Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy were fictional characters on 30 Rock, but their type of “work spouse” relationship is fairly common in today’s business world. Yesterday, we provided a supervisor’s guide to managing workplace best friends (or besties). Today let’s look at the often thornier issue of managing work spouses.
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What’s a work spouse? It’s a close relationship at work that mirrors that of a married couple without the romance. Work spouses typically exchange banter and have a certain familiarity with one another.
Just as with workplace BFFs, a work spouse can provide a great support system and make work more enjoyable. Work spouses also complement each other in terms of skills and abilities. They’re the yin to the other’s yang. Put them together, and you can have a terrific team.
However, as a manager, you need to watch for toxic work spouse issues. The relationship can get especially dicey if it’s a supervisor and employee situation (as in Jack and Liz). If you see too much favoritism or familiarity, others will as well. Start with a frank conversation with your spouse teammates, and let them know how they are being perceived. Remind them that simple gestures such as inviting others to lunch and keeping office doors open when meeting will help to dispel rumors and unwelcome assumptions.
Of course, if the relationship goes to a more intimate level, you’ve got a whole different set of issues. As a manager, your job is to prevent favoritism, sexual harassment, and hostile work environments. Make sure you have company policies to back you if you must intervene.
Ultimately, you want to encourage coworkers to like one another and have positive office relationships. However, just one pairing can impact everyone on your team. It’s up to you to help keep the environment professional and enjoyable for all your employees.