coworker’s wife works remotely from our non-remote office

by Alison Green on October 15, 2024

A reader writes:

Weird thing just came up at my work that I’d be curious to hear you weigh in on. I work at a university that is 100% in-person, on-the-ground. My colleague Fergus has an office in an obscure little corner of the building. We rarely see him come in and out, and he tends to be around for odd hours.

Recently, a grad student who works at our front desk mentioned that she sees Fergus’ wife Jane coming to work with him quite often. This was news to me — Fergus’ wife has a 100% remote job that we thought she was doing from home. What I’ve gathered is that Jane seems to be coming to work with Fergus to do her work in his office, and it’s regular enough that our grad students know who she is.

What are your thoughts on this? Our school requires us to be 100% in-person because we work with confidential student records and so that students can stop by to see us at any time, and Jane does work related to confidential medical data, so it seems like it’s inherently a problem if they’re working in the same room. At the same time, that’s a pretty common setup for couples where both partners work remotely. But it also seems … just kind of odd, especially because he hasn’t mentioned this to anyone and almost seems to be sneaking her in. Like, it would make sense if they only had one car and they were coming into the city together because she had an in-town appointment, but they both have their own separate vehicles.

What do you think?

Yes, this is weird and it’s almost certainly a problem.

In many jobs, it wouldn’t be a big deal if it happened occasionally — like for an afternoon a couple times a year when she needed to do something nearby, or for one day because, I don’t know, there was construction happening in their house. But it shouldn’t be happening regularly, for the same reasons that any other random person shouldn’t be regularly working from your office.

Your employer hasn’t agreed to provide office space and other resources to Jane, there are confidentiality issues, it’s likely to pose at least some distraction to Fergus, people stopping by to talk to him may be deterred by her presence, there’s potential legal liability to your employer if something happens to Jane while she’s there … the list of problems goes on and on.

Personally, I’d mention it casually to your boss and see if they know about it.

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{ 145 comments }

{ 145 comments… read them below or add one }

  1. Chairman of the Bored*

    IMO it’s a bit weird and may well be causing a problem for *somebody*.

    However, that somebody sure isn’t me so I’m not going to bring it up to the bosses and likely mess up whatever mutually-agreeable arrangement Fergus’s family has worked out for themselves.

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    1. HonorBox*

      This only works if the arrangement is mutually-agreeable between the university and Fergus/Jane. If the OP mentions something to their boss and boss says, “yes we’re aware and good with it” then there’s no need to think about it again. But if the arrangement is mutually-agreeable only to Fergus and Jane and the university is not aware, then there are all kinds of potential problems.

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      1. JSPA*

        Depends whether the insurance is fine with random people visiting faculty members (even repeatedly); given how universities work, the answer may well be, “no problem.”

        And the idea that two people can’t be in the same office while maintaining data privacy really flies in the face of reality.

        While in most workplaces, this would obviously be a problem, in this particular workplace, I’d be much more likely to assume that it isn’t.

        I’ve been the trailing spouse and I’ve had the trailing spouse, And these sorts of setups are often ok’d at the level of the department head or the department secretary (if the “trailer” has a key), or merely by stating, “Jane will be coming in with me on days when [description of reasonable situation].”

        Also, the idea that someone who has enough focus to make professor, in this day and age, is going to be distracted by the presence of their spouse, is a misunderstanding of the academic mindset.

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        1. daffodil*

          is Fergus faculty, or staff who work with student data? I assume this is more extensive than the kinds of grades and classwork info most faculty deal with, because plenty of us handle that remotely all the time.

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      2. Chauncy Gardener*

        Agree!
        Such as student confidentiality, worker’s comp, the university’s own liability insurance, just to name a few off the top of my head.

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    2. CLC*

      Yeah I agree. It’s odd and might cause a problem but it doesn’t necessarily seem clearly unethical to me so I’d stay out of it. Also I don’t work I academia but I’ve been college and grad school, and I feel like this would be less weird at a university than in a lot of other settings—people are always going in and out of university buildings, and they’re not all students or employees who necessarily need to be in that building at that time. The OP doesn’t say how long it’s been going on and it doesn’t seem like they know for sure there isn’t some kind of special arrangement.

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      1. hello*

        Yes, but those other people who aren’t students or staff aren’t spending time in a room where they could potentially have access to confidential information. That’s one of the issues both the LW and Alison spelled out.

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      2. Observer*

        It’s odd and might cause a problem but it doesn’t necessarily seem clearly unethical to me so I’d stay out of it.

        The fact that staff are handling confidential student information means that it most certainly does pose an ethical, but also potentially legal problem.

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      4. commensally*

        Yeah, this. It depends on what exactly Fergus’s job is and what the building is used for, but there’s parts of a university where any friends, relatives, or community members regularly sitting down at a vacant table to quietly work would, at most, be a bit odd. And staff members emerging out of their offices to work in those spaces might actually be encouraged.

        But if this is an area where non-employees wouldn’t normally be allowed, and work that needs to be kept to secure areas, it’s a problem.

