DEEP DIVE

A work spouse, work wife, or work husband is a member of a close relationship between co-workers. While these terms generally describe friendly and platonic professional relationships, they can also be used in reference to romantic or sexual relationships between co-workers.

These terms of endearment are commonly used by millennials.

Question of the day are you allowed to have a work wife and a work husband or are you allowed only one? Because my work wife brings me coffee but my work husband gets me lunch

— Joyce Harrell (@Joyce_H33) September 24, 2019

YOU GUYS, my work wife is back today!!! I actually survived two weeks without her! 😭😭😭

— Ⓝⓔⓡⓓⓨ Ⓟⓐⓟⓔⓡ Ⓐⓡⓣⓘⓢⓣ (@ViktoryusPrime) September 26, 2019

ya girl got a work husband bro, stay woke

— 💔 (@samuraikp) September 25, 2019

I now know of 3 marriages that have ended thanks to a “work spouse.”

Are “work spouses” coworkers that secretly just want to sleep together?

— Caitlin Cutt (@BossyMatilda) September 6, 2019

My work husband thought I was a rabid Red Sox fan. He even tried to give me a Red Sox book today. And does anyone know how to go about divorcing your work spouse?

— Kirsten Fleming (@KirFlem) July 25, 2019