Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Spouse-cum-colleague!

What do couples have to say about being employed in the same company or even team?

"Why?" That's the million dollar question one longs to ask couples who work together in the same team. Why would they want to spend every single waking hour with each other? Why choose to scowl and snarl at the same person day-in-and-day-out, both at office and home? Why discuss slide 2 of Friday's power-point presentation over breakfast, why boss-bash over lunch, why worry about the project lead's promotion prospects in bed? Though `life and working partner' was once the preserve of doctors, lawyers or the odd business family, instances of husband and wife being employed in the same company or even team are now fairly common. And it adds a whole new dimension to life!

The buck, of course, doesn't just stop with them. There are their poor kids, brought up exclusively on a diet of office gossip and their often bewildered co-workers.

Sai Sriram, software professional, says when the couple work at different levels within the same organisation, things tend to get pretty sticky. "There are times when the husband/wife is present when the spouse is discussed for appraisals, promotions, etc., and it's awkward for everyone concerned."

Wondering why they consider it such an attractive option, we decided to pose the big question to a few working-together couples. "Well, when one is B-E-S-O-T-T-E-D, head over heels in L, why would anyone mind seeing the spouse 24/7?' asks Neerja Caprihan, former techie. Sujatha Subramanian, HR Manager, who had briefly worked with her husband, says the biggest driver is that it brings you closer to your spouse. "Time spent with each other increases, which is probably good. It's also easy to give feedback and say exactly what one feels/thinks since the other person is tuned to the same wavelength."

Agree Shiva Balasubramanian and his wife Mona, who work together in the same team for an MNC (incidentally, they met at work and tied the knot). "You do not have to explain the work context/pressures at home. It is easier at work too. We take turns skipping official events to look after our two-year-old daughter."

But Sriniketh Raman, senior executive in a software company, reasons that couples probably end up working longer since they're obligated to wait for each other. "And synchronised holidays can complicate things for both the supervisor and the couple."

Chartered accountant Annapoorani, who partners with her businessman-husband K. G. Muralidharan, feels confidentiality and trustworthiness are the biggest advantages. "In our case, since I'm handling finance, Murali is not worried about what's happening to the money. And then there's empathy, when he is feeling low due to some problem, I can understand what he's going through." Muralidharan acknowledges that a major plus of a husband-and-wife team is that everything stays within the family. "But the trouble is, the fights here tend to continue at home."

Familiarity breeds... what?

Annapoorani admits having had bitter fights on business issues, which have percolated into the family life. "Till now, I would've resigned about five times," she quips. Open spats, baleful glares, so common in marital territory, spill over to the workplace, enlivening official boredom. Shiva admits it's taken them quite some time (six years) to arrive at a way of interaction at work that would be considered professional.

Favouritism, however, is virtually unknown. "On the contrary, a certain degree of interference and unfair criticism definitely creeps in and spouses are surely taken for granted," says Annapoorani.

Leaving the office and its attendant problems behind is where most couples pathetically fail. "Office politics. That's all that ever gets discussed at home," complains Sai, while Sujatha cites after-office hours also devolving into office time as the major drawback. "Besides, the chances of making a different set of friends are slim," she argues.

`Quality time' and `work-life-balance' become remarkably difficult challenges for these couples. Shiva says he consciously attempts to keep office gossip away from home. "Ditto for shoptalk. We try to spend time with our daughter and discuss and plan other things besides work."

And finally, the majority replied in the negative to the `would you like to move on to a different job without your spouse' question. Looks like there's plenty of good, some bad, and only a little ugly in the whole bargain, and it probably comes in useful for something more besides just commuting together to work. Hmmm, maybe it isn't such a crazy idea after all.

APARNA KARTHIKEYAN

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail