The Office — Wife

We love a work bestie. That person who saves you from the boring meeting or tells you that you have spinach in your teeth? Essential.

Let’s retire the term “Office Wife” (and “Office Husband”).

Does your workplace use this term, and do you find it harmless or problematic? the office wife

What do you call your closest work ally? Share your alternative names below. Which platform are you planning to post this on? I can refine the tone further.

In the era of Mad Men , the "Office Wife" was a literal role: a female secretary who managed a male executive’s life. By the 2000s sitcom era ( The Office , 30 Rock ), it evolved into a tongue-in-cheek term for a platonic, hyper-efficient work pair. We love a work bestie

But in 2026, the term is facing a reckoning.

Note: If your office husband/wife makes your actual significant other uncomfortable, it’s a problem. Let’s retire the term “Office Wife” (and “Office

The Rise and Fall of the ‘Office Wife’: Why Workplace Intimacy Needs New Language