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    3. Mad Harry Crewe*

      Ehhhhhhh, but the some of the people this is affecting are students, who may not realize they can and should speak up. “We work with confidential student records and so that students can stop by to see us at any time” = quite likely, sometimes a student needs to talk to Fergus about something sensitive. Honestly, even if it’s just asking for an extension on an assignment, you don’t necessarily want to do that in front of Some Lady.

      Even if they have the perfect system of winks and nods worked out so Fergus magically knows as soon as a student walks into the room that that student needs privacy, and can perfectly communicate that to Jane and get her to leave – the problem exists even before the student walks in, because Jane is known to be in Fergus’s office at all times. It adds friction, and as Alison likes to say, it’s going to have a chilling effect on what students are comfortable bringing to Fergus in the first place.

      Everyone involved in this, and especially the people most likely to be affected by this, are not on equal footing. Therefore, OP should speak up.

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      3. Spero*

        This is very true…when I was a young student, if someone was in the office I would have assumed they were a staff member and would have shared details thinking everyone there was covered as office staff. I would have been mortified if some of the information my uni had about me was shared outside of their staff.

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        1. the cat's pajamas*

          I’m also concerned that Jane’s job involves medical records, universities might not have secure enough internet protections for that unless they have a medical school, but it still opens up tons of liability issues.

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          1. March*

            I can’t vouch for all universities, obv, but I do know that the one I work at (in Europe) takes the EU privacy laws EXTREMELY seriously and has had all sorts of online security systems set up to protect any data anyone works with.

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          2. Consonance*

            Yeah, clinics/hospitals have some pretty intense security. I wouldn’t worry too much about the University network if she’s allowed to work from her home, but I do worry that medical and medical-adjacent employers are likely to be some of the most rigid about remote work. They’re likely to have stipulations about working in a room with a locking door, not overheard or seen by others, etc. Working essentially in public is unlikely to fly with her own employer, although I guess that’s out-of-scope when it comes to the University’s own concerns.

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      4. Lady Danbury*

        This. Students may be put off from even entering if they see someone else in the office. They may assume that Fergus is busy and they’ll be interrupting or may just be reluctant to share in front of another person. Either way, Jane’s presence can have a detrimental effect on the students that Fergus is supposed to be serving. This wouldn’t be a nobody’s getting hurt situation for me.

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    4. Harper*

      Agreed. I’ve reached a point in my life where I kinda cheer for the people who aren’t afraid to test the boundaries. If it works for them and isn’t directly affecting me, I’ll leave it alone and hope karma means I’ll be left alone someday when I need flexibility.

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      1. Observer*

        I’ve reached a point in my life where I kinda cheer for the people who aren’t afraid to test the boundaries.

        Even when what is being done poses a real problem for others – who either don’t know and / or can’t protest what is being done to them?

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  2. HugeTractsofLand*

    Honestly someone is going to bring it up at some point, so you might as well mention it now; I doubt anyone will trace it back to you. There’s a small chance that she’s working with him while say, house renovations are completed, but I wouldn’t want this to become standard practice in my workplace in case others think it’s OK to bring their more unruly family members.

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    1. Susan*

      For something that isn’t causing me any problems, and isn’t in my purview, worrying about whether anyone will trace it back to me is a red flag that says “don’t do it”.

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      1. Lana Kane*

        Agreed. If there’s no glaring issue and it’s not impacting me, I’d prefer to pretend I didn’t notice and not get involved in other people’s issues. And if the boss knew already and sanctioned it, you’re running the risk of looking like a meddler. So nope, I wouldn’t say anything.

        And it could be traced back to OP if the boss then goes to Fergus and says something that outs OP as the informant.

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      2. Rex Libris*

        This. There are so many questions here that basically amount to “A coworker is doing something that totally doesn’t affect me, but could theoretically affect someone, somewhere, at some point… ” The answer, for my part anyway, is almost always “Leave it alone.”

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        1. Observer*

          “A coworker is doing something that totally doesn’t affect me, but could theoretically affect someone, somewhere, at some point… ”

          Sure, except that the “affect” is highly likely and potentially serious.

          And one that the organization has a legal obligation to prevent.

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        2. the cat's pajamas*

          I agree in general, but this case involves private data that is regulated and is potentially harming the data subjects and violating regulations about how that data is stored and shared. It’s a huge risk for their organizations and possibly their employment.

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  3. DinoGirl*

    If this is a public university it’s also “theft of state resources,” yet another on a long list of problems from this arrangement. Someone should really report it to HR.

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    1. Slinky*

      Yep. I work for a state university and our HR is very firm that we can’t bring non-employees into secure areas. I would think that an office where confidential files are kept would qualify.

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    2. Justme, The OG*

      Agree. I had to get permission to have my kid in my office for a few hours one week when she was doing a camp elsewhere on campus.

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    3. Ally McBeal*

      What resources is Jane stealing? The records security issue is much more significant than the incremental pennies the state would spend on water and wifi for one office stowaway.

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      2. JSPA*

        Maybe internet, or wear-and-tear on a chair, but not necessarily even that.

        The whole office is already in use by Fergus. So it’s not like she’s using more than a few cents of electricity a day, and some oxygen molecules.

