{"id":10295,"date":"2019-08-11T18:18:55","date_gmt":"2019-08-11T22:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ioadvisory.com\/?p=10295"},"modified":"2020-07-07T08:16:50","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T12:16:50","slug":"workaholic-or-job-too-demanding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioadvisory.com\/blog\/workaholic-or-job-too-demanding\/","title":{"rendered":"Are you a workaholic \u2026 or is your job just too demanding?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve worked with many clients who have wondered if they’re already a workaholic or if they’re becoming one. This blog article is a summary of some of those Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and my answers on this topic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q1. These days, many people work all kinds of hours, including some evenings and weekends. Does this mean that they\u2019re workaholics?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

A1.<\/strong> The short answer is no. Some people work long hard hours because they love their work, so they spend a long time enjoying what they’re doing. In other situations, the person feels obligated to work a lot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"workaholic<\/a>Many self-employed people, business owners, and professionals will work a variety of daytime, evening and weekend hours. I know a lawyer who often works very early in the morning from 4 am \u2013 6 am on certain tasks. In exchange for late-night, weekend, and early morning hours, these people may take Fridays off to play golf or tennis, schedule hair or nail appointments during the workday, or take time off when things are slower\/quieter to keep things in balance.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be classified as a \u201cworkaholic\u201d, a person has to have a very strong need for work which has become so excessive that it has a negative impact on their health and well-being, relationships, and social functioning.<\/span><\/p>\n

The distinction between work behaviours<\/em> (that is, working long hours<\/em>) and a person\u2019s mentality<\/em> around work<\/strong> (i.e., a compulsion to work, or what we call workaholism<\/strong><\/em>) is important. Simply working long hours isn\u2019t associated with poor health. In contrast, workaholism is linked to more health-related complaints, sleep disturbances, emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and depression. To be even more specific, health and well-being among workaholics, regardless of how much they love their job, can be impaired.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Q2. Is there a link between being a workaholic and burnout?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"workaholics<\/a>A2.<\/strong> Again, the short answer is yes. Research shows a significant positive relationship between workaholism and burnout (e.g., F. Cheung et al., 2018<\/a>). Burnout is a chronic state of stress that leads to:<\/span><\/p>\n