners on different projects. So shout out to my work husband, Doug, who art directed our Christmas card this year, and my work wife, Ariel, who is also my partner in planticide (RIP, El Jefe and Bonita II).
I work from home so I don’t have a formal work husband but I do have a co-worker I instant message throughout the day to discuss not just work but also things like “Did you watch Larry David on SNL this weekend??”
ugh i had the best work husband a few years back, and since then we’ve both transferred to different locations, but i definitely miss having someone to share all the mundane things that happen throughout the day with. significant others and friends can never 100% grasp what the heck you do all day at work
My work wife and I have a non traditional arrangement, being that neither of us is actually gainfully employed (at least not at jobs that provide a pay check!) and we aren’t employeed by the same “company” (aka family)- we are both stay at home moms. If there is something you need to learn early on in the stay at home mom game, it’s that in order to preserve a shred of sanity you better find someone to join you in the trenches. Between us we have five under five and if we didn’t have each for support (and to vent to!) and what amounts to co-parenting at every zoo, park, and playground excursion I would probably lose my mind some(most) days.
I have both a work husband and a work wife. They are my sanity savers. We’ve worked together for over 13 years now and have kids similar ages. It really does make work easier when you have wonderful friends to make the day pass more quickly. We talk about everything from funny tv to our kids and their latest antics.
I am lucky (sometimes) to be a stay at home mom, but I have many close friends who are also home with their kids and I would truly not survive this journey without their moral support and spontaneous play dates!
Just started a new job, but at my last one my work wife was amazing. We worked in different departments but shard an office together. We were in sync with one another. We eat lunch together almost every day (when schedule allows) and took walks together when the weather was nice. We talked everything from work to family. When I had my son, she was a huge help. Always had the best advice and fun stories from when her son was born.
Ahh- I work from home 90% of the time and the other 10% its just my boss and I in the whole office so I would suppose she would have to be it!
I work from home, so I don’t have one!! However, I have remote co workers whom I message. I know everything about their kids and pets. On occasion we’ll get together for a meeting in person.This is always at one of our home offices, and formal attire is never required. In fact, if the host is in track pants… that’s a ok.
I hear you on the handwriting. I spend so much time on the computer, that mine is ATROCIOUS! It used to be so nice.
Sigh. It was a NY resolution to fix that. I haven’t yet.
My work wife is awesome. We do not actually share any work but she is in the same department as me and I know I can go to her with anything. She helps me when I have questions about something I am doing for work as well as in my personal life.
This may be cheating, but my work husband is my real husband. We’ve worked at the same company for 6 years. We work at separate buildings right down the street from each other but carpool to and from work and take lunches together. This has it’s pros and cons. Pros: Save on gas, get time alone without our son, run errands together at lunch so we don’t have to do it on the weekend, we can talk about work and know what the other person is actually talking about. Cons: there is such a thing as too much time together, half of our fights start in the car on the way to work when I’m still sleepy and crabby. Overall I think I’d really miss him if one of us moved to a different company though.
I have a great boss who I’ve worked with previously. She makes it easy to leave my kids and come to work everyday. Plus, she makes sure we are stocked with Hershey’s Kisses!
I’ve had the same work wife for 10 years. Even though we are in different departments now, we still have that bond. It’s important to have that one friend you may not even see outside of the office, but that knows by looking at you that you’re having a rough day and need to talk a walk. If I win the kisses, they are hers 🙂
How lucky am I to have 7 work wife and one work hubby ? Lol
I work at a woman retail shop therefore, most of my associates are ladies and one handsome stock guy. My everyday life wouldn’t be as much fun if they weren’t part of it. Their unique personalities inspire me every day and just makes working for my company so much fun. Out side of work we try to do things but it’s not always easy . Just this past Sunday one of my manager and I were able to be off and be part of the Super Bowl Polar Bear Plunge where this year I broke my own record in donations for the Wish Foundation . It had be awesome to win this and share it with them
My work wife varies, but Allison and Jill are my favorites- they get me and my work efforts. It is awesome to have a few people at work who understand you and will listen to your gripes about work without judging!
As a grad student I don’t have the privilege of having a work spouse, but am grateful for the MANY people who are there to help me keep my sanity as a mom/full time student/intern.