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      4. Guacamole Bob*

        Yes – if it’s a state institution they could get snippy about it, but large universities generally have open wifi of some sort and have all sorts of people coming and going for different reasons that use it.

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        1. academic librarian*

          This is false. I’ve worked at many public universities, and they never provide wifi to the general public. Either Jane is using her own hotspot (okay) or Fergus is providing her his campus credentials (very bad).

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          3. Annika Hansen*

            I work at a public university. Our WiFi has the ability for guests to connect. And if Jane’s job is also at a university, she may be able to connect via Eduroam. I have used my Eduroam credentials to connect at many other universities.

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          5. AndyG*

            I work at a Canadian University and we provide wifi to the general public. It has some use-case limitations, but anyone can sign up with their email address to use it.

            In addition, we are part of the eduroam network which allows people to access wifi using their credentials from their home institution, which includes universities and other places that do research in more than 60 different countries. This includes at least some public colleges and hospitals in the US.

            I’m not saying OPs institution does. Just that there are more possibilities than you have experienced.

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          6. Rage*

            The University I’ve been attending for my Masters has a “secure” wifi with password and 2FA, which is for students, faculty, and staff. They also have an “open” unsecure wifi, with no password, which anybody can access if you are in a campus building.

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      5. Seven hobbits are highly effective, people*

        Here it’d be an “improper benefit” issue – Jane has access to resources (free, albeit shared, office space) that she is using for personal gain (outside employment) that she only has access to because she is a relative of a government employee and that would not be available to a general member of the public (unless they are also welcome to join in “everyone works in Fergus’s office now” time, such as if this were all happening in a part of a public library where it was ok to set up camp and work all day).

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    4. Cat Tree*

      I wonder what wifi she is using. At my company only registered guests can use the guest wifi, and only company-owned devices can use the regular wifi. Since it’s a university, is there free unrestricted wifi for students? It seems to at least go against the spirit for a non-student to routinely use it although I guess it doesn’t have a big effect.

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  4. Alton Brown's Evil Twin*

    I can see a case where Jane & Fergus don’t have great internet at home – especially an IP address that changes all the time – and Jane’s employer requires a stable white-listed IP addresses. So she comes in to take advantage of the university internet connection instead of paying for a better connection at home.

    Which of course raises the question of why IT security at Jane’s employer hasn’t done a lookup and figured out where she is…

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    2. Poppy of Dimwood Forest*

      Then Jane needs to use the library rather than Fergus’ office. Her convenience doesn’t negate the confidentiality of students or her employer’s records.

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      1. Paint N Drip*

        One would think Jane’s employer would have thoughts about her working at a university office, library, or from the neighbor’s pool when she deals with sensitive info too!

        Reply ↓
  5. Momma Bear*

    Could Jane instead reserve a study room at the library (or could he reserve the space for her)? The confidentiality of her work is her problem but the confidentiality of student data and meetings is OP’s/the school’s problem. I’d say something, especially if the reasoning behind people working in the office is confidentiality.

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    1. Ashley*

      Yes, as a former university administrator this is a solution that I’d expect.

      It’s easy enough to get a university library card at a public institution to gain access to wifi and the ability to reserve a study room as a member of the public, and even more so for a spouse.

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      1. academic librarian*

        No, it’s really not. Even when alumni or members of the public can pay for a library card to check out print books, they can almost never use that for free wifi, and definitely not study rooms (which are in high demand by students).

        I know you say you’re a former academic administrator, but speaking as a librarian we have adminstrators constantly promising library resources to various outside parties we can’t deliver because the students are actively using them

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        1. Ivkra*

          Two out of the three (public) universities I’ve spent time around have had publicly accessible wifi – not just to community members with partial-access cards, but to the general public.

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        2. also academic librarian*

          I’m at a public university and we most certainly have guest wifi that anyone with an email address can use; you don’t even need a library card to use it. Indeed, because this is a public institution, anyone can come use the library (and we want them to!). If you are a member of the public and have purchased a library card, you have access to the library’s collections as well as the physical resources, including room reservation. It’s not likely you’ll be ABLE to reserve a room, as they’re in high demand by students, but you’re technically able. Please stop speaking as if your work experience reflects every academic institution, as it clearly does not.

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    2. Slinky*

      This is a better solution than her sitting in his office, but it’s still not ideal. Our study rooms are in high demand. If I were a student and couldn’t get a study room because an employee’s wife was using it for 40 hours a week for her remote job, I would be unhappy.

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      1. MCL*

        I was just gonna say… the university’s library’s resources (study rooms, in this case) are for university students, faculty, and staff. Not some person who none of those things, especially if she’s there on the regular. She can go to the public library or figure out a co-working space. The university library should rightly tell her no.

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        1. Guacamole Bob*

          This really varies. I lived in grad student housing when my spouse was in grad school, but was not student, faculty, or staff. A number of the campus libraries were open to the public and I worked there now and then, though I didn’t reserve study rooms and agree that doing so regularly would be inappropriate. During finals they made some of the libraries and study spaces student-only.

