Most people take pride in their work and strive to improve themselves professionally. But there are some who take work to the extreme. They work longer hours and have an attitude that nothing is impossible when it comes to their career. They sacrifice and make their profession a priority in their lives. For these people nothing is more important than their career. It may seem like such employees are favored but there are some hidden dangers in being a workaholic or extreme worker. How can you recognize if you are one and what risks are there if you are one?
How to Recognize if you are a Workaholic
For people who are workaholics sometimes it is easy to recognize in yourself and sometimes not. There are those who discount others’ comments and think their schedule is normal. Then, there are those who fully recognize that they work longer and harder than others. If you are unsure, consider some of the signs of being an extreme worker:
- Do you work long work weeks? If your typical work week is Monday through Friday but you see yourself working weekends this might be an indication of a workaholic. Forty hour work weeks are unheard of and work weeks that push the triple digit hours are more likely.
- Do you bring your work home with you? Do you even go home? If you work ten or more hours each day on a regular basis then you may be a workaholic. If you are always plugged in to work and even if you go home continue working from your home office then you might be an extreme worker.
- When is the last time you took some time off? If you can not remember the last time you took a significant break from work or you have so much vacation time accumulated that your human resources department is about to force you to take some time than you may be a workaholic.
Problems of the Workaholic
Those who are workaholics often think there is nothing wrong. But generally there are some problems that may not crop up until later but eventually will appear. Many of the issues are personal in nature but they can spill over into the professional side and become the employer’s problem also. Some issues extreme workers face are:
- There is no time for proper nutrition or exercise therefore the employee’s health suffers
- Relationships with friends and family suffer because there is little time outside of work related activities for anything else
- There is little enjoyment of their job, considering it a chore instead of an enjoyable career
- Personal advancement suffers with all concentration of efforts going to the job and none to outside endeavors
- Children’s achievement suffers due to a lack of attention from the parent
Employers Beware of the Extreme Worker
At first glance it may seem desirable for an employer to hire an extreme worker. After all any problems that occur directly affect the individual and is not the problem of the employer, right? Actually, a lot of the issues that occur with workaholics have a direct impact on the job eventually. Employees whose health suffers because of extreme work may find they cost the company more money in increased insurance premiums. Or, they may eventually need a lot of time off in order to deal with ailments.
Employees who have issues with personal relationships may have a lower sense of self esteem. They may see themselves as failures in their personal life which may make them depressed. This may have a direct result of an inferior work product as the quality of work declines as the employee cares less and less. Ultimately, though, the employee who is unhappy because they are too driven in work will recognize the problem and look for other opportunities. Even if the company is not the one encouraging extreme work, the employee will often feel to change they need to make a fresh start.
So, employers should recognize employees who are workaholics or extreme worker. The employer can help by encouraging time off and putting an emphasis on a work and personal life balance.
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