Krispy Kreme is unboxing joy this Valentine’s Day by celebrating the other long-term relationship in Irish people’s lives - their working wives and husbands.
With almost three-quarters (73%) of Irish people revealing they have a work spouse, Krispy Kreme is offering bespoke Valentine’s cards and two-for-one doughnuts for those looking to celebrate that special someone at work.
Krispy Kreme’s research shows how much employees value their working relationships, with over one in five (21%) saying they’d go as far as leaving their current job if their work spouse were to leave. And a number of people admit they’d be more likely to speak to their work spouse than their partner about topics including problems at work (83%), career aspirations (65%) and their financial situation (30%). One in eight women and four in ten men say their actual husband or wife has raised an eyebrow to the closeness of their relationship with their work spouse, perhaps explaining why 10% (15% of men!) keep their work relationship a secret from their partner.
To help workers share more joy with their spouses this Valentine’s Day, Krispy Kreme has produced a range of pun-tastic cards celebrating working relationships.
Celebrating office staples such as email (“I Cc You, Baby”), the water cooler (“There’s No One Cooler Than You”) and the tricky topic of break-ups (“Doughn’t Go Baking My Heart”), the cards are available free from all Krispy Kreme shops while stocks last.
According to Irish workers, an average work spouse relationship lasts over 2 and a half years, with a sixth having lasted over 5 years! A third of Irish people even admit that their work relationship is longer-lasting than their current romantic partner.
Among those with a work spouse, nine in ten women (91%) and over eight in ten men (83%) said the relationship has proven beneficial to their mental health, whilst nearly all women (94%) and over eight in ten men (84%) said their enjoyment of work was positively impacted as a result of the relationship.
The top four benefits work spouses provide include; making their work husband or wife laugh (72%), being someone to talk to (70%), providing mental health support (68%), and providing support with work tasks (63%).
To celebrate the relationship that brightens up the working day, work spouses can come into a Krispy Kreme shop together from 6th-12th February and get two limited-edition Valentine’s Day doughnuts for the price of one!
Declan Foley, Ireland Country Manager at Krispy Kreme said: “We spend so much time in the office that forming authentic, joyous relationships with our colleagues is so important and as the research shows, people are in fact deriving real benefits from their working wives and husbands, from having someone to laugh with to someone to confide in.
That’s why, this Valentine’s Day we want to celebrate this relationship by offering 2-for-1 doughnuts and fantastic Valentine’s Day cards to work couples.”
Dr Audrey Tang, Director at Chartered Psychologist said: "While it is not essential to have friends at work – it is certainly a lot more joyful when you do. Research has found that close work friends or work spouses can become “communities of coping” – people you can turn to at times of stress who really get it. Many people even stay longer in their places of work than they otherwise would because of the friendships they have formed there."
"Unfortunately, in a fast-paced working world where many of us rely on video calls and social media, it can be harder to form the fundamental connections many humans desire. To help form authentic bonds, I recommend starting with the basics - whether that’s offering to help out with organising work events, accepting invitations to work socials or simply steering work related conversations to something more personal. Plus, taking tasty shareable snacks is always a great ice breaker."
The limited-edition Valentine’s range from Krispy Kreme features:
RASPBERRY CHOC ESCAPE (€3.50) –A raspberry chocolate filled doughnut, hand dipped in a chocolate flavoured icing, drizzled with red fruit icing and finished with a marbled chocolate triangle.
SALTED CARAMEL TEMPTATION (€3.50) - Filled with salted caramel filling, dipped in white flavoured coating, topped with kibbled Toffee nibs and finished with a caramel drizzle
STRAWBERRY KREME DELIGHT (€3.50) – A white chocolate coated doughnut, filled with strawberry and kreme and decorated with strawberry pieces
SPRINKLED WITH LOVE - A Valentine’s Day update on our iconic Original Glazed, dipped in red mixed berry icing and sprinkled with Valentines sprinkles (Exclusively available in Choc-full-of Love 4-packs and dozens)
For further information on the Valentine’s Day activation, please visit http://www.krispykreme.ie/valentines-doughnuts
Slán go fóill.