          Later, when I was in grad school across the country at a different institution the libraries and campus study spaces were mostly open to the public as well, though in some cases you needed to swipe a badge after a certain hour at night or on weekends.

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        2. Decima Dewey*

          The public library wouldn’t be any happier with Jane using their public computers and/or wifi all day than the university or Jane’s employer would be.

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            1. Coelura*

              Public wifi doesnt’ have sufficient security guards for a company working with confidential data. My employers would fire me over it.

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              1. Guacamole Bob*

                But the library wouldn’t care. Often there are time limits on the public computers and study rooms to ensure more even access, but I’ve never encountered a time limit on library wifi.

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              2. Jj*

                That I understand but I was wondering why would the public library care about people using their resources to work remotely?

                Reply ↓
                1. Decima Dewey*

                  I was posting about people using the public computers. Anyone can use the wifi, but privacy is hard to come by.

          2. Bumblebee*

            That is literally the point of the public library. Still not a good solution for Jane, though, if she needs privacy.

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            2. Decima Dewey*

              Yes, this is the point of the public library. We do what we can with limited resources. Patrons in my system have one turn per branch per day. Sometimes resources are more limited than usual: right now my branch has three public computers out of commission.

              And our wifi isn’t secure. Before Philadelphia took work from home from city workers, we were warned not to access patron records through public wifi–or own or a coffee shop’s.

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  6. Jezebella*

    FERPA requires absolute security regarding student records. Having a non-employee in the office is absolutely a problem. If Fergus needs to meet with students, even more so. This would be like having a random nurse’s wife working at a medical office, despite HIPAA.

    If she needs better internet or there’s work happening at home, she can go to the university library.

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  7. Bilateralrope*

    Hearing that Jane works with confidential medical data makes me think that her employer needs to know. They would know the legalities of Jane doing her work at the university better than anyone at the university.

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    1. soontoberetired*

      Right. I work with confidential medical data from time to time and that cannot be exposed to anyone who has no right to see it. We have locks on the floor where the work is done so you can’t get in without a pass.

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    2. DramaQ*

      Jane should not be in Fergus’ office because of HIPAA there is no way to properly secure her computer. Any student could come in to talk to Fergus and see what is on her screen. There is also always the chance her laptop could end up stolen, we had a string of office laptop thefts where I worked one year (likely either a student or cleaning staff since whoever it was knew when professors wouldn’t be in their offices).

      Fergus works with student information which is FERPA protected. There is no way to fully ensure Jane isn’t seeing student data since she is working right there in his office where he is also working. Where is she going when he has meetings with students?

      If it’s truly a “oh Jane just doesn’t have the ideal set up” or “Well they only have one car so it makes sense she comes with him” situation why can’t she go work in the student lounge? The computer lab? The library?

      It’s a HUGE no no on multiple levels. If their internet sucks, they only have one car, whatever reason we can think of to excuse it the fact of the matter is both their jobs are handling confidential data.

      Both FERGUS and HIPAA have very strict rules regarding where you can and cannot work due to security not only of data but also the equipment/papers you are storing the information on/in.

      If Jane’s set up is not ideal at home the solution is not to bring her to Fergus’ office. She needs to talk to her employer about getting better internet or she should be going into work at her own secure office.

      Both of them are being careless and it could come back to bite them bigly if a student or a patient gets wind of the set up and decides to complain. All the “valid” reasons in the world aren’t going to matter one whit to their employers in that instance.

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      1. HonorBox*

        Your home setup point is spot on. I can WFH some, and if my internet is out or spotty one of those days, I’d never think that going to my wife’s office is a better option than just going to my office.

        It is possible that Jane doesn’t have an office. I have friends who WFH and deal with inbound calls about retirement accounts, and there’s no actual office for them to go into. BUT, if those friends had a time when their internet was out for some reason, you bet your bippy that the company would find a desk for them to do their work versus having them elsewhere.

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      1. Slow Gin Lizz*

        Yeah, this. OP need only concern themselves with their school’s security or liability situation WRT what Jane’s doing; whatever Jane’s employer might be concerned with is none of OP’s business.

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    4. Rex Libris*

      Remote work and confidentiality are pretty mutually exclusive. If Jane’s work is that sensitive, I’d think the employer needs to have her in an office somewhere with controlled access.

      Reply ↓
  8. An Australian in London*

    If this is well-known enough that random students know about it, comments definitely won’t be traced to you.

    To add to reasons already given for why this may indeed be Quite A Big Deal:

    – The university insurance might require that they take reasonable steps to secure the workplace. If keycards are used to sign into this area then almost certainly this is a campus security violation.

    – If people are signing in to this area then an unsigned person won’t be on the list that fire wardens will be working from. (This is one of the reasons most workplaces ask visitors to sign in.)

    – OP mentioned a grad student. If there are undergrads in this building then there may be issues with people without credentials hanging around minors. (I was required to get an AU Working With Children check to be able to work on a university campus.)

    Reply ↓
    1. Ivkra*

      Undergrads aren’t minors, though. Unless the university has a headstart style program, the students should be almost all adults. Even with a head-start program, that would be a serious minority of students, like in the single-digit, percentile-wise; the vast majority are 18 or over, and legal adults.

