Workaholic and How to Overcome It

Most adults have most likely experienced a period when they were too busy with work, so they forgot about other things.

Early adulthood is a transitional period in which someone who previously served as a student then turns into a worker. And for adults, most of their time may be spent working. Even so, that doesn't mean we have to be addicted or workaholic, so we forget other things in life.

Did you know that workaholics or workaholics in this early adult phase can have negative effects, both physically and psychologically? This can happen because workaholism is considered to be able to lead to obsessive-compulsive actions and perfectionism, increased stress and fatigue, conflict between work and family, increased health symptoms (physical and psychological), decreased work performance, withdrawal from family interactions, and difficulties in communicate.

Have you ever felt addicted to work? Come on, let's find out what a Workaholic is.

Workaholic definition

The term 'workaholic' was first introduced by Wayne Oates in his book entitled Confessions of a Workaholic: 'The Facts About Work Addiction' in 1971. Oates defines workaholic as “an addicted to work, an uncontrollable urge or need to work without stopping”.

A similar definition was conveyed by Andreassen, Hetland, & Pallesen (2014), that a workaholic is "caring too much about work, driven by uncontrollable work motivation, and investing so much time and effort into work that it will interfere with other lives".

Most researchers describe workaholicism as “a chronic pattern of excessive indulging in work, long hours, working more than implicit and explicit norms require, and preoccupation with work” (Ng et al., 2007; Porter , 1996; Robinson, 1998; Scott et al., 1997; Spence & Robbins, 1992 in Andreassen, Hetland, & Pallesen, 2014).

Let's look at an example

Zhao Bian Xiang is a respiratory specialist at Yuci District Hospital, Jin Zhong City, China. He was found unconscious while trying to save a patient who had a stroke. The reason why Zhao was found unconscious was because of the rupture of a blood vessel in the city. And after 20 hours Zhao was declared dead. This can happen because Zhao is too busy with his work to forget the rest time. Working without knowing the time and even without rest we are often familiar with the term workaholic.

How to overcome Workaholic?

For individuals who are struggling with workaholics, consider adding the following to your Personal Health Plans (PHP):

1. Make a Concrete Plan

Make a concrete plan to restore life balance. This is important. For example, PHP should emphasize various aspects of proactive self-care, including moving your body and relaxing activities, as well as time with loved ones. Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches are suggested. This may include mind-body techniques, acupuncture, and other approaches.

2. Bring Mindful Awareness

Mindful awareness has the potential to have a positive impact. The most important priority is to explore why someone is working so hard. Is fear involved? Are there feelings of insecurity or insecurity? Was there a childhood role model encouraging this behavior? In a 2017 study of 73 workaholics, they were offered eight weekly sessions of 2-hour meditation training. Workaholic symptoms from the meditation group, job satisfaction, how much they worked, psychological distress, and work involvement had increased compared to the wait list control.

3. Plan Recreation Time

It may be helpful to formally plan leisure time to get guidance from All Trainers or other facilitators.

4. Educate People About Peer Norms

A workaholic may not realize how different their patterns are from other people. How many hours are people in the office after work? Of course, making such comparisons is only helpful if co-workers don't engage in the same dysfunctional work patterns.

5. Seek the Opinions of Family Members and Close Friends

Encourage them to ask their family members and close friends for opinions. This is important, because many workaholics are not aware of how their behavior is perceived by others.

6. Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Involve them in cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help reduce compulsive and "loud" tendencies, as well as increase a person's capacity to enjoy activities outside of work.

7. Improve Interpersonal Skills

Improve interpersonal skills in the workplace. This includes learning to delegate work, as well as working effectively with subordinates. Micromanagement and distrust of co-workers lead to greater dysfunction.

8. Focus on Quality Not Quantity

Focus more on the quality of work, not the quantity of work. Exploring how to be more efficient at work can help some workaholics. Develop the belief through first-hand experience that workers can actually become more efficient if they respect their needs for relaxation time, family time, and general self-care. One study found that executives who worked an average of 52 hours a week were more effective than those who worked more than 70 hours a week.

9. Set Boundaries

Set clear boundaries when away from work. Turn off cell phones, explain when emails will or won't be answered, and don't take your computer (or other device, or documents) on vacation.

10. Be patient

The last point that is no less important than the previous points is Patience. Healing from a workaholic takes patience and time.

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Editorial Team: Muhammad Fakhri Habibie, Siti Nabila Suryaningsih,Triayuni Cynthiana Rahayu, Wardah Widad Hibatullah, Amanah Rizkia , Nada Aisyah Hanum Muchsin, Ade Afnan Nirmalawati

 

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Sources:

- Killinger, B. (2006). The workaholic breakdown syndrome. Research companion to working time and work addiction, 61-88

- Mudrack, P. E. (2004). Job involvement, obsessive‐compulsive personality traits, and workaholic behavioral tendencies. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 17(5), 490-508.

- Putri, C. A., & Soerjoatmodjo, G. W. L. Ketika Bekerja Jadi Candu: Perilaku Workaholic.

- Shimazu, A., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2009). Is workaholism good or bad for employee well-being? The distinctiveness of workaholism and work engagement among Japanese employees. Industrial health, 47(5), 495-502. Workaholic, W. B. P. P., Evita, I., & Jatmika, D. Well-being pada Workaholic