“Having studied this phenomenon for more than fifteen years, I can tell you that the effects of work addiction are worse than you think, both physically and socially, for individuals, teams and organizations.” In the light Never Not Working: Why The Always-On Culture is Bad for Business-And How To Fix It (2024, not translated), Malissa Clark, associate professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of Georgia, describes with clarity and precision the mechanisms which can lead to becoming addicted to work without even being aware of it. This American expert recognized in the field of professional exhaustion and whose research has been published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Applied Psychology Starts by deconstructing a misconception: “Most of us – whether we are employed, leaders or human resources members – have an erroneous idea of what Worldaholism is. It turns out that the number of working hours is not a reliable dependence indicator.” Thus, you can be very invested and work long hours without being a workaholic.
The revealing element is when “our work relationship and the meaning it takes for us become more and more unhealthy”. In other words, when the professional permeates every aspect of your life -“in particular the time spent with family or friends, leisure and holidays”, specifies the author -, this suggests addictive behavior. In order not to attract the wrath of their loved ones and give the impression of lifting their foot, some have found the parade: “light work”. Note, work in front of the television, by the pool or even have a drink of wine while spanning your keyboard late at night … “All these strategies are alert signals”, warns the specialist, who confesses in passing: “I myself am guilty of this behavior, often surprising myself to listen to professional podcasts during my walks to stay ‘productive’ even during my free time. It could lend to smile but, “if we think about it, we are still half working and half enjoying something else, it’s very insidious, in reality”, observes the researcher, questioned by L’Express.
With harmful effects on health, now better documented: “Many of our first studies were based solely on self -assessment, which did not bring us a lot of information. But more recent solid research has integrated a number of objective health measures, and the results are fascinating,” explains Malissa Clark. What do we know today? “Workaholism is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, higher blood pressure, poor quality and amount of sleep – this has been measured thanks, for example, to activates and blood pressure signs. So, we are talking about objective poor health indicators”.
The workaholics work permanently in an alert state. For them, everything becomes a crisis. “If you imagine what your body feels when your heart accelerates in the face of punctual stress, imagine what it gives when each working day is experienced like that. Obviously, the body ends up getting deregulated and losing its ability to manage stress healthy, since it is constantly under pressure,” explains the scientist. However, addiction to work is not recognized as a clinical pathology. “A doctor cannot make a clinical diagnosis of workaholism as he would for other disorders, because he does not appear in the DSM – the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders,” says Malissa Clark, “even if he meets many relevant clinical criteria”.
Furthermore, “all of the data shows that work addiction does not improve performance”, insists the researcher, who recalls that we all have “limited resources: time, energy, concentration … Compare your productivity at the start of the day and after twelve hours of work: you are emptied, unable to think”. Despite this, some managers persist in believing that working excessively is synonymous with excellence. An error, according to Malissa Clark, who points to a bias in performance evaluations: this “facade workaholism” often remains valued in organizations. Which must wonder: “Who is rewarded and why? What reasons are put forward to explain a promotion or a bonus? These discussions send a clear message to the employees”, warns the professor. Especially since it is established that this state of dependence leads, over time, a decrease in work commitment, she adds.
Good and bad motivation
Consequently, how to distinguish those who are strongly involved in the work executioner in a freewheel? “Work executioners find it difficult to delegate. They think they are essential and better than others. They are often colleagues or leaders who are difficult to manage, animated by a permanent sense of emergency,” explains the expert. Their short-term vision also encloses them in this idea that “it is absolutely necessary to finish everything this evening”, where others manage to take a step back and analyze the situation as a whole. Perfectionism is another personality trait closely linked to this addiction. But there are different facets of perfectionism. The researcher distinguishes adaptive forms of perfectionism – high – and unsuitable – standards – the constant feeling of never being up to par. It is above all the latter who maintains workaholism. Studies attest, on the other hand, that neither age nor gender comes into account, even if supervestones often work more irregularly, for example late after sleeping children.
Last criterion: motivation. There is the right and bad. “Psychologists, writes Malissa Clark, have discovered that a key factor in employee engagement is intrinsic motivation, that is to say when a person does something because he really likes him. According to the theory of self-determination, this motivation is positive and beneficial, because the person is committed to an activity of their own.” Conversely, introjected motivation pushes some people to work a lot or to place work at the center of their life. Here, individuals engage in an activity due to external pressures that they have partially internalized throughout their lives, be it parental education, school requirements or speeches valuing hard work. “Once adult, we feel this pressure without always being able to explain precisely where it comes from,” analyzes the specialist.
Relatives, victims by ricochet
So how to get out of the spiral? Beyond the responsibility that is the responsibility of organizations to avoid maintaining a toxic overwork culture, individual actions are possible, starting with an awareness and an honest answer to this question: “How often do I bring back work at home or think of work when I should do something else?”. Because relatives are often the first victims by ricochet, insists the expert: “It may be that your best friend has moved away from you because he only wants to talk about work when you see yourself, and he becomes annoyed or being distant as soon as the conversation relates to something else. There are also children who suffer from the obsession of a parent for his work, this same parent affirming that this obsession is precisely what offers the child.” Family life can quickly appear as an obstacle: “When they do not work, workads are often invaded by anxiety and guilt. If circumstances or people prevent them from working, they feel frustration, irritation, even anger.”
However, if the person realizes that he actually has a problematic relationship to work and that he wishes to remedy it, close and family can become precious supporters, “because it is difficult to get there alone.” If, during dinner, they notice that you are elsewhere, plunged into your thoughts, they can say to you: “Eh, what do you think?”, Illustrates Malissa Clark. Same thing if your spouse surprises you on your phone and challenges you: “Hey, I thought you wanted to stop the professional emails.” “Obviously, for it to work, there must be a healthy and solid couple relationship,” she concludes. But that’s another story …
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