Confessions of a Workaholic
“I am Sanjay. I am 29 and currently work in a MNC with a decent (yes, I can only call it that!) salary. I am extremely ambitious, an achiever and a sort of perfectionist. I love my job. My bosses love me! In fact, I don’t know whether I work to live – or live to work. I have not taken a long leave for the last 9 years of my career. I have 140 accumulated privilege leaves – the highest in my organization!
Oh, yes! My Family used to complain and have now given up. I am young, just married, I feel, this is the age to work, even slog… to make that dream come true. I have frequent body-aches, and acidity sometimes, otherwise I have no other health problems!”
If you have a similar confession, then you might be a workaholic yourself. With our entire school and college life focused to get good marks in order to get a good job, and constant efforts at work to do better, we often do not realize when work is taking over life…..
There some signs that you notice-you are always the last one to live the office, the one who looks forward to deadlines, and one who is subtly told by the peers to ‘not make it difficult’ for them..
Then there is your own body which is a ‘pain in the neck’ literally. It is telling you that all is not well by the chronic acidity problem and the headaches you suffer from.
If you by now are nodding your head vigorously, we know you suffer from the workaholism. For the others who aren’t that familiar….
Workaholics are those whose life seems to be ruled by work and so much so that it affects their social and private lives.
Workaholism can stem from the identifying self with work. With recognition for work comes improved self worth. Without work the identity is lost thus the person cannot be seen away from his work.
A Respectable trait?
Since our work culture prefers hard workers over casual workers it tends to encourage workaholism. Workaholics also themselves do not necessarily feel that it is an unhealthy trait until they get a jolt, like a break up of a relationship or a health trouble.
Organizations have to wake up to the fact that workaholism is detrimental to good working conditions. Workaholism leads to having individuals with lopsided lives where all the focus in on work and which eventually affects their work life too.
Organizations needn’t only look out for good work ethics in the employees; they should also check whether the company policies are causing workaholism in individuals.
You are a workaholic …
! If you are always thinking of work even on weekends or with the family.
! If you have trouble delegating as you don’t trust the quality of other people’s work.
! You organize reminders for all your appointments but forget your wife’s birthday.
! You are usually one of the last ones to leave office.
! At 6.00 pm you are planning work for the remaining part of the day
! If your family members complain that they see very little of you.
! If you don’t remember the last time when you did an activity other than work.
! If you are energetic and competitive at work but lethargic and depressed at home.
! If work occupies your mind when you are driving, about to sleep and when others are talking.
The Difference between being Passionate and being Workaholic
People who are highly motivated and who get pleasure from work tend to work harder than the rest. Also they do not feel compelled to work. Hence, the anxiety, the stress and the withdrawal symptoms of a workaholic are missing here.
Workaholics are not always working because they enjoy it but because they can’t keep themselves away from work. They feel lost without work. They are addicted to the adrenaline rush that work gives and are seen in high stress and high pressure jobs.