      And even for the students who might be minors, there’s nearly no difference in how they’re treated on paper. I’ve actually had one or two minors in my class before, and not only was there no additional documentation or credentials required for me, the only note I got was when I double checked that FERPA applied to them (not exactly, because unlike the students who are legal adults, parents of minor college students don’t need their consent to access their records).

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  9. Percy Jackson*

    I did this ONCE when I worked at a university. But it was because my partner needed access to research that was only available in a giant book that I could access at the library, and it was not reasonable for me to carry it home. So he came to work with me one day and worked remotely so he could use the book. Also, my office was within the largest library on campus, so he sat in a public area while I worked.

    And even then, I felt kind of weird, just having my work and personal life intersect so closely. I can’t imagine having him share my cubicle with me on a daily basis.

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    1. academic librarian*

      THIS is an excellent example of when someone unaffiliated with the university should use the library. Your partner was actually using the collection! That’s great! Totally appropriate

      Reply ↓
  10. JFC*

    If it’s not impacting OP’s ability to do their job, then I’d stay out of it. There’s a lot of unknowns here, at least from the letter. Perhaps the university and/or Jane’s employer know about the arrangement and are fine with it. What do you know about Fergus’ office setup? There may be multiple desks or areas that allow them each to work with the confidential material without the other seeing it. It doesn’t sound like Fergus is dealing with students in person very much if his office is in an obscure area and he holds odd hours.

    This is very much in “not your business” territory.

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    1. A Library Person*

      In many situations, this would probably fall under “not OP’s business”, but it sounds like they are aware of a situation that is potentially exposing student records to unauthorized parties. That’s a pretty big deal (and separate desks aren’t going to cover it), and I think that they have an ethical obligation to report it to their manager.

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      1. HonorBox*

        Not to mention that students are bringing it to OP’s attention. While it doesn’t sound like there were questions about it, if students know her and point out that it is happening regularly, it is something the OP should probably know how to speak about.

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      2. Annie*

        Yup. If OP had noticed it herself, maybe it’s not her business and she doesn’t say anything. But if students are coming up to OP and reporting it, she sort of has that obligation to mention it to her manager, just to support the students. It became her business when the students reported it to her.

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  12. E*

    While this is much less weird in academia than in a corporate office (especially if Fergus is faculty – profs often have a ton of freedom) I agree that it’s still strange. I would emphasize being /casual/ in how you bring it up to your boss but probably worthwhile to note.

    I think Jane’s risk to her company is legit but doesn’t seem relevant to how the OP would address.

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  13. HonorBox*

    Aside from the confidentiality concerns from both spouses’ work, I’m stuck on the liability thing. My workplace has a remote work policy that states very specifically that we are allowed to work from home in a dedicated space unless we get prior approval to work elsewhere. So we can’t just move from coffee shop to library back to coffee shop. That enables us to provide insurance coverage should we trip and fall. Or if something happens to our laptop, we’re covered by the company’s policy. I’d be very curious to know if Jane’s company knows where she’s doing her work, from both the confidentiality side and from the insurance coverage side.

    OP, mention it casually to your boss. Just say that you’ve had some students mention that Jane is there working regularly and wanted to see how to respond to them. Maybe everything is on the up and up, your boss is aware, and Fergus and Jane have approval. But if not, they’ll be able to know what they might not already.

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    1. Banana Pyjamas*

      I do think this is the best approach. There’s no reporting so to speak, just a matter of fact question on how to proceed with inquiries.

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    2. samwise*

      The university I work at has the same requirement (usually your home address), although we are allowed to work remotely from other locations if we are travelling, sitting in a hospital room with a family member, etc. We are expected to use the secure vpn in such cases

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  14. H.Regalis*

    Since it sounds like it’s happening on a regular basis and there’s the possibility that he’s running afoul of FERPA or other privacy laws (depending on what country you’re in), then I would mention it to your boss. Violations of those laws can be quite expensive.

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  15. JSPA*

    We have an agreement like this. In particular, when one of us was on sabbatical in a foreign country without much internet service and fluctuating electric supply. “The other of us also gets a desk, surge-protected outlet and internet access to work in silence on different academic topic” was part of the deal. But also, when only the university and a strip of downtown had reasonable internet connectivity.

    Outside of an academic department, this seems like Quite A Lot, barring extreme situations. (Though the world has a lot of extreme situations: stalkers, threats, lack of secure housing, creeps at the coworking space, 6 months of road construction that’s always supposed to be “done in a day or two,” new health issue they’re getting a handle on, etc etc. Heck, even “our internet is screwed up and the service provider has been stringing us along for months.”)

    But universities are so used to the trailing body problem, and so well set up for quite a lot of people passing through the workplace, that if there’s space, there’s often willingness to make that space available for many sorts of visitors.

    In addition , a professor’s office is darn near a fiefdom.

    I knew one prof who set up two octopus tanks on the desk, because the temperature was more steady there than in their home. (Not a marine biologist, not for research.)

