Workaholism

Workaholics not only work hard but they have an out of control need to work, often to achieve a sense of control or to get away a fear of failure, closeness or dullness. Previous year, Dr. Cecilie Schou Andreassen, a psychology professor at the University of Bergen, and her team developed the initial standardized tool to measure workaholism. The Bergen Work Addiction Scale asks whether the individual works so much it harmfully affects their health, becomes stress if they are forbidden from working or works to cope with difficult feelings, among other questions.

Other revealing signs of workaholism include:

• Sneaking in email, phone calls or other work when loved ones aren’t looking
• Feeling not capable to relax
• Frequently working more than planned
• Feeling a regular need to stay busy
• Not at all using vacation or sick time
• Engaging in substance abuse and other harmful coping mechanisms

Of course, workaholics may not be able to identify these  signs in themselves or may be not keen to change. It is often up to worried family members and friends to get involved with them.

The Negative Side and causes of Workaholism

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

 But in the present financial environment,

do anyone care if Jack is dull?

So long as he’s hard-working and industrious, his employer is pleased that Jack dedicate all of his time and energy to work. Although his problem may be unnoticed by his employer and outsiders who greed his success, his family and friends are sure to notice.

Similar to other addictions, mistreated spouses, children and other loved ones are often the first to sense a work addiction. Ironically, workaholism also a risk the employment relationship because the workaholic is prone to burnout or, despite putting in ungodly hours, works incompetently or unhelpfully.

Finally the workaholic loses interest in leisure pursuits and socializing, as a substitute spending every free moment thinking about or doing work. The constant stress and carelessness to their own needs for food, exercise and sleep boosts their risk of heart disease, digestive disorders and other bodily health problems as well as depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. Study shows that working more than eight hours a day translates into a 40 to 80 percent higher risk of heart disease.