Workaholism is unhealthy for companies. A call for managers to end the often-praised trait

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Workaholism,Workaholic,Overwork

Workaholism is unhealthy for the individual, their family and friends, and ultimately costs the organization in higher turnover and absenteeism; it is dangerous and foolish

Workaholics are prized by organizations. They seem to be more productive, so their addiction – unlike alcoholism – is viewed positively, even as a model for others to follow. Managers, who do the judging on employee performance, tend to be workaholics, so they have a bias to view workaholism as a shining trait.

Even if you’re not a workaholic, she adds, you are affected by them. Perhaps you are doing more work around the house because a spouse is a workaholic. Workaholics get promoted at the office, becoming models of proper behaviour, and standards for teams can be set by a co-worker who rarely shuts down.

She points to studies of companies that opted for a four-day workweek, which found revenues increasing and turnover decreasing in the trial period when they were measured. That could be resulting from the Hawthorne Effect – people modifying their behaviour in a test period – but it’s intriguing. What contrary data do you have that workaholism is helping your organization?

In seeking change, you want to move deliberately, treating it as a long process of incremental improvement, rather than attempting too much initially. As well, get input from employees rather than making it a top-down effort.

 

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