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    2. TallTeapot*

      As someone who works at a large, public university and has spent a 30 year career in higher ed, just leave this alone, LW. Is it weird? Yes. Is anyone going to do anything about it? Likely no. But if you do get people to do anything about it or start raising it as “something that needs to be addressed”, it won’t end well for you. Fergus can have his wife work in his office. What his wife’s employer thinks about it, who knows, but I can pretty much assure you that higher ed does not want to get involved with the details about whether or not faculty are allowed to have family members in their offices–especially if Fergus is already working odd hours. I knew faculty who lived in their offices–as in, did not have another residence. I knew faculty who kept private student data laying around in random spots.

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      1. Guacamole Bob*

        I didn’t get the sense that Fergus was faculty – I agree that this would be seen as odd but no one would say anything if a prof did this. I read it as they worked in the financial aid or student life or academic advising or career services office, which makes it much stranger and more likely to be a problem. If it’s an area where you need key cards to get in and/or students may have appointments or stop by (and not for faculty office hours where the person gets to decide when they’re available), then it’s really not appropriate to have someone else working there.

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        1. Ivkra*

          I absolutely assumed Fergus was faculty, simply because faculty do things like this alllll the time (not that that’s an excuse necessarily), and because I struggle to imagine a staff or admin doing this and not getting stopped by their superior immediately. Having worked around universities for many years, and having had a partner who’s been in university admin, faculty members are often extremely entitled, and they’re far less likely to get called on violations of workplace boundaries.

          My partner once used my office to work remotely during a power outage at our house, and I knew several other people who did the same – in our case, she had an interview for a promotion the day the power went down, and we didn’t really have time to find another solution. I’ve also had colleagues whose partners did the same thing, but always as a one-off – during a visit, or something similar.

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      2. NobodyHasTimeForThis*

        I think a lot depends on what Fergus’s job is. My university office has confidential data as 95% of our job and we put a halt to other university staff even using our office as a cut through to other offices. If you don’t have a reason to be in our office, you can’t be here. Because even if you work for the university you only have the right to data you have a need to know.

        OTOH, nobody would probably blink if a faculty member or someone from facilities had someone in their office all the time, but the fact that students notice is problematic. But I am not sure I would make it my problem.

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      3. Mad Harry Crewe*

        > I knew faculty who kept private student data laying around in random spots.

        Yeah, but that’s not good. That’s bad, actually. “A bad thing happened at my university and nobody put a stop to it, so you should ignore it happening at your university” is not the persuasive argument that you think.

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  16. I Have RBF*

    The only valid reasons I can see for this are problems at home:
    * No internet, or super flaky internet that the provider is dragging their feet on fixing
    * A major remodeling project that has workmen in the house, therefore the university is more secure

    I would assume that his manager knows, or should know. If she is on a VPN, then it’s no different from working in a library, except less risk for snooping.

    But, it’s not really in OPs wheelhouse to police this. If her coworker does not meet students in his office, there isn’t a security risk, IMO, especially if they both have privacy screens on their machines.

    Reply ↓
    1. Observer*

      If her coworker does not meet students in his office, there isn’t a security risk, IMO,

      We don’t know that Fergus is not supposed to be meeting students.

      But even if that were the case, he *is* working with confidential student data, which his wife does not have the legal right to see.

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    2. Dust Bunny*

      However, if the information Fergus handles is sort of confidential, where else should he meet students if not in his office?

      Wife needs to work elsewhere.

      Reply ↓
  17. Angstrom*

    One could start by posing it as a hypothetical: “What’s the university policy on having my partner work in my office with me if we’ve got a problem at home?”

    Reply ↓
  18. Redaktorin*

    The sort of people who convince themselves this is a great idea also happen to be the sort of people who will do other inappropriate and boundary-crossing stuff. Personally, I don’t care enough to report anything like this, but if I did, I’d work very hard to be sure it couldn’t be traced back to me.

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  19. The Rafters*

    I can almost guarantee that even if Fergus has permission from the university, wife certainly does not have permission from her employer. This is a BIG deal. I would reach out to HR about this.

    Reply ↓
    1. WellRed*

      But the wife doesn’t work for university. Why would the university care if it’s a big deal? Why would anybody outside of the wife’s employer?

      Reply ↓
  20. Apex Mountain*

    It is odd for sure, but I would stay out of it myself – IMO it’s one of those “not my circus not my monkeys” situations

    Reply ↓
      1. Pretty as a Princess*

        ” we work with confidential student records and so that students can stop by to see us at any time”

        When you work somewhere that you have access to data deemed confidential under the law, you get a LOT of training about how to treat said data and access to it and who you discuss it with. You are EXPLICITLY trained that stuff like this is EXACTLY your circus and your monkeys. Employees with access to FERPA-protected data at a university are required to regularly get refresher training and to attest that they understand and will comply with FERPA requirements. Knowing about this and *not* raising it could make the OP themselves liable if Fergus is committing FERPA violations.

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        1. Apex Mountain*

          LW didn’t mention any of that though. I wonder if either it doesn’t apply in their situation or if they haven’t had the training. Because if it’s so clear cut why would LW need to write in

          Reply ↓
          1. Mad Harry Crewe*

            Because humans second-guess themselves all the time? Because the real world is always a bit squdgier than the security training examples? For the same reason that a ton of the commentariat here is saying to ignore or, or it’s fine?

