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Coronavirus: Nearly half of people did not know what their partner's job involved before lockdown

Many were surprised to see their loved ones behaving professionally

Alice Hughes
Wednesday 08 April 2020 18:00 BST
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Nearly half of working adults did not know what their partner’s job involved until they witnessed them working from home under lockdown, according to a poll.

A poll of 1,500 adults currently working from home with their partner found many had only just discovered what their significant other really does for a living.

Prior to the lockdown, 46 per cent were not sure what their partner spent their time doing – with their understanding limited to "they work in an office" and "they have lots of meetings".

But the research commissioned by Virgin Media found this figure had dropped to just 22 per cent during the past month as more couples spent their working days sat next to one another.

A spokesperson for Virgin Media said: “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.

The poll also found that since experiencing the 9-5 working day together, two-fifths of those polled thought their partner's job was demanding and 32 per cent described it as interesting.

Though one in five thought it seemed boring.

Having seen what they do, more than one-third believed their partner was really good at their job while 23 per cent admitted they were more professional than they would have expected.

Nearly one-third admitted their other half worked harder than them.

It was also found that more than one-quarter have struggled to find a balance between work and home conversations.

A further 54 per cent realised their partner had a "phone voice" - which 22 per cent described as "posh" and one-fifth found amusing.

SWNS

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