Workaholics and surprising fact about their health

Do leaders in their time recognize “special” employees when they spend more time on work than necessary? And when not in the office, is work their only concern? If a leader sees that, chances are these employees are workaholics, and this is not a good sign. But surprisingly, the most recent studies show that workaholics are good for their health.

Who are Workaholics?

The definition of workaholics has appeared many years ago, mainly based on the motivation, cognition, emotion, and behaviors of workaholics to accurately identify their desires at work. There are many reasons for overwork:

• Motivation: Workaholics are often very different from colleagues in the company. They simply feel really engaged with their work. Sometimes workaholics are defined as they do not like their work – they are forced to do it under the pressure of their superiors or their peers. In other words, they work because they feel they should and they have to.
• Cognition: Workaholics always think about work even when they are not working, and they find it difficult to control their minds without thinking about work.
• Emotion: These workaholics have negative emotions like anxiety and guilt when they don’t work
• Behavior: Workaholics tend to do much of the organization’s expectations for them

The types of workaholic come mainly from many different factors: Internal needs, external factors, personalities, and other things.

What makes a person become a workaholic?

The most reasonable and feasible explanation of the origin of workaholics comes from the feeling of wanting to satisfy any of their individual psychological needs, such as the need to compete with peers. Workaholics may devote more time and effort to working, considering it as an effort to feel confident when competing directly with their peers, especially when they feel they are not good enough in the field they are participating in. In addition, there are other deep causes that make a person become Workaholics. It may be the only way for them to feel relieved from negative emotions and other external pressures. Some other theories all agree that there is an impact from the outside environment on the mind of workaholics, such as working in industries that require high concentration like doctors or lawyers.

Continuous working time is one of the main factors that make them workaholics

Is the trend of Workaholism really affecting health?

There are many opinions and hypotheses that raise concerns that spending a lot of time in the office can create stress and make workaholics increase the risk of health problems. However, based on a recent study, this is not so simple.

The authors of the study summarized and monitored the health reports of about 763 employees in an international consulting firm and examined the number of hours they worked during the week. After that, these employees will be examined with their attitudes about work, the tendency to become a workaholic, and complaints about their health. Besides, the authors also conducted a number of objective tests to see metabolic syndrome, one of the signs of heart disease as well as the genetic review of these employees.

After the study, the authors found that participants spent a little more time working than their colleagues without complaints about their health status. People who work over 42 hours a week also do not have these health problems. However, there is a group of workaholics who are reported to have health disorders such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, indicating that working for long hours is not the main cause of health problems. Then, what is the common point of this group? They are forced to work even if they do not like them and feel they do not have “engaged” at work.

In contrast, workaholics who are reported to feel engaged work tend to be healthier than the research team expects. The authors hypothesize that although workaholics feel attached to work, they may experience health problems in the short term, but in the long term, they get used to and overcome, even withstand pressure. higher force than others. For example, a workaholics favorite of work after finding some headaches will start to relax or go to a doctor immediately. In contrast, workaholics that do not love work will feel anxious and guilty if they take leave to seek medical care, so the potential health risks increase because they are not treated properly.

Workaholics show better health if they enjoy working

What should businesses do?

The authors suggest businesses should train their managers to intervene in time when they see their subordinates feel unhappy with the work they are doing. A previous study found that employees would feel more engaged in their work if they received feedbacks and felt closer relationships with their peers or superiors, thereby confidence in the head with more challenging tasks.

When the demand for work is high and limited between office-home is no longer in an era when people communicate with just one message, the health effects of workaholics are a concern. However, if you have enough knowledge, businesses can completely cut this problem, which can reduce the rate of absenteeism, turnover and health costs for employees.

According to Academy of Management

PRIMUS – TOP MANAGEMENT JOBS ONLY