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Some couples seem to work so much that it's hard to make time to spend together. People are working more, and even taking on second jobs, to make ends meet. And some careers can put couples' schedules at odds: The nurse comes home from the night shift just in time to send the lawyer spouse off to work in the morning. Ships in the night.
But what if you worked together? If you work at the same job, you can see each other every day, share the same experiences, drive in together, take the same lunch break, even complain about the same boss.
I've known many couples over the years who work together, and the consensus seems to be that it's a mixed blessing. Some people say that it can help with the juggle. You can cover for each other if someone needs to dash out for an appointment, or to attend to kids or an elderly parent. You can save on commuting costs. And there are fewer arguments about how one partner just doesn't understand the other's pressures at work.
On the other hand, that's a loooot of togetherness. And things can get really messy if either the relationship or the business breaks up.
I grew up in a family business, and my parents worked together for years, as did my grandparents before them. But even so, they found ways to carve out separate time. My grandmother ran her own separate business as well, and my mother worked part time for many years and managed our family life. Perhaps that was the key to their long happy marriages─together, but still individuals.
For couples interested in working together to solve their juggle, there are some resources available. At www.workingcouples.com, users can find job listings from around the country, and around the word, for jobs aimed at couples─including live-in caretakers, personal chefs, bed-and-breakfast operators and ranch hands. One recent listing, for instance, was for a building-superintendent couple in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
At www.sleepingwithyourbusinesspartner.com, authors Becky Stewart-Gross and Mike Gross offer services such as seminars and books for couples in business together (so-called copreneurs). One tip for working together: 'Identify your spouse's personality strengths.'
Readers, have you ever worked with your spouse or partner? How has it affected your juggle? Or do you feel that the last place you would ever want to see your spouse is at work? 2009-09-16
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