{"id":2968,"date":"2021-12-28T13:07:36","date_gmt":"2021-12-28T13:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/?p=2968"},"modified":"2022-01-07T09:06:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T09:06:06","slug":"how-to-identify-and-cure-workaholism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/how-to-identify-and-cure-workaholism\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Guide to Identifying and Curing Workaholism"},"content":{"rendered":"

The term \u201cworkaholic\u201d is frequently misused nowadays. Simply clocking in a 50-hour workweek doesn\u2019t qualify you as one. In fact, the problem is much more nuanced.<\/p>\n

Often people need to work for one reason or another\u2014debt, goals, dreams, and aspirations. Workaholism is less of a choice and more of compulsion, stemming from a wide array of psychological and neurochemical factors.<\/p>\n

In this blog post, we\u2019ll explore what it means to be a workaholic, what you should do about it, and how you can help your peers that suffer from it.<\/p>\n

Let’s dive right in.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

<\/span>The signs of workaholism<\/span><\/h2>\n

As we mentioned previously, working hard isn\u2019t precisely what workaholism is. Instead, it’s a more pathological and unhealthy relationship with work. People who suffer from it often appear uneasy, impatient, and fidgety while living their life outside work. They typically find it hard to organize their life or even think about doing so. Another common problem they face is an unhealthy disregard for their quality of life and their relationships with friends and family.<\/p>\n

That said, workaholics are not by default good at what they do. Because they tend to work long hours, very rarely choose to delegate work, and expend high amounts of effort, they aren\u2019t necessarily as productive as one may assume. This professional perfectionism often makes them fairly inefficient.<\/p>\n

While this phenomenon isn\u2019t exactly well-defined in modern psychology, there are a few parameters that are universally agreed upon\u2014the signs and symptoms of a workaholic.<\/p>\n

Below, you\u2019ll find six questions that will help you understand whether you have an inclination towards workaholism:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Do you consider work to be the most important thing in your life?<\/li>\n
  2. Does your mood improve at first once you start working?<\/li>\n
  3. Do you feel like you work longer hours or achieve more to be satisfied?<\/li>\n
  4. Do you feel uneasy or fidgety when you\u2019re not working?<\/li>\n
  5. Do you debate with yourself or people close to you about whether you are working too much?<\/li>\n
  6. Have you ever tried working less but failed to do so?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Psychologists still debate over whether workaholism is an actual addiction. What is for sure is that it\u2019s an unhealthy and compulsive behavior. If you happen to answer \u201cYes” to most of the questions above, it\u2019s fair to assume that you may be suffering from a form of workaholism.<\/p>\n

    \"Work<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Work engagement vs. work obsession<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Being really passionate about work isn\u2019t necessarily a sign of workaholism. It\u2019s important to differentiate between people that are engaged with their work and those that are addicted to it\u2014the two are very different behaviors.<\/p>\n

    Interestingly, in order to differentiate between the two, we have to direct our attention to the things that surround work. Both work engaged and addicted people can be equally productive. The difference is how their work impacts their quality of life. Simply put, workaholics suffer from a compulsory need to work. They aren\u2019t necessarily driven by a healthy passion for what they do.<\/p>\n

    The modern-day conversation about workaholism is in an uncanny spot. On the one hand, this condition has been significantly watered down over the last few decades, in part due to the misuse of the term \u201cworkaholic\u201d along with a wide array of other factors. As a result, this kind of blurred the line between healthy work engagement and an obsessive and destructive desire to work. On the other hand, research dating back to 1996 suggests that approximately one in four people<\/a> show signs of workaholism. Both of these perspectives make talking about workaholism pretty complicated.<\/p>\n

    But there\u2019s more: unfortunately, there\u2019s no unified definition of what workaholism is from an academic standpoint. You may be thinking, \u201cOkay, so how do I identify workaholism in myself or the people around me?\u201d.<\/em> The answer always goes back to observing their quality of life, the quality of their relationships with the people around them, and how their work deteriorates the two.<\/p>\n

    There are quite a few psychological tests one can take to identify a potential work addiction. Unfortunately, workaholics are often inclined to brush off the idea of taking one for a variety of reasons. However, if you feel like you might be suffering from this condition or you\u2019re able to convince a potential workaholic to take one, you\u2019ll find a variety of such tests in one of the sections below.<\/p>\n

    \"Symptoms<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Common symptoms of workaholism<\/span><\/h2>\n

    There are a few common things that could help you identify work addiction in yourself and the people around you. Typically, these symptoms are the result of the inability to stop working\u2014burnout, anxiety, depression, and a whole host of mental health issues.<\/p>\n

    There are different groups that are especially prone to this addiction, but the ones that stand out are people suffering from perfectionism and impostor syndrome. These issues often cause them to work very long hours until the point where their jobs are the center of their attention, and also the thing that causes them to lose sleep, both of which can result in a wide array of harmful consequences like irritability, guilt, and a sense of dread.<\/p>\n

    \"Tests<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Tests and quizzes to identify work addiction<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Please bear in mind that taking these tests on your own should not be treated as a definitive assessment. Ideally, they should be analyzed by and taken with a trained specialist. More importantly, some of these tests feature measures that lack a solid theoretical foundation and are still debated among professionals. Treat these as a personal assessment of your wellbeing and under no circumstances use them to confirm or disconfirm work addiction.<\/p>\n

    The work addiction risk test (WART)<\/h3>\n

    The WART test is created around the typical symptoms that workaholics experience. This is a very straightforward, 25-item test that is based on the Likert scale (ranges from 1 to 4, where 1 is never true and 4 is always true).<\/p>\n

    The WART test revolves around the following factors:<\/p>\n