Nowadays people live always in a rash. They want to have more and more money, but they don’t want to enjoy their life. It’s a rat race. Everyone wants to be the first, the best. Everyone wants to earn a lot of money. That’s why people work so hard and so much. Because of rat race appears new addiction- workaholism - the addiction for work, career, or a belief that they are “the only one who can do the job right.”
Who are workaholics?
The workaholics are the people, who are addicted to work. They often don’t enjoy their work, but rather simply feel compelled to do it. There is no generally accepted medical definition of such a condition, although some forms of stress, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder can be work-related. The term was apparently coined by psychologist Richard I. Evans, currently professor of psychology at the University of Houston.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workaholic)
The workaholics are the people, who are addicted to work. They often don’t enjoy their work, but rather simply feel compelled to do it. There is no generally accepted medical definition of such a condition, although some forms of stress, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder can be work-related. The term was apparently coined by psychologist Richard I. Evans, currently professor of psychology at the University of Houston.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workaholic)
(http://www.yunasville.com/img/Fabulous/workaholic.JPG)
It’s a very interesting film about workaholics in America. It shows that people are overworked and stress. They don’t know what free time is, they don’t want to have in. Workaholics will spend most of their lives at work or taking work home with them. They will often have little time for personal lives - family, hobbies, or relaxation. They also don’t want to have vacation.
I suppose that it isn’t problem only in America. In all countries, there are people, who never take a break.
Nowadays, more and more people become workaholics. The reason is bigger competition on the labour market. In the world more people have studies, if you want to achieve success, career you should have not only good qualifications, skills but also predisposition, appropriate personality. Employers expect devotion.. So, if you want work in place, that you dream about, you should strive for this success. Next, your employer knows that you are good, so he sets bigger requirements than earlier. So, you are working and working, you want to be the best, you consider work to be the most important thing in the life. Subsequently, you put away family, hobbies, passion on the background…
ReplyDeleteDoubtless workaholism is addiction, which grows in the rapid pace. The best form on therapy this kind of addiction is cognitive therapy, which consists on the change views and show that if dependents don’t work all the time, it wont be something wrong. The second appropriate therapy may be behaviour therapy, which helps to change habits…
For me, the worst thing in being a workaholic is spending all your time at work and not even noticing you're wasting all your life. How long will it take before the person realises that it's too late for making friends, familly or developig his cultural hobbies? He already has friends and familly? That's even worse, because he is certainly neglecting them. For kids having father only in pictures and sometimes on weekends, like some distant relative, it is a disaster.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, I have many friends that while studing, make a decision about having 8 hour job in peacefull department, finishing work at 4 p.m. and leaving all the jobs matters at work, where it belong. It's very important to devide your life into work and home life, what's more, never mixing those two spheres.
Thank God, I'm not a workaholic! In my opinion worst thing in being addicted to your work is that you don't have time for the most important issues like family and friends. It's crucial to find balance between work and personal life. When it's time to work- we should do it. But when we finish it- just leave it behind and live true life- family, friends, hobbies, entertainment - that's what we should really concentrate on. Let work just be a way to survive :D
ReplyDeleteDuring Management studies we have talked a lot about good timing and work parting during the day. We know 3x8 rule that concerns divide 24 hours day into 8 hours expend to sleep, 8 hours expend to work, and 8 hours expend to life. Could be something more simply? But basic workaholic problem is, in my opinion, in different area. Someone who is addicted to work doesn't focus on results of this work but only on fact of "doing". Also for this affliction Management found solution - Pareto's statement - he claims that there is area of 20% efforts which give 80% of results! We should learn to enjoy our lifes.
ReplyDeleteBasically principle management studies says: "If you want be a good manager, you must find a balance between work and personal life". The same we can say about whole workers. Good employee has time for work, time for family, friends and time for sleep. The ideal solution 3x8 rule like KP said. Good workers have it, workaholics not. They work, work and again work. Their personal life don't exist.
