So you've just landed a job at the workplace of your dreams -- but
there's just one catch: your partner is already employed there. On the
other hand, perhaps your partner has suggested the possibility of
infiltrating your office. Or, with more people freelancing in
an increasingly gig-based economy, maybe an opportunity has arisen for
you and your beloved to collaborate on a one-off project, or become
business partners for a brand new venture.
Whatever the
configuration may be, the question is the same: is it possible to work
professionally with a significant other and still keep the romantic
spark alive? Below are five tips that'll give you the best chance for
making it work:
1. Start Slowly
Unless
you’re the Elon Musk type, you probably shouldn’t clean out your
retirement accounts to start the next Facebook with your partner right
away. Slow and steady wins the race here: start out with a small project
to determine if you're compatible co-workers.
Keeping the new business relationship fairly
casual at first will give you ease into mutual expectations and learn
more about your partner’s work style, strengths, and weaknesses.
2. Be Prepared To Fight
There’s probably not a couple on the planet that could work together without ever arguing. In fact, fighting can actually be good for relationships,
as long as you’re not specifically aiming to hurt your partner. Express
your viewpoint, listen intently to your partner’s side and agree to
meet somewhere in the middle.
3. Make Each Other Laugh
Nothing is so serious that you can’t find any humor in it. Wise-cracking at an opportune (appropriate)
moment can release tension for both of you and create a shared memory
that you’ll laugh about again in the future. If you can find the silver
lining in negative situations, you’ll improve the quality of life for
both you and your partner.
4. Don’t Micromanage
Whether
you’re just working together on a project or diving into a full-time
business venture with your, never nitpick or micromanage. If you can
accept that we all have strengths and weaknesses, collaborating can be incredibly rewarding. However, interfering with or criticizing your partner's duties
is nothing but destructive. Rather than second-guessing decisions your
significant other has made, focus on your own specific responsibilities
for the project. Trust will strengthen your relationship at home and at
work.
5. Make Time For Sex
If you’re with
your partner all day, you may neglect or get "too tired" for intimacy.
Don’t let working, sleeping, or household chores overwhelm the
importance of sex! Keeping the sexual pump primed as
a couple is critical to the ongoing health of your relationship. Not to
mention the fact that sex actually relieves stress, and is just plain
fun. You both deserve some release after a hard day of work!
When is working together a really bad idea?
Even
if you follow all the tips above, working together with your
significant other is simply a bad idea if your relationship is already
on the verge of crashing and burning. In this case, adding fuel to the
fire by working together certainly won’t help the situation. Likewise,
the pressure of saving a partner’s already struggling business could
create a burden too heavy for the relationship to bear.
When can working together work?
In
some relationships, it’s pretty obvious that working together would go
swimmingly. If you’re best friends, communicate well, and already
collaborate often on creative pursuits, you just might have found a
heaven-sent business match to nurture alongside your domestic bliss.
By Lisa Warchovsky
