Articles
Work
Addiction: The "Acceptable" Method
of Avoiding Emotions
By:
Denny Holland, Ph.D.
We
are a “doing” culture that admires accomplishment.
Unfortunately, we often achieve at the expense of health,
relationships, safety and productivity. Even the community suffers as
we spend longer hours at work and devote less time to community
service and other volunteer activities (See, for example, Bowling
Alone by Putnam). Some individuals, however, are not
necessarily the victims of our demanding 24/7 society. Instead they
suffer from work addiction, a form of process addiction that looks
much like obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Work addiction
results in a mood change gained by staying at work to accomplish yet
another task. This addictive behavior can be co-morbid with mood
disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and even contribute to
suicidal ideation. Unfortunately, acceptance, even admiration, of work
addiction is common in our “doing” society. It often becomes the
“acceptable” method of burying emotions and avoiding
relationships.
Individual
motivations leading to work addiction include low self-esteem, “mid
life” crisis, depression, unresolved childhood issues, compulsive
personality and an unhealthy equation of self-worth to performance.
Work addicts cross that fine line between appropriate achievement and
a compulsive, driven and often cheerless approach to work. Work
addicts are actually inefficient priority abusers who frequently waste
time through procrastination and indecisiveness. Work becomes the drug
of choice for these addicts who use excessive work to mediate
emotional pain, control life, and anesthetize unpleasant feelings.
Work addicts appear to be dedicated employees, but instead are subtly
selfish addicts whose dedication may be attempts to gain approval or
control.
Organizations
may act as the “pusher,” much like other dysfunctional systems
that enable addictions. This occurs when organizations value time on
task rather than outputs by attempting to throw time at problems. Work
addicted employers encourage emulation, especially among employees who
confuse activity with results. As a result, organizations suffer
because work addiction impedes innovation, creativity, and critical
thinking. Organizations and individuals should both ask: “at what
point does work become an unproductive compulsive behavior
lacking both joy and meaning?”
COSTS
The
costs to individuals include health and safety risks, inefficient work
behaviors, cognitive problems, disrupted relationships and symptoms
similar to other addictions (e.g., rigid thinking and progressive
involvement). Individual health costs may represent the most
significant risks. For example, failure to address disease symptoms,
lack of proper diet and exercise, suppressed immune system,
inappropriate coping strategies for stress, and reduced overall
quality of life. Safety risks to individuals result from decreased
physical and cognitive reaction times due to fatigue, distraction, and
lack of focus.
Organizational
costs include reduced alertness, safety problems (most industrial
accidents result from badly managed stress), absenteeism, higher
health costs, increased errors and diminished productivity. Moreover,
personality problems, such as work addiction, can create volatile and
difficult to manage work issues. Harrison and Horne (2000) make a
compelling case in describing the effects of fatigue and extended
hours on productivity, creativity, overall communications and safety
SOLUTIONS
Balance
is the key to managing both our work and personal lives. The following
tips may help restore that balance.
Personal
Strategies
-
Set both realistic and
flexible goals at work and in your personal life.
-
Create and honor
healthy boundaries.
-
Develop and maintain
relationships and networks, especially outside of work.
-
Practice a healthy
lifestyle through exercise, proper diet, relaxation techniques,
and fulfilling hobbies and
interests.
-
Practice moderation.
-
Seek spiritual and
emotional healing
Professional Strategies
-
Review your job
description
-
Discuss your duties
with your supervisors.
-
Don’t confuse
activity with results.
-
Practice
assertiveness.
-
Prioritize your
activities.
-
Don’t be afraid to
ask for help.
It
is in the best interest of organizations to encourage a healthy
approach to work. Managing a balanced and productive work force
requires emphasis on outputs rather than inputs or activities. Unfortunately,
many organizations often reward activity and time-on-task at the
expense of actual output and creative innovation. Organizations need
to reframe the work ethic and support employees in working smarter
rather than longer. The effective employer is careful to reward
production, not addiction. Who would you prefer as an employee – a
burned out addict or a balanced and creative innovator?
Finally,
ultimately this rush to do more may have more significant impact on
overall health than we realize. Again, balance is the key to human
physical and emotional well being. Balance includes proper rest, time
for family, and time for ourselves. Have you ever heard anyone on
their death bed express the wish that they had spent more time at
work?