ReplyDeleteAfter aswering that question I know, I'm not a workaholic. But I know people who are on the best way to become them. It's time to stop them.
Workaholism is a big problem because, like any addiction, it can be very dangerous and can affect certain aspects of your life.I think that workaholics should realize they have a problem and try to get some help from families and support groups . They need to learn that there are more things in like than work, like spending time with their families or having a hobby. Then they could break their addiction and also solve their family problems.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion workaholism is one of the worst addictions. It takes away time that someone should spend with family, friends, it worsen relationships with them. This can lead to divorce and cause problems for their kids. Workaholics usually spend a lot of time in their offices; even more time than they spends in home. They do it because they actually enjoying working long periods of time. But I think that never is too late to change it - workaholics should realize they have a problem and try to get some help from families and support groups.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the increasing rate of workaholism may become a serious issue in the near future. The worst aspect of workaholism is that it has negative influence not only on the workaholic himself but also affects his relationship with family. When problems within family are getting worse workaholic try to escape from them into work. What is more, children whose parents behave in this way may do the same when they grow up and the vicious circle closes. If we want to break it, something must be done to arise the awareness of the problem in the society.
ReplyDeleteLucky me! I am not a workaholic and I hope I will never be one!
ReplyDeleteI need to agree with opinions that well-balanced life is the best way of living. Workaholism seems to be a dangerous addiction ( in fact as same as all other addictions), which has huge influence on professional and personal life of the person suffering from it. I think, those people are in need of help, because they might not even realize what is happening to them. Like somebody has already said: workaholics should admit, that they have a problem and start a therapy to overcome it as soon as possible. There's no time to waste!
Another thing is that employers often are a reason for people to become a workaholics. They require work for longer hours and employees are supposed to do it. And usually it doesn't matter if they are really working at that time or not. They just got to be at work. Such approach doesn't help the company and destroys social relations of its workers. Like it has been lately in Japan - the working hours in this country are the longest and it happens, that after retirement people get divorced, because after such workaholic life they just don't know this other person living in their house.
I totally agree that nowadays workaholism is a very serious problem. When you work for work you are workaholic. We know that people should work to be somebody to be independent, conscious. Job gives chance to growth and perfection. But many young people who start their adult life forget about that. They participation in rat race, give up their private life, friend to work and to succed. Workaholism also destroys our health. Can increase the risk of heart didease, obesity because workaholic has not time to sport.
ReplyDeleteWe should more enjoy our life!
I suppose that sometimes the workaholism, like all the addictions, is a kind of escape from some deeper, profound problem, which makes the person unable to achieve the satisfaction in her/his life. So the work success is a kind of compensation and make the workaholic happier. But in the same time this main, hidden problem is growing deeper and deeper and it makes the person more and more unahappy. so the bigger compensations is needed and workaholic has to work more for the new successes, That's a real vicious circle, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWhat can be done to help the workaholics? Of course we shall fight all these visible effects like e.g the health problems, but also try to find the main problem which is the reason of workaholism - and then try to find other, more constructive solution then going deeper and deeper into the addiction.
If work is a waste of time, and wasting time is better than doing nothing, then doing nothing is more efficient than work.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's great :)
I think that I can say something about workaholism because I'm workaholic too... My "illness" is motivated by some family circumstances - I had to go to work and study in the same time to manage living in Warsaw. I have to admit that I manage very well :) The worst side of workaholism is lack of time for some entertainment. Sometimes I’m so tired that I only want to go to bed and sleep, sleep, sleep...
ReplyDeleteI have to aree that workholism is very serious problem. People resign on normal family life because of work. Some of them are not aware of that problem. It is not normal to live alone without friends and familly, some of the gloss over health problems spending 20 houres in work. I can't imagine life without familly, friends, other amusement or just without relax... I'm sure I won't be orkaholic :)
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