Work Spouses, Giving the Gift of Health this Valentine’s Day

Love is in the air. Valentine’s day – or as known by single people: February 14th – is already here and everyone is in the spirit of buying overpriced chocolates, stuffed bears and dying flowers. But the question to ask is, are we actually gifting the right person? Maybe there is someone else in our lives we are overlooking who is supplying us with a healthier and happier workplace.

Most people in the workplace have a work wife or husband, that person who they can rely on to make their workweek slightly more bearable. Work spouses are more than just our desk buddies, they are what pull us through those dragged out meetings, those ‘I just can’t do it’ days and those taxing weeks when everything has piled onto itself.

Maybe they just bring you a cup of coffee in the morning or maybe they are ready to help you become more active in the workplace. You share an intense connection with your work spouse that could combat your actual relationship. They’re the Sherlock to your Watson, the JD to your Turk, the Cristina to your Meredith.

But did you know that your work spouse can lead to higher productivity in the workplace (even if you may not feel like you’re actually working). This higher productivity is due to the trusting friendship you have built. A study by McBride, a professor at Creighton University, has proven to have that special someone in the workplace can assist in managing your stress and preventing burnouts so you have more time for what you want (possibly training for Tour de Office). The health benefits supplied by having a work spouse can lead from emotional support to physical with afternoon walks after work or Saturday morning yoga.

So this Valentine’s day, don’t forget to thank the one who is there for you eight hours a day, five days a week. Without them, we would not be working in the happier and healthier working environments we have.