Work spouse flirting is different from romantic flirting, and is fairly common in the workplace.
Most of us spend a lot of time at work – more than at home sometimes – so close friendships and ‘work spouses’ often naturally form.
If you’re trying to identify if your partner or one of your coworkers has a work spouse, here are 21 signs that reveal they’re flirting with them!
21 Signs of Work Spouse Flirting
1. You Catch Them Smiling at Each Other
If you notice your two coworkers smiling at one another more than anyone else, it could be a sign that they’re work spouses’.
2. They Seem to Know What the Other is Thinking
When coworkers can finish each other’s sentences, it’s a good sign that they know each other very well. More so than you’d expect from two regular coworkers.
3. They Always Seem to Be Close to Each Other
If you see them sitting or standing close to each other more often than not, it’s a sign that they’re physically comfortable with one another – a key sign of a work spouse relationship.
4. They Have a Lot of Inside Jokes
If they’re always making jokes that only the two of them seem to get, it’s another sign that they have a close relationship.
5. You See Them Making Physical Contact
A quick touch on the arm or shoulder is normal between friends, but if you see them touching each other more than that, it’s a sign that they’re attracted to each other.
6. You Catch Them Whispering
Whispering between two people in a workplace always creates an awkward situation. It’s usually a sign that two people are flirting with one another, or talking about something they don’t want others to hear.
7. They Stop Talking When Someone Gets Close
Whispering or not, if they stop talking when someone gets close they clearly have something super-secret to talk about – and I bet it’s nothing to do with work!
8. They’re Not Shy About Complimenting Each Other
We all like to receive compliments, but if you notice one of your coworkers going out of their way to compliment the other, it’s a sign they’re flirting with their work spouse.
9. They Lock Eyes Often
Eye contact is always a giveaway when two people are flirting. If you keep catching two coworkers locking eyes and gazing at each other, it’s a sign they’re flirting.
10. They Always Rush to Help Each Other Out
If they’re always helping each other out, it’s a sign that they have a strong connection. Work spouses will go above and beyond to help each other in the workplace, just as spouses would do so out of work.
Related – Reasons why men have emotional affairs at work and how most emotional affairs end.
11. They Always Take Lunch Together
While it’s not unusual for coworkers to take their lunch break together, if they do so every day it could be a sign that they’re work spouses and taking the opportunity to get some alone time and flirt a little.
12. They’ve Started Meeting Up Out of Work
If they’re starting to meet up outside of work, it’s a sign that their relationship has moved beyond the workplace and into something more flirtatious or romantic.
13. They Complain About Their Partners to Each Other
While it’s not unusual to vent to a work spouse about your romantic partner (did your partner forget your anniversary?), if they’re always doing so it could be a subtle way of flirting and seeing how the other reacts.
14. You Catch Them Texting Each Other
If you catch them texting each other often, it’s a sign that they’re communicating about something that isn’t to do with work – which is a key sign of a work spouse relationship being taken up a notch.
15. They’re Sad When One of Them Has a Day Off
Work spouses get sad when they’re not able to see each other, just like regular spouses do. If you notice one of them looking down in the dumps when the other is out of the office, it’s a sign that they’re missing that flirtatious energy.
16. You Can Sense the Tension in the Air
When two people are attracted to each other, the tension is palpable. If you can sense the romantic tension between two coworkers, it’s a sign they’re flirting and close with one another.
17. Other Coworkers Are Noticing Something Is Up
If other coworkers are starting to gossip about the two of them and speculate whether they’re flirting or dating, it’s a sign that something obvious is going on in front of them!
18. They Pass Each Other Notes
If you catch work spouses passing notes back and forth to one another, it’s a sign that they’re flirting. This is something two people usually do to raise the tension and excitement at work.
Related – How to tell when two coworkers like each other and why correctional officers cheat!
19. They Joke About Being Together
If they’re always joking about being married or dating, it’s a way of flirting with one another and seeing how the other reacts. Sometimes work spouses take the ‘spouse’ part a little too far!
20. They Are Defensive of Each Other
If they’re always sticking up for each other and getting defensive, it’s a sign they have strong feelings for one another. Work spouses will go out of their way to protect each other if there are feelings involved.
21. It’s Just Obvious!
Sometimes, you don’t need any of these signs to know that two people are flirting with each other. If it’s just obvious from the way they interact and the chemistry they have, they can’t hide it if they try!
What Makes Someone a Work Spouse?
Just because two coworkers are work ‘spouses’, it doesn’t mean they should flirt with one another.
Quite the opposite, in fact, work spouses are two people who are close and spend a lot of time together at work, but there’s usually nothing romantic there.
However, when flirting does start creeping into that relationship it’s a sign that things are getting more serious than just work spouses.
It’s often a sign that there is an attraction there, and it’s likely that the innocent working relationship is going to become an emotional affair.
It might not even start as an emotional affair, the two of them might get physical if they’re meeting outside of work.
It’s hard to say how things are going to develop as each relationship is different.
But what I do know is that if work spouses are flirting, it means they’re overstepping work spouse boundaries and stepping into dangerous territory!
Image credits – Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.