            Reply ↓
            1. Apex Mountain*

              Well if the commenters (like me) are saying it’s ok it’s because we’re not familiar with FERPA or these regulations.

              Pretty as a Princess made it sound like if you work in the LW’s capacity you are constantly reminded of this and getting training updates, etc.

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          2. Pretty as a Princess*

            They did mention it – right by saying they work with confidential records.

            Believe it or not, unless something is as overt as someone saying “I am going to do some Crimes now” a lot of people will struggle with the sniff test when they encounter something that sets off their antenna about confidential materials for the first time. Because it doesn’t look exactly like the example scenario in their training, or because they think maybe the boss has okayed something and they don’t know if they should make waves, or maybe because they don’t remember specific details of their training (which happens because we are ALL human). And they might seek feedback about how overt something needs to be to set off alarms, to validate their instinct.

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  21. Having a Scrummy Week*

    At my university, it was not at all unusual for professors to bring their spouses in to work or hang out. Unless I was sure that something nefarious is going on, I would just mind my own business with this one. Not your circus.

    Reply ↓
    1. Dust Bunny*

      Except it sounds like both of them handle information that might be sensitive, and students are commenting on it. Fergus’ approachability to students and the privacy of information of patrons of both of their jobs needs to take precedence over coziness or convenience for Fergus and Jane.

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      1. Having a Scrummy Week*

        OP can go speak to Fergus directly about his/her concerns, then. Going to the boss is unnecessary and makes OP look like a narc, unless Fergus can’t satisfactorily address the concerns.

        Reply ↓
        1. Dust Bunny*

          “makes OP look like a narc”

          Oh, come on–it sounds like Fergus should not need this explained to him and if the OP doesn’t have any authority, there is zero reason to go to Fergus first. That’s not tattling–that’s reporting a situation that could be very problematic for the student population that it should be Fergus’ priority to serve. I just don’t think everyone needs extra opportunities to hide situations they shouldn’t have created in the first place.

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  22. Insert Pun Here*

    If you know (or suspect there to be) a FERPA violation here, your institution may actually have policies that require you to report it (mine does.)

    For those not in higher ed: FERPA is no joke. (Think HIPAA but for information that is not, in most cases, quite as sensitive as health info. For instance, a professor confirming that a student is enrolled in a class can be considered a FERPA violation, if the person they tell doesn’t have a need to know.)

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    1. Peanut Hamper*

      As a former teacher, very much this. FERPA is no walk in the park. It is some serious stuff.

      And if somebody finds out that OP knew but said nothing….? That could be serious trouble down the road as well. OP has a duty to report it up the chain of command. If they choose to do nothing, at least OP has covered their bases.

      Reply ↓
      1. Observer*

        And if somebody finds out that OP knew but said nothing….?

        Yes, I was thinking this as well.

        LW, all sorts of cruft, crud and garbage rolls down hill. If the Powers That Be, find out and feel a need to Do Something, guess what that Something is going to be? Your job could really be on the line here.

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  23. Elizabeth Royer*

    To me this is only a problem because of the student confidentiality thing. If it weren’t for that I don’t think it would be a huge deal, of course assuming the spouse is unobtrusive and pleasant. To me the concern about resources feels a little overblown – presumably she’s not going to use a dozen pencils or take up that much bandwidth. To me (again, minus the confidentiality concern) this would fall under the category of things that are technically against the rules but not ethically wrong.

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  24. Observer*

    LW, please keep in mind that your administration is probably going to look for someone to go after if this becomes public. If you warned someone (and can document it), then you should be safe. But otherwise?

    Are you willing to bet your job that you won’t be the sacrificial kid?

    Reply ↓
  25. OP*

    OP here. Thanks everyone for your comments! To follow up on some questions that arose:

    1) Fergus IS supposed to be meeting with students. I don’t know if his wife has ever been there during his office hours, though.
    2) Fergus has a partial work-from-home accommodation (basically, he’s allowed to leave early a few times a week to pick up his child from daycare and is supposed to finish his remaining stuff at home) so if his internet is shoddy, that’s a BIG problem for other reasons.
    3) To my knowledge, there are no renovations happening at home.
    4) Fergus has a small office with a desk and a very small table, so they could in theory work in the same room without looking over each other’s shoulders.
    5) Wife would only be able to use Wi-Fi at the university if a) she connected to the not-very-secure guest Wi-Fi, or b) she’s using his login credentials to access the staff/faculty/student Wi-Fi.
    6) It’s not TOO uncommon in our workplace for parents to bring their kids to work every now and then (school is closed, child has doctor’s appointment, that kind of thing) but they’re always very open about it.
    7) I work in a very small department and don’t think Fergus’ manager knows this is happening.

    Reply ↓
    1. Anne Shirley Blythe*

      Thanks, OP. I hope you will update us if there’s anything worth updating. Primarily because of the nature of each spouse’s work, I think the arrangement is too sketchy.

