There are many views when people are asked about whether they want to work with their partners or not. Some say that they can’t bear each other at the workplace also while other say that they don’t want their partners to work with them. Regardless of whatever side you belong to, combining business and pleasure has many benefits and drawbacks. Nowadays, it's common for a husband and wife to work together at the same office. However, there are certain benefits and drawbacks to working in the same office.

To guarantee that there is perfect unity in a married couple's relationship, a healthy balance between career and family life must be maintained. A husband and wife may start a business and begin to communicate. They may have met while employees at the same organization, and they could have wed later.

Merits when you work with your spouse

When partners work together in a business or a firm, many of the negative aspects of a working couple can be avoided. Couples who both work for the same company frequently find a way to take out enough time for their families. This is a significant advantage that guarantees a balance between personal and professional duties, promoting a successful marriage. Some of the merits are:

• Quality time spending with the spouse

When two people start a family with each other, they promise to take care of each other and make a lifetime commitment. When you share the same workplace as your partner, then you have a lot of time to stay with each other and you can spend quality time with each other.  Since you spend a significant time of your day together at both home and work, you can both understand one another better. As a result, you and your spouse can eventually come to an understanding.

• Carpooling

Couples who share a job can frequently travel together from their home. Professionals that work in several areas of the same organization and lack the time to interact with one another should do this. They get the chance to talk to each other, something that is impossible in the office while accompanying each other to work.

• Plan vacations together

One benefit of working together is that they can plan vacations together which will help them spend time together. This is so that they can more easily plan their vacation schedules than couples who work in different workplaces can.

• Helping in each other’s growth

When a couple works together, they spend a lot of time assisting one another with their professional responsibilities. As a result, they can support each other's professional development. With this, they can progress in their careers and have a bright future.

• They develop a good understanding level

Couples who are working together for a while have a greater understanding than those who have not. Therefore, they can ensure that any professional issues they have in the office stay in the office and are more flexible to changes in their work schedules. Couples who own a business jointly are subject to the same rules. They are skilled at what they do, which enables them to manage those tasks well. Their goals are met and the company expands due to efficient collaboration between them.

Demerits when you work with your spouse

Everything has a negative also. While there are many merits of working with the spouse, there are some negative effects also which may hinder harmony and peace among the couple. Some demerits are:

• There is no personal space

Without a doubt, compatibility is essential for a successful marriage. However, there are occasions and moments when someone would prefer to be alone. When both partners are working in the same office, this would not be possible for them. On the other side, spending too much time together may result in a lack of excitement. Spending a lot of time together does not necessarily mean that a couple is having fun together. When it comes to married life, quantity does not always equal quality.

• Boredom

One of the biggest shortcomings of a husband and wife working together in the same organization is that they get a feeling of boredom. Their routine is unchanged because they encounter each other every day at work. After some time, boredom sets in since they don't have anything to talk about because they spend so much time together. They won't be interested in having any kind of conversation. After a certain point, this could cause tension in their marriage and they might lead to conflicts in their relationship.

• Jealousy

The main problem with couples working together is this. Performance is not sufficient in the professional environment to guarantee a promotion. There are other variables also which play a role, including communications skills, the degree of cooperation displayed toward co-workers, and crisis management abilities.

• Lack of job security

When a husband and wife work in different workplaces and one of them gets fired, they both can rely on the job of the other one. However, it is obvious that couples who work in the same workplace do not benefit from such a benefit.

Working together in the same company can give rise to stress, which has implications for one’s work and can manipulate various aspects of work life such as disinterest in work, low job satisfaction, low job commitment, and low work motivation.

If you’re an employer or in a position in your organization where you can change the scenario, please explore Best Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

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Contributed by: Dr (Prof) R K Suri, Clinical Psychologist, Counsellor, & Life Coach & Dr. Sakshi Kochhar, Psychologist