You may be wondering, “What in the world does my relationship have to do with a job promotion?” Well, I’m glad you asked. A five year research project out of Washington University in St. Louis made some very interesting, and relevant to relationships, discoveries.
The project involved more than 4,500 people, examining the relationship between one’s marriage and their success in the workplace. They found that for both men and women, having a conscientious spouse predicted – “greater job satisfaction, higher earnings, and an increased likelihood of promotion.” While that sounds good and noble, what does it mean?
Two applications are drawn from this study. First, when you and your spouse both give attention to detail when helping out around the house and demonstrate more organized and responsible behavior – it helps create a smoother domestic environment. This results in a freedom to focus on work issues without worrying about those domestic distractions that come with things left undone.
Secondly, it helps to create a feeling of teamwork, of “we are in this together.” Knowing that your mate is in the trenches with you at home helps you to also sense their indirect and even unspoken support for your work outside the home.
Having people in my camp is always helpful and feels empowering. But there is no person on my team as important as my wife. Knowing that she is unwaveringly there, frees and enables me to be fully focused on my work, when away. This week – check in with your partner to see how you can be a greater support to them. Who knows – maybe you will both get promotions.