      I somehow doubt Jane would opt for the guest wi-fi because she needs her work to be secure. If so, this is REALLY opening the school up to legal liabilities big time. Imagine a data breach happening at the school that affects Jane’s work as well. Yikes!

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    2. MistOrMister*

      If I was a student and needed to see Fergus durinf office hours, I would find his wife’s presence to be very offputting. Or if I was a student working in the office and needed to speak to him for some reason, it would bother me if his wife was ALWAYS there. I would certainly say something casually to his boss. Then if its not allowed, they can look into and handle it.

      On another note, I cannot believe for one second that Jane, dealing with confidential medical information, has been cleared by her job to work on public wifi! And if she is using Fergus’ login credentials to use the university wifi without approval from the school that is a whole other issue.

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      2. Dust Bunny*

        Thirding–I don’t even use PayPal on public wifi.

        Also, fortysomething me would barge in there and ask Jane to give us some privacy, but 19-to-22-year-old me would have been very uncomfortable and would have gone without whatever service Fergus is supposed to provide rather than confront an relatively-senior adult who, I would have assumed, was approved to be there. Fergus and Jane shouldn’t get to let that take precedence over Fergus’ job.

        Reply ↓
  26. Bookworm*

    I agree with previous comments that this is a concern due to the student data confidentiality issue. It would be otherwise weird, but the confidentiality thing overrides everything else.

    Reply ↓
  27. Lou*

    I’m generally believe in minding your own business; however, this sets off alarm bells because it sounds like Fergus is trying to hide something (coming in odd hours, not being seen much by the team). I think there are enough possibilities where something bad is happening (at minimum possible information security concerns around student information) that the LW has a responsibility to speak up.

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    1. samwise*

      Nah, faculty have weird hours, and so might Fergus even if he’s not faculty.

      I work in a non-faculty office at a large university. We have a hybrid schedule, but additionally, people may come in early or late for work or personal reasons, be gone for meetings, need to work at home, go across campus to meet someone.

      Weird hours and not seen much do not automatically = up to no good, at least at a college or university.

      Reply ↓
  28. Anne Shirley Blythe*

    If I wanted to speak to my instructor, I might be VERY put off by a third party being there, depending on the reason for my visit. To be fair, the OP did not clarify whether Jane steps out of the office. It’s possible, sure. But also not. I suspect it’s more likely Jane does not want to be spotted in the hallway/break room.

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    1. Lady Danbury*

      Even if she stepped out when a student came in, her presence alone would be a deterrent for many students who might feel like they’re interrupting.

      Reply ↓
  29. Jademelody12*

    I find the different reactions fascinating. When I was in college, I was a student assistant for a professor. I had full access to his office, computer, and gradebook (tells on me for how long ago!), but I did also grade papers for him. His family hung out in his office on a fairly regular basis. (mom working late, so kids hang out with professor while he finishes up his day, sometimes with my support watching them) Should this have been a big deal? I’m genuinely curious now.

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    1. Anne Shirley Blythe*

      Same. Granted I have a firm stance on this, but I still don’t think everyone’s thinking through the ramifications and nuances.

      Different students will have different personalities, of course. If someone had to discuss a sensitive subject (like truly not understanding the reason for a low score or grade) and that person is introverted, I can guarantee you they wouldn’t want an audience (if Jane is indeed there.)

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  30. Decidedly Me*

    My partner’s office is pretty casual and family members typically have their own key cards to the office. It’s not unusual to see a spouse working from there from time to time (I’ve do it myself maybe once or twice a year). There are spaces away from those that work in the office, though confidentiality isn’t a big concern.

    All this said, there are a few spouses that hang around everyday, all day and it comes across very strangely and the sense is that it’s taking advantage of the office benefits. I can’t imagine someone doing that within someone’s personal office, where in person meetings are meant to take place.

    Given the confidentiality concerns here, I’d bring it up to someone.

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  32. Susan*

    I now work in higher education, after a long career in business, and no doubt that has caused some bias. That’s why I hate to say this, but to me this sounds like Sayre’s Law in action.

    Reply ↓
  33. Poison I.V. drip*

    This reminds me of the first office job I had at a large company. We had an entire floor in a large building, but had downsized quite a bit so there was an entire section of office that was just empty cubicles… until one day when one of my coworkers noticed a random person – not an employee – had just set up their own workspace in one of the cubicles. They were quiet and discreet enough that no one noticed they had been doing this for a few months.

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  34. samwise*

    One issue would be a FERPA violation aka Buckley Amendment, which is federal law regarding the confidentiality of student records.

    Just being in the office would not be a violation. If Jane is looking at student academic records, that’s a violation. Practically speaking, however, it would be hard to discover, and it’s not generally something the university itself is going to be looking for, unless it’s massive or egregious or being used for nefarious purposes. It could open the university to a lawsuit from a student.

    It’s one of those things that employees of higher ed institutions are supposed to follow scrupulously. In my own department, the FERPA problem is employees who print out confidential student info (say, a transcript) for legitimate, work-related reasons, but then leave the item at the copy machine, where anyone — including student workers –can see it.

    Reply ↓

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