That being said- I actually think that valentine’s day would be a great time for work spouses to reach out to actual spouses to thank them for sharing their relationships! (Would that mean double the candy and presents for some? Well…so be it…)
My work husband is a single 26 year old guy. Since I have two young children, I regularly rely on him to finish things up so that I can go pick up the kids from school. He is AMAZING. He never minds and even offers to take care of things if I need to pick up a sick kid. He also took on about 70% of my job when I was out on maternity leave.
I don’t really work with anyone day to day. I have my 8-5 job out on a horse ranch where I work for a horse vet that is always on the road so I’m here by myself all day. But thank so him I am able to come and go as I please to be with my kids when needed I also get to bring my kids to work with me anytime I need to. Both my kids came to work with me daily till they were 6 months old. I couldn’t ask for a better boss for that. Not to mention I never actually see anyone out here so I can dress how ever I want shorts and flip flops are nice in this Texas heat.
My work wife is probably my boss, as weird as that is. We pretty much share a brain, and through a challenging year, she’s been the reason I’ve stuck it out!
My work wife is awesome. She’s about 15 years older than me with two daughters the same age difference as mine. Only hers are 20 and 23 and mine are 5 and 2. We talk about just about everything from work to personal stuff. (Like right now we are texting while she’s on her family ski vacation where she can’t ski because she went and broke her leg last week!) We used to have to travel a lot together and we spent a lot of time sampling martinis at local restaurants. It was so much fun! She even came to my wedding. Her husband is awesome too. So shout out to Denise! She keeps me grounded at work and makes me laugh everyday!
My work wife would be one of my co-workers. She is not only someone I work with on a daily basis but she has become a dear friend through the years. She is a true team player and someone I can depend on for just about anything. I share everything with her and she knows just as much about me as my family.
My work wife is my coffee buddy. We also get to chat about both being women, minorities, and the younger employees in our male-, Caucasian-dominated workplace. I’d love to share chocolates with her. And we can eat out using the Amex card.
My work wifey and I met 10 years ago when she transferred from Houston to SoCal. We were inseparable. Then management decided to split us up and I went to a different site 🙁 But last year management changed again and now all the Finance people sit together, so wifey and I are back together!
I’m lucky enough to have two work husbands who I am more than confident in leaving in charge when I skip out on maternity leave in March.
I have TWO work wives at the school I work at. They are named Colleen and Ruth Ann, and I love them both! It is so nice to have great friends at work that will listen when I need to vent or share a funny story. Both gals are excellent teachers, whom I can lean on for guidance or advice.
Cheers- xoxo
S
I have a “work husband” who I get to stay at home and work with! Lol!! Idk if this counts but my hubby and I and are both work from home parents, so we get to spend all day at home and working. I take care of the kid stuff and he does my numbers work (numbers have never been my friends, lol). In the beginning it was challenging, but now I wouldn’t trade it for the world!!
I’ve had the same work husband for two years now. Friends since college, we ended up working for the same firm years down the line. From lunch breaks to coffee breaks, work wouldn’t be the same without him!
While I work from home most of the time and my ‘work wife’ is halfway across the country, daily instant message conversations, texts, phone calls, and emails allow us to complain about the annoying projects we’re working on and the annoying conference calls we’re sitting on!
I’ve had several really awesome work husbands – I miss them terribly now that I’m a stay at home mom!!! We used to hang out outside of work all the time in our 20s but now that everyone is married with kids that doesn’t happen much anymore. 🙁
My work wife and I have been “together” for 5 years. We’ve been through crazy co-workers, an insane/drunk boss, marriage, babies and a ton of fun! She is a great friend, neighbor and co-worker. She is part of my life away from the office too. My kids love her just as much as she loves them. I’m lucky she is a part of our lives.
I have a couple of work wives whom without, I think I might die of boredom! I am so thankful for their friendships and fun they add to the office.
I have the BEST work husband. He listens to me talk about babies, breastfeeding, my husband and other coworkers. He also backs me up when needed and always notices when I get my hair done or have a new outfit. I don’t know why I’d do without him and I’m glad he’s so open to listening to my stories boring or not!
