Despite the fact that workaholism has been studied for about 45 years, the current digital world greatly expands the concept of this addiction. Available technologies – smartphones, laptops and tablets – provide the ability to work anytime, anywhere, which for some people means working all the time, anywhere.
The ability to take work home blurs the line between work and play, as many people feel compelled to do work outside of work hours. It's gotten to the point where people are expected to be available in the evening, on weekends, and even on vacation.
The “time – money” makes people think twice before spending the evening with family or friends. The scale of this problem has grown so much that workaholism has become known as the “addiction of the century.”
So, how do you know when a healthy desire to work turns into workaholism? Most researchers define a workaholic as someone who works excessively and uncontrollably and simply cannot stop working. Until now, however, there has been no precise way of differentiating the "industrious person"; and “workaholic”.
Workaholism Scale
Norwegian scientists have identified a number of specific symptoms characteristic of workaholics and created a workaholism scale, which consists of the following seven criteria used to assess the likelihood of a person having a work addiction (workaholism):
1. A person thinks about how to find more time for work.
2. A person spends more time at work than he originally planned.
3. The person works to get rid of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and/or depression.
4. A person does not listen to others who advise or ask to work less.
5. If a person is forbidden to work, he is in a stressful state.
6. The priority for a person is work, not hobbies, recreation, etc.
7. Man works so much
- Workaholics often have the following personality traits:
- conformity – workaholics are often altruistic, compliant and modest people;
- neuroticism – workaholics are nervous, aggressive and impulsive;
- intelligence/imagination – as a rule, workaholics are resourceful and action-oriented.
The Dangers of Workaholism
Despite the fact that some directors and managers are secretly glad that they hired a person who is eager to work day and night, neither the company nor the workaholics themselves benefit from this. According to research conducted in 2013 by Kansas State University, people who work more than 50 hours a week are more likely to develop physical and mental illnesses and disorders.
The inability to take a break from work can initially provide an increase in human productivity. However, over time, productivity begins to decline. As you know, stress tends to accumulate and over time, work addiction can increase health risks and lead to premature death.
Treatment of workaholism
Workaholic – this is not an indicator of the position in society, but rather a serious diagnosis. One of the main problems in the treatment of workaholism is that it is not recognized as an addiction equivalent to alcoholism, drug addiction or gambling. The absence of workaholism as a diagnosis creates problems with insurance coverage for such cases.
The available ways to get rid of workaholism are not much different from the methods of dealing with other addictions. For example, in some countries there are clubs of anonymous workaholics.
Perhaps the best strategy for treating workaholism is to develop an awareness of any workaholism tendencies the person has. It is necessary to track the time devoted to work if it creates problems in a person's personal life. Also, to prevent workaholism, it is recommended to take regular vacations, days off, set healthy boundaries to maintain work-life balance.
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