Showing a bit of jealousy means that you still care about your partner. However, too much suspicion might find you damaging the very relationship you mean to protect. Having healthy boundaries and maintaining trust is a delicate dance.

Internet user HeardOfCats took to the popular Mumsnet forum for advice after a very confusing moment at her husband’s work party. She shared how his colleague physically touched him and called herself his ‘work wife.’ Scroll down to read the full story and to see what the internet has to say about all of this. Bored Panda has reached out to the author via Mumsnet, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.

Some lines should not be crossed with colleagues, especially when it’s in front of their significant other

Image credits: mauriciotoro10 (Not the actual photo)

One woman turned to the internet for advice after watching her husband’s “work wife” touch him at a company party

Image credits: Prostock-studio (Not the actual photo)

Image credits: HeardOfCats

Workplace romances are very common. While some of them end up with a ‘happily ever after,’ others lead to broken marriages

According to Forbes, over 60% of adults have had a workplace romance. 43% of those romances led to marriage. That said, 40% of them also involved someone cheating on their current partners.

57% of employees reported that workplace romantic relationships had a negative impact on their work performance. Meanwhile, 50% admitted that they’ve flirted with their coworkers.

The core issue in this particular situation, described by HeardOfCats, seems to be related to boundaries. There’s nothing wrong with someone having friends at work. In fact, with the amount of time people spend at work day in and day out, not trying to create any friendly relationships would probably lead to a miserable time.

It’s our strong, deep, long-term relationships that make us resilient to stress and keep us healthy, happy, and living longer. It only makes sense to consciously invest in them. But this shouldn’t be done at the detriment of the other deep relationships in your life, namely, what you’ve built up with your romantic partner over the years together.

Image credits: Vitaly Gariev (Not the actual photo)

Professional boundaries are very important in the workplace

When it comes to physical contact and cutesy comments, it’s hard to know where the line is because it’s slightly different for everyone. One person might think hugs and random touching are all fine because of how they were raised and their cultural background. But another might see that as unprofessional behavior verging on flirting.

Even if there’s nothing nefarious going on, seeing one of your partner’s colleagues pat their belly is going to raise some eyebrows, no doubt. While nobody can completely control their environment, what they can do is control how they react to the events around them. But even then, some moments take us by surprise: we might say something rude without meaning to because we don’t have the time to think.

Whatever the case might be, a good rule of thumb is not to behave with your coworkers in a way that you wouldn’t want your own partner to interact with their colleagues. Part of keeping your own romantic relationship strong means resisting the temptation and opportunities to have affairs, whether they’re physical or emotional.

Image credits: August de Richelieu (Not the actual photo)

Many people consider emotional affairs to be cheating, too

An emotional affair, also known as emotional cheating involves non-sexual intimacy with someone who isn’t the person’s partner. One sign of such an affair is that the person tries to keep knowledge of what’s going on hidden from their significant other.

Often, emotional affairs start as friendships. Even though there’s no physical infidelity going on, it’s still seen as a form of cheating by many. Eventually, emotional affairs can lead to physical ones.

While a random touch might be completely innocent, you can never be sure. Unless you work a very physically demanding job that literally requires you to be in close contact with your colleagues all the time, it’s best to keep that sort of stuff to a minimum. It might come across as unprofessional, subtly flirtatious, bordering on harassment, and can send the wrong message.

You can always tell your coworker that you’d appreciate it if they stopped touching you because you feel uncomfortable. If they continue ignoring your boundaries, you may need to talk to HR about their inappropriate behavior. Nobody should be touched if they don’t want to be at work. And if they do want all of that close contact, the issue may be some unmet physical or emotional needs at home.

Have you ever had a “work wife” or “work husband” in the workplace, dear Pandas? How would you react if you saw someone touch your partner’s stomach at a work event? Where would you draw the boundary for work friendships? How do you think the author of the story should have reacted? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Image credits: Jack Sparrow (Not the actual photo)

Many readers were on the author’s side. Here’s their take on the situation

However, some other internet users thought that the woman could have reacted better

Image credits: Mario Gogh (Not the actual photo)

The author later shared an important update about the “work wife.” As it turns out, the story runs deeper

Image credits: Israel Andrade(Not the actual photo)

Image credits: Redd F (Not the actual photo)

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