I’m a stay at home mom, so I don’t have a work spouse in the traditional sense, but my friend Allie (a fellow stay at home mama) is pretty close! She lives less than ten minutes away, and we are at each others’ houses with and without kids several times a week!
mine would be my friend beck. xx
I’m a stay at home mom so my work wives are actually two other moms I met at an aqua class while pregnant. We have kids in similar ages and they are both awesome mom’s. But what I love about them is their totally irreverent humor, ability to burst out laughing at the toughest of days and just general in the trenches camaraderie 🙂
I work from home… but my “work wife” is my team member Sarah. We take breaks at the same time, and even when we need to work late, we work together. Ofcourse when one is out of the office, the other backs up. I am very thankful to have such good “work-wife” in my life.
I’ve been with my WW for about a year and a half and am lucky enough that she is also my mentor! We work closely together on projects through out the week and she is teaching me more than I ever even knew to guess at about project management, client management, and Excel. I’m truly fortunate to have her in my life!
I no longer work with my work wife but over the past 3 years since we’ve been apart we still talked via email just as much as when we were working together and made it a point to have lunch at least once a week. I just recently moved out of town and miss her so much!
I’m a stay at home mom, so I don’t have an actual work wife or husband. However, while at the park last summer, I met another mom and we just clicked. We both have 2 boys that are the same ages. We are always together whether with kids or for girl time. It’s amazing how much we have in common. She’s been a sanity saver.
My current work wife is Becca, a super funny 20-something who helps this 30-something mom feel young and “with it” even if I don’t know what she’s talking about sometimes. She really makes the day more fun for everyone who is blessed to work with her.
My work wife is the person I spend the most time with outside of the house, listens to me vent, encourages me and, best of all, we have a deal where she gets to come over and watch the latest Disney movies with my kids while my husband and I sneak in a date.
Oh, how I miss my work husband. When I was employed in an office full time I would visit with my work husband daily to make sure that both of us were making progress on our projects and also checked each others work for mistakes. It was a very technical job, and we were both early in our careers so it was invaluable to have someone to look over your work before presenting it to a meeting room full of experienced engineers. Now I’m SAHM full time, and nobody checks to make sure I’m not screwing things up!
My work wife became my best friend and no one would have predicted it. She is almost 10 years older than I am but we connected on so many different levels. We do a hard job, making decisions about child safety every day so I’m so grateful to have her support in the work and as a woman in the workplace. We always have each other’s backs and it is a fabulous feeling.
My work wife and I commute to the city via the LIE. We text each other a real live traffic report so whoever leaves their house first warns the other ahead of time “avoid the tunnel! It’s a disaster!” Then when we’re at work we have a 5 minute convo about what traffic debacle occurred, causing the delay.
As a grad student, I teach in addition to taking classes. My work wife and I are assistants for the same class. We discuss lesson plans, activities, grading questions, and student progress and problems. We are each other’s first resource and first line of defense when hiccups occur. She’s also the one who keeps me sane when things start to get nutty between teaching and my own coursework.
We both don’t work there anymore, but my work husband and I were so close. We worked in a fast paced restaurant side by side and had our breaks together, end of shift drinks etc. He knew what I was thinking before hand and I’ve never had someone I worked so well with, people thought we were cousins & went along with it for years! my actual husband worked there as well and us 3 are really close. No longer there he still comes over for breakfast sometimes and we go out! I love him! He’s become one of my best friends.
My work wife and I share an office but work in different (but similar) sections. We frequently end up chatting when we should be working. We were randomly assigned as officemates when I started here 7 years ago but quickly discovered we are both twins, met our husbands in similar ways, and literally lived an alley way apart (until we both moved 2 years ago). We both have small kids and it’s so nice to have someone to chat with that understands the mundane nature of our job.
I have a wonderful work wife. She is actually my sorority sister from college and I got her a job at my company in 2009 as a receptionist. She stated for 2 years left for 6 months and then came back. I work in human resources and she is actually our budget analyst, but when the company downsized we were both left and they have us sharing an office. We have children that are exactly a year and 2 days apart and we love catching up with each other throughout the week and even on the weekend. I could not have asked for a better work partner because even though we don’t always do the same job we can still help each other out.
I had the best work wife when my friend and I taught fifth grade on the same team. We supported each other in our professional and personal lives 100%. We vented about coworkers, students, our husbands, and our own kids, while at the same time celebrating each others’ successes and milestones. After we both moved to other schools, my daughter was lucky enough to have her as a teacher 7 years later and I was able to be her room mom!
