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35 Hilarious Tweets That Show What People Learned About Their Partners While Working From Home
Since countries began to actively fight the spread of coronavirus what now seems like ages ago, more and more people who are fortunate enough to have jobs that can be done remotely have started working from home.
But this arrangement comes with its own set of challenges, such as additional distractions, not being able to unplug, or... your significant other!
Don't get me wrong, it's fun to have an impromptu mid-morning coffee date in the kitchen. Maybe even a quickie. But as cohabiting couples will tell you, working from home together has its ups and downs.
To paint you an accurate picture of what it looks like, we at Bored Panda put together a list of tweets from people who have first-hand experience. Enjoy!
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To better understand the authors of these tweets, we contacted Becca & Dan, an NYC-based couple who work remotely and run the blog Halfhalftravel. After having traveled the world working from their laptops, now they are sharing plenty of useful remote work tips and tricks and have extensively covered what they believe are The Best Ways to Work From Home With Your Partner.
"Some of the biggest challenges couples face when working from home are being each other's roommate, coworking buddy and romantic partner, all at the same time," Becca & Dan told Bored Panda. "Were couples supposed to have all these obligations to each other? The main challenge is fulfilling all these roles in a relationship and adding in the professional aspect of overhearing each other's meetings and being near or in each other's working environments constantly."
Some of the practical advice that Becca & Dan provide in their article for couples who want to preserve their bond while working from home include deciding on the most ideal time to wake up, talking about the morning work-from-home routine, choosing to take breaks together, for a stretch or a walk, and speaking of sounds, and getting noise-canceling headphones.
"To avoid the relationship getting hostile (if it got hostile!), set boundaries. Communicate," they highlighted. "Set hours for the usage of different areas of the home office(s) and give solid reasoning as to why one person needs something and the other should take a turn afterward. But also, have fun! Eat meals together, plan break times, start the day together with coffee, and communicate about when work should end for the day."
As Mara Olekalns and Jessica A. Kennedy wrote in Harvard Business Review, it's important to remember that conflicts around the roles that Becca & Dan previously mentioned are amplified; tensions between work and family roles escalate in the absence of clear physical demarcation between work and home.
"In close relationships such as domestic partnerships, we tend to place greater emphasis on protecting our relationship than on getting our needs met," Olekalns and Kennedy explained. "We then avoid issues that should be tackled directly, or we capitulate before reaching optimal agreements. The cost of the subsequent lopsided outcome can be resentment that further fuels conflict."
CEO: Note to self: Don't let this man go. Happy husband, productive worker.
So don't avoid the issues. Address small frustrations and annoyances as soon as they occur. Problems that are ignored grow and emotions that are suppressed intensify.
"If your partner's loud typing disrupts your work, talk about it before you break the keyboard," Olekalns and Kennedy said. "Individuals who treat adversities large and small as transformational opportunities are happier and healthier, and couples who reframe these moments as opportunities to share and better understand each other’s needs emerge with stronger relationships."
As with many things in a relationship, being able to talk through your issues and finding ways to adjust together is key!
Very common saying in the UK. The sister of, 'X couldn't find his own a**e with both hands and an atlas.'
I know this is meant to be a joke, but in all seriousness, maintaining my going-in-to-the-office routine has been critical for maintaining my mental health through all of this. It was a sliver of normality - I've now been out of my normal office for 21 months - I haven't even been near the building. I've forgotten what's in my desk drawers - I miss my stapler.
This Is so true!!! I have always worked from home, and even when challenging it was doable. Last year with schools closed and spouse it was almost impossible! Finally we found a rythm... By the end of the year!
You know your zoom call is getting good when you hear your partner start popping the popcorn.
Yeah, I have colleagues whos does that too and the ones who does absolutely nothing with their inbox. And somehow the ones with "clean" and "nicely archived" folders are the ones who constantly has missing emails and documents :D
If these couples think this is fun, just wait 'til you're both retired.
If these couples think this is fun, just wait 'til you're both retired.