Work addiction: A real problem in the modern work world

In the modern society, we are expected to have a lifestyle focused mainly in our jobs. In fact, people who leave aside all the other important aspects of their lives to further their career are celebrated. However, is that really a healthy habit? Working hard to grow professionally can be positive, but obsessing over it isn’t. That could lead to work addiction. Being a workaholic can affect negatively people’s life.  

What do you know about work addiction? Are you aware of its symptoms? At T2W, we have an extensive experience in Human Resources services and talent management, so we are familiar with this problem. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the problem of work addiction, how to recognize it and its treatment. 

What is workaholism? 

Despite what many people think, being a workaholic is a series problem. It is characterized by the need to complete all job-related matters regardless of the time, the day or the place. This impulse to work overcomes all the other needs in people’s life. As a result, they end up neglecting aspects such as social relations, healthy eating, mental health, and other important areas.  

Workaholism symptoms 

Perhaps you want to know if your working habits are crossing healthy boundaries. Well, you have to keep an eye on the following symptoms of addiction to work. 

1. Working more than necessary 

All employees have a specific number of hours they have to complete. Being addict to work compels people to keep working beyond those set hours. This is done voluntarily and without the organization requesting extra hours. As a result, the personal life is affected negatively, which lead us to the next sign. 

2. Loss of social life 

Another sign of workaholism is a poor social life. People with this problem don’t usually have solid or close relationships with family or friends. To the contrary, workaholics constantly neglect their social lives to work. For these people, their main social interactions happen in the work environment. 

3. Loss of sleep due to work 

Workaholics usually neglect sleep to prioritize work. In most cases, they sacrifice sleep hours to complete job-related matters. The worst part is that this behavior is detrimental for work. Human beings are not machines; we need to sleep to keep productivity. A person with bad sleep habits is less likely to work effectively. 

4. Fright to fail at work 

Another common symptom of workaholism is a deep fear to fail at work. This can happen due to different causes. Some people are perfectionists and develop an unhealthy obsession with work. As a result, if they fail in their job they start to panic. Other people have been raised in a strict environment of academic success. As a result, they feel stressed when they are not working and they can even have anxiety episodes. 

Workaholism treatment 

Clear limits 

To overcome workaholism, it’s necessary to set strict boundaries to work. Most people have a specific number of hours they need to complete. You have to respect that hour limit every day. If you keep taking an additional hour to cover job-related tasks, you will sacrifice part of your personal life. 

Therefore, all work matters you receive after your working hours should be the priority of the next day, but not in that moment. Here, we talk about emails, text messages and calls that sometimes we receive at night or during weekends. In that sense, the digital disconnection is a factor that modern organizations need to offer for employees’ wellbeing. 

Personal life 

On the other hand, another action to overcome workaholism is creating a healthy balance between personal and professional life. To achieve that, you need to develop your social life. Family and friends are key elements for a rich life. These allow you to keep your mind away from the job and those worries. When these elements are absent, many people tend to delve into work. 

Likewise, it’s necessary to have hobbies that enhance your free time. These have to be related to your personal preferences and create expectation as the time to leave the office approaches. This way, it’s easier to get free from job matters at the correct hour. 

We need to stop idealizing work addiction. This can turn into a real problem and affect severely the life of people. Don’t forget that your job should be only a part of the larger and complex scenario of your life. 

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.