Workaholic: Who Me?
Workaholism is an excessive, compulsive need to work— with resulting damaged interpersonal relationships, health problems, diminished life satisfaction, distorted thinking, and impoverished social relationships.
Workaholism, like any addition, is a need that cannot be met. It’s typical for a workaholic to see her as not functioning as well as other people, and to rationalize the excessive need to work. Others typically see the problem and its consequences, even when the workaholic cannot.
Reportedly, 50% to 80% of all diseases have their origins in stress, and eight of the top 10 causes of death are stress-related. Medical and psychological problems attributable to workaholism have emerged as major health hazards.
More and more people are becoming workaholics and here are some contributing factors:
- The average workweek is now up to 47 hours, 4 more than just 20 years ago.
- Gallup polls show that 44% of Americans call themselves “workaholics”.
- Organizational change (downsizing, mergers, re-engineering) have led to increased worker anxiety about job security, leading many to over-commit in order to demonstrate their value to their organizations.
- Organizations are expecting more from every worker in a downsized, cost cutting environment.
- Technology has increased the speed of just about everything, and instead of creating more free time, has increased the demands on people.
- More people than ever before are working in their own businesses—where there are no boundaries on their time, and no end to things to do.
Defining oneself as a workaholic can be difficult, since the condition itself is not always well-defined. A physician working 70 hours a week may be less of a workaholic than a factory worker working 40 hours a week. The physician may have an active social life outside of work, while the workaholic factory worker may dread the idea of going home after a shift.
For a true workaholic, work becomes a compulsion and possibly even an obsession. Workaholism cannot be measured in raw hours or job satisfaction. A workaholic may or may not find fulfillment through work, but feels compelled to perform nonetheless.
One of the main differences between a motivated worker and a workaholic is perspective. A well-adjusted worker realizes that his job is only one element of his identity. Once the work is done, the workplace is replaced with a fulfilling home life.
For a workaholic, on the other hand, her job title becomes a much larger percentage of her identification. There is no such thing as ‘leaving the workplace’ – there is work and there is a very long break. A true workaholic usually has difficulty dividing work life from home life. Source
- Do you work as many or more than 40 hours weekly?
- Do you sacrifice your personal life and weekends with family and friends to meet job commitments?
- Are you connected with the office when you’re not physically there, checking your BlackBerry or tapping out e-mails on your laptop?
Clearly, the possible risk of work obsession is high if you answered “yes” to these questions. There is a line to be drawn, however, between healthy, ambitious work habits and workaholism. To help pin down your statusCheck the Workaholics Anonymous website for a list of 20 questions.
If pursuing a short term financial goal is more important that assuring a long-term relationship with your partner, children and friends then you need to rethink your priorities. Sure, you might tell yourself that you are working is a necessary part of life. But be honest, is there a balance in the time you spend on both your work life and your personal life? Balance is truly the key.
Here are a few steps to achieve a healthy balance:
1. Slow down - Pace yourself at work and gradually cut down the number of hours you work each day or week.
2. Set boundaries – Avoid radical changes, but take measurable steps, like making it a rule not to work on weekends. (If that means you have to cut your workload proportionally by skipping unimportant tasks or delegating some work, so be it.) Pledge not to take or make work-related calls on weekends or after 9 p.m. and don’t bring work with you where you go.
3. Avoid talking shop over lunch. Go on a picnic or meet an old friend and talk about something unrelated to work.
4. Be sensitive to the needs of your family and friends – Schedule time for your personal relationships and honor those commitments.
5 . Make a fitness plan and stick to it – Get some physical exercise every day. Take a walk, do some stretching, or participate in some other non-stressful, noncompetitive activity.
6. Choose a hobby that contrasts with the kind of work you do. If you work on highly technical mental problems all day, take up a handicraft hobby like woodworking or needlework. If you stay indoors all day, take up an outdoor activity like gardening or bicycling.
7. Refuse to feel guilty when you’re not working. This is the most important step of all and if you can’t master it then get professional help. Workaholism is a symptom that sometimes stems from depression, stress and anxiety, compulsive personality, perfectionism, self-esteem and insecurity issues, marital problems and other things that throw you out of whack. If that’s the case, a therapist can help you develop strategies for managing your problem.
8. Consider a new line of work.
References:
Are You a Workaholic?
Am I Really A Workaholic?
Seven Ways to Cure Workaholism
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19 Comments on “Workaholic: Who Me?”
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Great tips, thanks! Unfortunately, far too many vested interests work to reinforce workaholism. When I was working for Starbucks I sometimes pulled 90-hour weeks (usually 60), and every assistant manager I knew did significant unpaid overtime. Word came from above that underreporting your hours would not be acceptable anymore, so some of us started reporting them. We were all individually pulled aside by our district managers and told to get the same amount of work done, but not report any overtime. “I’ll be checking your timecards” they said, but of course they only cared about the timecards, not the hours we were actually working. Their bonuses depended on it. HQ was actually trying to restore the work/life balance for us, and the regional managers were thwarting that.
WOW! Is that ever sleazy. I can add that to my list of reasons I’m not a Starbuck’s customer.
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My friends who still work there tell me there was a purge a few years ago when Headquarters found out about it. A lot of those regional managers went off to “enjoy other career opportunities” and things don’t work that way now. Now all the workoholism is concentrated in the managers!
That’s interesting. From my own experience I can say that there seem to be workaholics in every trade and profession.
It seems to me that they tend to be perfectionist over achievers who are loathe to delegate their work to others. Some workaholics I have known very well were without doubt obsessing on their work to distract themselves from what was going on at home. Others were obsessed with making money.