My work wife helped me get my job here at our large state University. She works on the West Bank and I work on the East Bank, so we usually IM each other all day long, and not just about work stuff either! It’s my least favorite day of the week when she is out of the office and my day just drags on somehow!
I used to have 2 work wifes – but one moved to an upper management position at my company and we no longer have that work relationship – altho our outside work relationship has stayed in tact! The remaining work wife is still with me – she makes coming to work every day a little easier. We have close friends outside of work but I think we probably know just as much about each other if not more than those people. We talk throughout the day, lunch together go to meetings together. When she’s on vacation it’s sure a boring place to be! Grateful I have her to get thru my day (altho I do enjoy the company I work for – she makes it that much better).
My WW is rarely on a project with me, but we still bounce ideas off each other, talk about kids, life, husbands, etc and help each other stay balanced. It is great to have someone around NOT on your project who still understands what is going on… it helps us all stay sane.
I am an office manager/ case manager/ bookkeeper for a criminal defense law firm. Jeanne is my work wife (pronounced Jean). Not jean-anne, not jeannie, Not Ja-nene. Just Jeanne and she is awesome. When her predecessor left about 2 years ago, I was devastated. We’d worked together for years and we were a well oiled machine. Alas, she wanted to move back home to Scotland and I was supportive. But it took forever to find someone to replace her. I thought it would be impossible. We interviewed So. Many. Nos. No, that won’t work, No, she’s not a personality fit. No, her politics are wrong (which matters in criminal defense). No, his skin is too thin. Etc. The work we do is hard and complicated and heart wrenching and overwhelming. And the work we do is inspiring and important and always life changing. And then we found Jeanne. She has proven to be more the perfect fit than I thought possible. We are a great team and I could not get through the day without her. We are friends and co-workers. We support each other and teach each other and vent to each other . Our clients and our attorneys are best served with us working seamlessly together. So grateful for her!
I am a work “Mom” to 4 men, if I was their “work wife” I’d be quite a cougar! Employed as their secretary, I hardly see them and they never call lol. Since they travel weekly, I spend most of my time behind a computer in my home office booking their travel, air, hotels, cars, calls and dinners. Running budget reports and keeping their ass out of the frying pan with our compliance department. They always call me their team mates and count on me to keep them in line. I count on being spoiled with dinners and jewelry when they occasionally show up at the office on a Friday. We usually bring the real husband when we go out too. So plural marriage lol?
I am fortunate enough to have TWO work wives! They don’t work in the same group as I do but we have similar job responsibilities . All three of us are working moms and it’s really nice to share the struggles/joys of parenting with these two women. I can always count on them to listen when I have something to vent about and they do the same thing with me. It’s so nice to have co-workers that I also consider friends! 🙂
I am a stay at home mom, so I guess the closest I have to a work wife are the fellow stay at home moms I see everyday in the school drop off/pick up line. There is nothing better than playdates where the kids play nicely and we get to chat over mimosas and compare notes on the joys and horrors of being home with kids all day! They help me keep my sanity by showing I am not alone in the mixed blessings of our jobs!
I just changed jobs this summer, and I miss my “work besties.” I suppose I had one wife that I would gossip with, and my last couple weeks there, we had lunch together everyday. I miss her terribly and have made her my real life friend. My work husband also left our company and as fate would have it now works down the street from me.
My work wife’s and I have been working together for the past five years but became closer when my husband had to go on a month long business trip out of the country. She moved in with me and my then 3 year old and helped me out in more ways than I thought possible (I really thought about sending my husband back and keeping her) She keeps me sane each and every day at work.
I recently left the workplace when my two month old daughter was born. However, while I had a job, my work “wife” was my friend Missy. Other departments started to take notice of how often we would chit-chat, but how can it be helped when there are weddings and babies to talk about! With 75% of the office team traveling internationally most of the time, I don’t know how I would have made it through the week without her!
My work husband is actually my husband. However, we actually don’t see each other as often as most people believe we would.
I have been blessed with work wives over the course of my career. Now, the person I consider my work wife actually works in a mill over 200 miles away! However, we partner together on most every project that comes across our desks, we travel together whenever there’s a work event, and we talk on a daily basis. I don’t know how I could function without her!
