The Problem with Workaholics
By Professor Joe Roberts
July 5th is Workaholics Day, and it is likely that even though it is a federal holiday in the United States this year, there are many who will check their work emails, message co-workers and complete projects during their time off.
Some CEOs and managers may feel secretly giddy when they’ve hired someone who is willing to work all hours of the day and night, including on holidays. But in the long-term, it hurts companies — and individuals. It can create conflict in the workplace, have long-term impacts on productivity and has inherent dangers for the employee and his or her family.
(See the quiz at the end of this column to see if you are a workaholic).
A 2013 study by Kansas State University found that people who work more than 50 hours per week were likely to suffer both physical and mental health consequences.
The inability to detach from work may initially appear to result in increased productivity. Over time however, productivity decreases and relationships breakdown, creating more stress and conflict in the workplace and reducing creativity. The stress takes a cumulative effect and eventually the addiction to work can increase health risks and even contribute to premature death.
Working long hours also sets up an interesting dynamic. The more people work, the more money they earn. But the longer hours reduce the amount of leisure time available to enjoy spending some of the money. Without even realizing, life can quickly become all work and no play if you’re not careful.
“The Key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities” — Stephen Covey
A study conducted by Norwegian researchers from the Department of Psychosocial Science at the University of Bergen, identified specific symptoms that are characteristic of workaholics found the following.
This study concluded that a significant portion of workers in Norway are workaholics. About 8.3% of the Norwegian workforce is addicted to work. Other studies have had similar results, suggesting that about 10% of the average population in other countries are workaholics.
People identified as workaholics often ranked high in terms of these three personality traits:
· Agreeableness — Workaholics are more likely to be altruistic, compliant and modest.
· Neuroticism — Workaholics tend to be nervous, hostile, and impulsive.
· Intellect/imagination -Workaholics are generally inventive and action oriented.
The study found that younger workers were most likely to be workaholics. Gender, education level, and marital status did not seem to play a role. Parents, however, were more likely to be affected, compared to those without children.
With the recent pandemic, early studies suggest that more people are becoming workaholics.
As the workforce in the US and other nations are returning to work after Covid, there are signs that indicate that workaholism is more of problem now than before. Covid forced all of us to work virtually from home. Though there were some instances when we did have to go to our offices to go through mail and so on, we were able to work from home. For workaholics working from home meant that they can ignore their families and home life.
A workaholic finds an excuse to do more work whether they work from home or the office. The Management and Leadership program at Webster University includes in its coursework topics and lessons on work-life balance and the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with one’s career and work needs. Students in the M&L program state that Covid has tipped the scale for some of them towards becoming workaholics.
There is no one size fits all recipe for curing workaholism, but there are several behavior modifications that one can explore to manage this addiction to work and burnout and lower productivity with personal and professional lives.
QUIZ:
Are you a Workaholic? Do you know that you maybe one and you may not know it?
Take this opportunity to learn about this very harmful and serious condition.
According to Forbes Magazine, the following are the 7 signs that you may be a workaholic.
1. You think of how you can free up more time to work.
2. You spend much more time working than initially intended.
3. You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and/or depression.
4. You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
5. You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
6. You deprioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and/or exercise because of your work.
7. You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.
If you answered with “often” or “always” to any of these points, you may be a workaholic.
References:
Elevate Magazine: https://www.ellevatenetwork.com/articles/10736-being-busy-is-nothing-to-brag-about-covid-19-workaholism-is-real
Forbes Magazine: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/09/18/7-signs-you-may-be-a-workaholic/?sh=4a0cc26170d7
Kansas State University study: https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/aug13/workaholics82213.html
University of Bergen study: https://www.uib.no/en/news/80026/workaholism-addiction-century
Workaholics-Anonymous.org: https://workaholics-anonymous.org/
Dr. Joe Roberts is the Faculty Lead for the Management and Leadership Program and teaches entrepreneurship and small business management courses in the Walker School of Business & Technology, Webster University. He also serves as director of the Center for Innovation and Professional Development at Webster University.
