Are you a workaholic?
Maybe you’re a workaholic and you don’t even realize it.
Sure, all of us tend to spend a lot of time either at work, thinking about work, or trying to do work at non-work times. Web Watch has told you numerous times in the past when we’ve taken conference calls while on vacation — that would certainly qualify as a definition of workaholic.
But did you know that there are different shades of workaholism? That’s right – there’s a heirarchy of workaholics.
Workaholics: the Respectable Addicts
At least that’s what Wilmar Schaufeli from Utrecht University has to say — he’s the one who COINED THE PHRASE “ENGAGED WORKAHOLIC”.
So what is an “engaged workaholic”? That’s somebody who works for the sheer joy of it.
Whereas normal workaholics feel the need to work and push hard – motivated by social rewards or bad consequences…. engaged workaholics enjoy their jobs and work a lot because they want to. The thrill is in doing the work, not the rewards or demerits that come from with the typical workaholic lifestyle.
Wilmar’s team did a survey and based on the results came up with three different types of workaholics, along with a definition of slackers.
Two of the workaholic definitions were:
- Classic: motivated by reward/consequences
- Engaged workers: loyal and reasonably hardworking. They truly work hard because they love the job
The study proved that there are some people who work extremely hard at their jobs and have extremely low levels of job-related stress. People who are engaged with their work, finding things interesting and well managed, tend to be happier and healthier than those who constantly worry about whether their job is overwhelming them or now.
It’s all about control as to whether you can be happy at work. Jobs where there is less control and high demands placed on you can lead to an unhealthy environment.
As one interviewee said, “I wouldn’t use the word ‘workaholic.’ I would say I work zealously…. I wish people would find passion again.”