On paper, working from home sounds like a dream. Full fridge privileges, the avoidance of office politics, goodbye to commutes and any fish that is cooked in the microwave is through your choice only.
The din of a busy office being replaced with the peace of your own private four walls is a novelty at first.
Phones ringing off the hook, mindless water cooler chat and hiding under your desk when that person you’re avoiding as they approach became a thing of the past when many were forced to change their working days due to the Covid pandemic.
Much has returned to normality since then, but many organisations and bosses have clung on to the advantages of home working.
But if you find that your home is now doubling as your workplace, and are sharing it with the person you also share your out of work life with, there are challenges.
If you and your partner are both in the now fairly common situation of getting on with your role in your own home, things can quickly go south.
So, what are the issues of working at home with your partner; and how can you avoid them?
Make sure you have separate working spaces
Setting up a nice office together and heading hand in hand to a day of toil together might seem like a fun idea – but I guarantee this novelty will wear off within five minutes.
It is important for your own concentration and state of mind that you have your own individual space so that you aren’t up in each other’s business all day long.
One of the main benefits of working away from the office is avoiding the hustle and bustle and the many, many disturbances from others which disrupt your workflow.
If that person happens to be your other half, it is going to have an impact on your personal time as well as your work time.
As unromantic as it sounds, your focus has to be your job; none of us want to prove Jacob Rees-Mogg or Alan Sugar right. Separate spaces are a must.
Don’t lose the end of the day chat
Another valuable reason for these separate spaces is the end of work, ‘honey I’m home’, vibe of switching off from work and switching on to relaxing home time.
If you can’t leave each other alone during the day, you aren’t going to have that reflective part of the evening where you share stories from the day and moan about the most infuriating colleague.
If you are together too much through the day, what have you got left to talk about?
It could lead to the feeling for both of you that there is an absence of transition between home and work; and also a frustrating strain on some necessary, everyday bonding time.
Timing and routine is everything
You will both have different working routines, different targets to meet, and often different shifts entirely.
A routine is important, whether this is separate, joint, or both. Setting up a Google calendar or simply letting your partner know what your day will be like sets up a structure, which every working day needs.
If your partner has an important Zoom meeting planned, it’s probably best not to become a viral video by bursting in to ask what you should get your mum for Christmas.
Particularly if you’re on different shifts, knowing how the other’s day is panned out and how they are going to be working keeps things on the right track; and avoids any tension brewing.
That’s not to say that you can’t break for a cuppa together, or arrange to share a lunch – these are lovely perks but only when they don’t throw your days into chaos. Being mindful and respectful of each other’s rhythms is as important at work as it is in your home life.
Set some ground rules
Okay, we’re not children, and most of this is unsaid, but if there is something that will make your day easier that the other can accommodate or desist from, that is something you should talk about.
Everyone is different; some couples might prefer an absolute cut-off from one another all day, so that there can be that comfortable end of shift switch.
Clearing up after yourself if you have separate lunches or snacks, or using headphones for music would be other common things to discuss, for example.
You don’t have to get the flipchart out and red pen down some rules in a mind map. But it needs to be set out from the start, so you both know the score.
Get your practicalities right
Having separate office spaces comes with its own challenges. We’re in a cost of living crisis, in case you have been under a rock, so having two printers for example is not practical. Expect some things will have to be shared use.
If you share a charger, ensure all of your devices are ready to go the night before, so you don’t have to keep swapping wires over.
You will be sharing a wi-fi connection, so if the other person has an important meeting to attend that they’d prefer not to sound like a robot on, or need to download or send some huge files, it’s best for the other to not be streaming a film on Netflix at the same time.
This can all be discussed in your ground rules, but everyday practicalities can be made easier if you know what you both will need each, what you will have to share and how it can work for both of you.
Do not micro-manage
You might think you have a bright idea that will make your partner’s day or task a little easier, but they know their job better than you.
Don’t hover over them or offer irritating and unsolicited, passive aggressive pointers on what they should be doing.
Don’t tell them that their boss is out of order for the message they sent and try to take over your partner’s Slack to tell them off.
Don’t look at the presentation and say that they’d be better off with a different font.
Basically, don’t act like their boss at the same time as their partner, as this will easily transcend into your personal life and fuel some tensions that are hard to shake off when clocking out.
Support one another
That said, if your partner does express a desire for some help and advice, having someone you love and your biggest supporter at hand is a lovely feeling.
Supporting each other at work, so long as it stays on the right side of being an irritant, is great if your other half is having a bad day and they reach out for a vent or a hug.
Wellbeing for yourself and each other is important in all walks of life, so while you may have routines, separate offices, strict lunch arrangements and a wi-fi rota, the most important advantage of working together at home is each other.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE : Woman says jobs should have the same ‘flexibility’ for pet owners as working mums
MORE : Is hypervigilance sabotaging your relationships? Here’s how to get it under control
MORE : Five cheap or free date ideas for couples on a budget this autumn
Sign up to our guide to what’s on in London, trusted reviews, brilliant offers and competitions. London’s best bits in your inbox
Share this with