work-life balance

Are You a Workaholic?

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Tired and exhausted workaholic woman sleeping on desk in office.

Are you a hard worker? Or do you take it a step farther? Is it possible that you’re actually addicted to your work?

Researchers at the University of Bergen have investigated the nature of workaholics. Based on what they learned, they created a Work Addiction scale. According to this scale, you may be a workaholic if you always (or often) experience the following: 

  • You think about how you can free up more of your time to do work.
  • You spend more time working than you intend to.
  • You work in order to deal with feelings of helplessness, anxiety, guilt, and/or depression.
  • Others have told you that you should cut back on the amount of work that you do.
  • You feel stressed if you are unable to work.
  • You no longer participate in leisure activities that you used to enjoy.
  • You work so much that you’re making yourself physically ill.

If these statements ring true for you, then you may be a workaholic. And you might want to consider trying to adjust your lifestyle. Because even though you may feel like you’re being really productive at work, research has shown that over time, workaholics tend to become less effective and productive. They also tend to suffer from health problems, as well as feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction.

If you think you might be a workaholic, and you’d like to change your ways, start keeping track of how much time your spend working and when your work might be interfering with your personal life. Once you’re aware of the impact that your work has on your life, you can start to make some changes. For instance, you might decide that you’ll no longer check your work email after leaving the office, you’ll limit the number of hours that you spend in the office, and you’ll take regular vacations. Anything that you can do to restore your work-life balance will help you to feel healthier, happier, more relaxed, and more fulfilled.

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Morin, E. (2014, September 18). 7 signs you may be a workaholic. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/09/18/7-signs-you-may-be-a-workaholic/#379d730d70d7

Are You an Integrator or a Separator?

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Integrator

Technology has changed the face of the modern workplace. It’s no longer uncommon to get work-related texts, calls, and emails in the evenings and on weekends. The line between work and home is blurry and indistinct. This suits some people just fine – but can make other people feel stressed and unhappy.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Sue Shellenbarger suggests that there are two types of people in the workplace:

  • Integrators – These are the people who are able to seamlessly combine work and home activities. They don’t mind sending out emails and taking calls while stuck in traffic or sitting on their couch in the evening. They’re good at multitasking and don’t feel the need to have separate, personal time.
  • Separators – These are the people who see work-related texts and emails as an intrusion into their personal time. They want their work and home lives to be separate – and when work intrudes, they react negatively.

Unfortunately, there can sometimes be conflict between these two types of people. Integrators might think that Separators aren’t dedicated enough. (If they’re willing to work on weekends, why aren’t their coworkers?) Meanwhile, Separators can see Integrators as demanding and intrusive.

So what can be done to bring peace and harmony to the office? Well, both types of people feel happiest when they can control when and how they get their work done. Integrators love to multitask, and shouldn’t be prevented from sending out late-night emails. But they also have to be respectful of the other people that they’re working with, and not expect to get an immediate response. Separators need to keep their home life and their work life separate. So they should be clear about what they consider to be “personal time” and let their colleagues know that they’ll be unavailable during these periods.

 

Shellenbarger, S. (2016, March 29). Late-night work email: Blessing or curse? The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/late-night-work-email-blessing-or-curse-1459275326?tesla=y

 

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