Career News 24/7: The Cynical Girl: General Petraeus, Kirstie Alley and Work Spouses

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Cynical Girl: General Petraeus, Kirstie Alley and Work Spouses

General Petraeus, Kirstie Alley and Work Spouses

Posted: 13 Nov 2012 03:45 AM PST

We’ve all heard about General Petraeus and his shenanigans at work with his biographer and maybe a social planner. Who the heck knows what really happened. It seems gross. The news coverage is one-dimensional. And it’s another reminder that people are their own worst enemies.

But I want to talk about Kirstie Alley — who is a total nut job. Did you hear that she and John Travolta were in love and almost ran off together? What?! Whatever. Alley and Travolta are both Scientologists. If they want to play that game for the sake of maintaining a specific narrative, go ahead.

But then Alley said that she and Patrick Swayze had an emotional affair and THAT IS ENOUGH.

Apparently, Swayze and Allen worked together on a really crappy TV movie and fell in love. Both were married. They didn't have sex but had some intense moments, whatever the hell that means.

I'm going to tell you what that means, actually.

It means that two people who worked long hours together talked about their shitty marriages. They shared a piece of their lives. They were honest with one another and probably talked about some really deep stuff.

BFD. Then the job ended and they moved on. Except for Kirstie Alley who is a narcissistic biznatch.

Some might describe Alley and Swayze as work spouses. Some might say this is an emotional affair. I call it boring. As your HR lady, these relationships happen all over the world at jobs of every size and scope.

CEOs are talking to CFOs about the ebb and flow of life.
Doctors are talking to doctors about the challenges of raising children and losing touch with the one person you used to love.
And on the factory floor of a candy company, one woman who works the extruder is having a private conversation with a guy who works on the panning line about the ins and outs of her marriage.

I think much of this is harmless. It’s not an affair — it is nascent friendship. And if you have a close relationship like that at work, you are lucky. Thank Baby Jesus and Ganesh for bringing a confidante into your life. You have someone at work who cares about you and wants to see you happy. That's awesome.

Your own spouse should be so lucky because you’re no walk in the park.

And for once, your job can have a positive impact on your life. That's pretty awesome, too. But let’s keep this in context: you’re not falling in love with your work spouse. Don’t hack into Gmail accounts or send shirtless pictures of yourself.

And for the love of all things holy, don't besmirch the reputation of Patrick Swayze.

That shit is unacceptable.