I work for a large company but am lucky enough to work from home some of the time and have a flexible schedule. I have a coworker who just came back from maternity leave too and she has been so great to have as my “work wife” as we are in the same place – getting baby used to daycare, pumping and trying to figure out work travel. It is so great to have someone who is going through the same thing!
I’m the only person in my building who has to be here every day – everyone else is independent contractors who set their own schedules. Fortunately though that means that I get to spend time with great people every day, just different ones.
My work husband and I have worked at the same company for almost 7 years, last year when I returned from Maternity Leave I came back to my desk to learn that my work husband is now my cubbie buddy!
I think everyone should have a work spouse! Mine is an awesome co-worker who age wise could be my mom, but that hasn’t stopped our work marriage! She is a great friend and sounding board which is awesome to have 🙂
Being in medical school, my “work husband” is my actual husband (who is in dental school). We don’t see each other much during the day due to classes, but we make sure to keep each other motivated via texts throughout the day. In the evenings, we have to really help each other out so that we both can study and keep up with chores and our cat. This journey through medical school would be so much harder without him (and my apartment would never get cleaned haha!).
I’ve never actually heard the term “work spouse” until now – but that may be because I’m a SAHM 🙂 So I guess my work husband is my real husband because we’re part of a well-oiled management team with great bonuses and high payouts. Who am I kidding? We’re just clinging to each other and trying to survive parenting!
I just started my job in August, which involved a big move from Upstate NY to Southern MD. I’m so lucky to have four amazing friends who are my work wives!! We help each other, commiserate with each other, and over-serve ourselves every Friday at Happy Hour. These ladies are hands down the best I could’ve asked for!!!
My work wife is awesome! She always knows how to pick me up when I’ve had a bad day. A simple smile or a piece of chocolate… Or even happy hour to release some frustrations! She helps keep me grounded and is always my voice of reason.
My work wife is my assistant. She’s a fresh graduate, and still very starry eyed. But she’s smart, learns fast and we chat about everything under the sun, including family, friendship, young women and the struggles she has. I’m glad I have her at work to support me and help me with projects
I’m a SAHM now so I guess my work husband is my actual husband? But before I left the clinic my work wife was my nurse who prepped patients for me and gave me entertaining reports so I knew what disasters I was walking into.
My “work wife” is also named Abby. We sat beside eachother for over a year and a half. She has since moved a few rows over on our large floor but we email back and forth, have breaks or lunches together, and text outside of work hours. We support eachother through work stressors, and through situations with our families. She makes my days a little brighter and it is nice to know I have a loyal friend in her. 🙂 She also spoils my daughter with little gifts here and there.
I consider my babysitter to be my work wife! She takes care of my kids while I’m at work, and loves them like I do! My co-workers and I all really all work on different things.
My work wife is my nanny. I couldn’t get anything done without her.
I don’t currently have a work spouse as I recently started a new job, in a new area, after being at stay at home mom for over 5 years. I’m not sure how easily I will find a work spouse due to the nature of my job, but I am hopeful! And this makes me think back about all the great times with my former work wife!
I stay home with my kids, so my work wife is my neighbor. We are in touch constantly regarding bus stops and child care, kids clothes and dinner ideas… She knows my family better than anyone else!
My work wife lives in the Bay Area & I’m in Omaha. It may not be ideal & we often dream of building a commune & hiring nannies & converting one of those tiny houses into our super trendy office in the backyard as we grow our empires, but it works. She is the yin to my yang–she’s amazingly creative with her graphics & I’m the writer. I’d love if you’d choose my best girl Nikki to receive these delicious chocolates.
Right now I am in school but my school wife is a young lady named Earnie. She is amazing person, we often work together on Student Ambassador projects and I can not imagine working with anyone else.
I truly love the hubby — but this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to send a shout-out to my “work-wife” Doris. We both work together to improve outcomes for young people in and from foster care, particularly during their transition to young adulthood.
Doris is a big-picture person, and I’m an attention-to-details type of gal. I believe that it’s vitally important for big-picture and detail-oriented people to appreciate and learn from one another.
Big-picture people keep things moving forward, because they are always looking towards future accomplishments. Detail-oriented people make sure current efforts are sustained, and seek to bypass potential barriers that might hinder important work.
Together, we make a great team.