"Work spouse" is a term or phrase that is mostly in American English,[1] referring to a co-worker,[2] with whom one shares a special relationship, having bonds similar to those of a marriage.
[5] With so many of the quality hours of a day spent at work, having someone there who has an intuitive understanding of the pressures, personalities, interactions, and underlying narratives of the workplace society can add safety and comfort to what can otherwise be an alienating environment.
"Work marriage" appears to be a genuinely caring relationship fostered by the propinquity effect and associated with love-like feelings and possibly limerence.
As feminism began to take hold in the 1980s, it became common to hear that "Many secretaries resent the 'office wife' syndrome," referring to being asked to do such things as paying personal bills for a boss, picking up everything from dry cleaning, or dusting the office.
"[10] According to Timothy Noah, writing in Slate, "The terms 'work wife,' 'work husband,' and 'work marriage' entered the national lexicon in 1987, when the writer David Owen wrote an Atlantic essay describing a particular platonic intimacy that frequently arises between male and female employees working in close proximity.
This new camaraderie, coupled with long hours spent at work, has caused a fundamental shift in the way people conduct business and interact with one another.