Half of working adults didn’t know what their partner’s job involved before coronavirus lockdown

Sure, you might know your partner’s job title, you might hear snippets of information about their colleagues or big projects they’re working on, but how much do you know about the day-to-day intricacies of their job?

As it turns out, not a lot – according to new research by Virgin Media.

Since the coronavirus lockdown, people have been left unexpectedly working from home with their partners and families and it has been an eye-opening experience.

Half of us in the UK had no idea what our other halves did during their working days – until now.

According to the 1,500 people surveyed, the extent many of us understood of our partner’s jobs were statements like “they work in an office” and “they have lots of meetings”.

But, the amount of people feeling more clued up about what their partner does for a living has now dropped by half, thanks to our close working quarters.

32% of us would even describe what our partner’s do as “interesting”.

“With so many more couples now working from home, it’s funny how many people knew so little about what their other half did for a living – until now.

“Suddenly we’re spending working hours and downtime in the same space and it’s sure to be a learning curve for everyone – whether about the job roles themselves or their partner’s personality.

“It’s good to see that people are making the most of being at home together – whether that’s being there to help solve a work conundrum, taking turns to make a brew, or simply enjoying more quality time with each other.” A Virgin Media spokesperson said.

It’s no easy feat to work alongside your partner or family members when you’re not used to working in such confined quarters.

People have been using everything from ironing boards to dustbins as their desks of choice during the lockdown, so there’s really no surprise that we’re learning a lot about our partners work lives.

Whether you’re in ear shot of a conference call or close enough to read every word of the emails they type, many of us have been surprised at what goes into our partner’s jobs.

Whether that’s a new-found appreciation or the realisation that they don’t do a lot remains to be seen.

If you’re struggling to adjust to working from home alongside your other half, there are ways to it work. Everything from asking each other for advice to the little gestures that make working from home easier for the other person will make the world of difference.

It’s an unprecedented time for many of us and we can only do the best we can, plus we might just learn what our partner does for a living along the way.