Advantages And Disadvantages Of Workaholics

There is no widely accepted definition of workaholism. While some (e.g. Shifron & Reysen, 2011) have argued that workaholism is an addiction similar to alcoholism and narcotics addictions, others (e.g. Ng, Sorensen, & Feldman, 2007) have focused primarily its behavioral dimension, namely working excessively to the extent of neglecting other areas of life. For the purpose of this paper, the latter definition will be used, and “work” will be measured by hours spent performing or thinking about job-related tasks. Workaholism is a growing problem in the United States: Robinson, 2001 (as cited in Shifron & Reysen, 2011) found that 25-30% of Americans identify as workaholics, while All Work (2014) highlighted that average annual vacation days per …show more content…
Workaholics cannot simply quit working and expect any benefit (Foster, 2014). Although it is deeply engrained in culture (Foster, 2014), there are some economic methods to help manage workaholism. Arthur and Rousseau (1996, as cited in Ng, Sorensen, & Feldman, 2007) argued that work is becoming increasingly “boundaryless,” i.e. there is less distinction between work and non-work hours. Porter (2001) and Sullivan (1999, as cited in Ng, Sorensen, & Feldman, 2007) found that the increasing use of technology in the workplace encourages workers to be constantly connected to their job; indeed, employees spend an average of 28% of their time checking or responding to email and workers provided with smartphones were found to be more productive than those who were not (Foster, 2014). One way, then, to lessen workaholism is to create boundaries between work and home life. Also, it is essential that managers actively encourage their employees to use all of their vacation time. Overwhelmed America (2014) found that 64% of workers who reported little to no stress also reported that their bosses encouraged them to use their paid time off. Another company policy that may help is a “use it or lose it” policy, meaning that if employers do not use their time off within the year, they are not allowed to keep it. Overwhelmed America (2014) reported that 84% of workers at such companies use all of their annual paid vacation time, but only 26% of employees surveyed identified their employers as having such a policy. Hamermesh and Slemrod (2005) recommended that a more progressive income tax, similar to current taxes on cigarettes, could help curb workaholism, as it is more prevalent among people with higher