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good discription :) . thx 4 this
You’re welcome. :)
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I am a total workaholic! I am grateful that I have a strong work ethic, but know that I don’t enjoy life as much as I could be sometimes. I am a bit of a perfectionist, which I believe is a sign of insecurity, and this gets me down sometimes. I tend to get too caught up in things that don’t matter as much as I think they do. I tend to worry too much about what others think about the job I do, and I think that prevents me from doing my best.
I used to be very physically active and while I was that helped. I am going to form a plan for when I move to Florida, Even if that plan is simply taking a fifteen minute walk around the block each day. I know that will help my state of mind – as long as I don’t worry about work!
@Maria
Hello there. As I read your post I recognize how self-aware you are and how you do strive to establish balance in your life. Reading your post reminds me of the Myers Briggs personality testing http://thistimethisspace.com/2008/06/24/infj-the-most-rare-of-all-the-types/
Have you taken the test? If so, what was the result?
I just wanted to say thanks for this post. I’ve been “joking” for over 10 years now that I’m a workaholic. I’m a good observer, and have noticed the pattern my relationships take… and they always end because I get bored with the person, and am way more focused on my work. I recently lost a relationship that was everything I was looking for– but I didn’t realize it at the time — and I didn’t participate that much in it…. despite wanting to. I didn’t go exploring with her, didn’t do much other than eat together. I’d join her in bed- once I was ready to collapse between 3 to 9am… then I’d be up before her, and back to work.
It was after that relationship, and hearing someone talk about crack-addicts losing their families, jobs, and homes to their addiction… it made me think, and I googled “workaholics anonymous” – it was all articles… and I fit the bill, scoring 100% on every checklist of symptoms. What a shocker. In retrospect, I’m sure everyone that knows me is like “Duh!!! How could you NOT know??” But I’m self employed. I do work that I love (photography, design, websites, marketing, interactive multimedia), and I live to learn… so I learn every day as well. The official site for Workaholics Anonymous did not even show in my search! I’m grateful for your well-written article.
As for me… this harsh reality check just occurred the other day. I’ve decided that perhaps being my own boss may be too much freedom to handle. I don’t like working for other people, so perhaps a new gig that only works during certain hours (such as Day-Trading) is a good start. I’ve already taken the steps to move towards that. I’m fairly happy, and very fit. I exercise daily, and eat healthy. Sleeping normally?? ha ha ha – that’s another story. My older brother says I shouldn’t date until I’ve “fixed myself” – but I think the awareness should be enough, and a new relationship should give me something to do instead of work… as well as something to remind me what’s important. Last year, I traveled around the country, completely based around who’s couch I’m crashing on next (the entire year), and I felt so free and alive.
—-Thanks again
I just wanted to say thanks for this post. I’ve been “joking” for over 10 years now that I’m a workaholic. I’m a good observer, and have noticed the pattern my relationships take… and they always end because I get bored with the person, and am way more focused on my work. I recently lost a relationship that was everything I was looking for– but I didn’t realize it at the time — and I didn’t participate that much in it…. despite wanting to. I didn’t go exploring with her, didn’t do much other than eat together. I’d join her in bed- once I was ready to collapse between 3 to 9am… then I’d be up before her, and back to work.
It was after that relationship, and hearing someone talk about crack-addicts losing their families, jobs, and homes to their addiction… it made me think, and I googled “workaholics anonymous” – it was all articles… and I fit the bill, scoring 100% on every checklist of symptoms. What a shocker. In retrospect, I’m sure everyone that knows me is like “Duh!!! How could you NOT know??” But I’m self employed. I do work that I love (photography, design, websites, marketing, interactive multimedia), and I live to learn… so I learn every day as well. The official site for Workaholics Anonymous did not even show in my search! I’m grateful for your well-written article.
As for me… this harsh reality check just occurred the other day. I’ve decided that perhaps being my own boss may be too much freedom to handle. I don’t like working for other people, so perhaps a new gig that only works during certain hours (such as Day-Trading) is a good start. I’ve already taken the steps to move towards that. I’m fairly happy, and very fit. I exercise daily, and eat healthy. Sleeping normally?? ha ha ha – that’s another story. My older brother says I shouldn’t date until I’ve “fixed myself” – but I think the awareness should be enough, and a new relationship should give me something to do instead of work… as well as something to remind me what’s important. Last year, I traveled around the country, completely based around who’s couch I’m crashing on next (the entire year), and I felt so free and alive. (btw– I’m VERY ENTP on the Myers-Briggs)
—-Thanks again
Hi TimeThief,
These are some great tips to help someone control his or her addiction to work.
I have a completely different point of view being an entrepreneur. My team and I are working 90+ hours a week because we have startup company. As an entrepreneur, you have to put in A LOT of hours without getting any pay at all.
It’s a very tough life. My girlfriend calls me a workaholic all the time. I feel that I have to work these insane hours or else my company won’t succeed. The best part is that I’m not really “working” because I’m having fun while doing it. Therefore, I have fun 90+ hours a week!
@Jun Loayza
I am also a small business person and I can tell you that the 90 hours you put into enjoying work during a week in your 20′s and 30′s may or may not pay off in terms of finances but when it comes to your relationship you will be running a huge deficit. That’s why it’s not surprising to see so many men and women crash and burn between the ages of 35 and 55. It also explains why their marriages and their relationships with their kids are destroyed. IMO you ought to take these tips seriously.
My work hours are erratic in relation to time of year. Because I’m self-employed it all counts on me so I have to put the hours in to get the rewards. The summer can see me working 15hr days, and there is little time for anything else.
I have to take any holiday in winter months which means going further afield to find some warmth.
For the first few years I had to sacrafice some family time which was tough but now I make sure I get more time with them which is good.
Winter equals more free time and I relish it!
Life is not all about work but it’s hard to make a living without being truly dedicated to what you do. It’s a tricky balance and when you are absorbed it’s difficult to realise how to deal with it all.
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