Those who work addictively endanger their health
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“Sometimes I’m in a hurry and I’m in a race against time” or “I spend more time with work than with friends, hobbies or leisure activities” – if these statements are completely correct, the tendencies are evident to excessive work.
Anyone who completely agreed to other statements in the survey on the study “Addictive work and health” may be working compulsively or even addicted. For example: “I feel obliged to work hard, even if it’s not fun” and “I feel guilty if I take time off”.
The study was published in April by the union-affiliated Hans Böckler Foundation in Düsseldorf and contains findings for individuals affected, companies and society.
According to research author Beatrice van Berk, it is obvious that executives and the self-employed in particular work addictively according to the results. However, the fact that every tenth of those in employment in Germany tends to do so shows that this is not a marginal phenomenon.
“In the public discourse, this came as a surprise to many. The topic was not as strong in the social debate before as it is today,” says van Berk. The media response shows that. For the scientist, however, the result is not surprising.
Another publication came to this conclusion ten years ago. What surprised the researchers was the big difference in the number of psychosomatic stresses that occur in addicted workers compared to relaxed workers.
Addicted work makes you sick
These include physical and emotional exhaustion, sleep disorders, nervousness and irritability, and digestive problems. 54 percent of the addicted workers stated that they were affected by four or more of these complaints. For those who worked calmly, it was only 25 percent. Conclusion: Addictive work makes you ill. Both men and women are affected, across the most diverse occupational groups and levels of education.
But at what point can one actually speak of a way of working that is hazardous to health? Where is the border? And how is an unhealthy way of working related to workplace-related factors?
At its core, from the researchers’ point of view, addictive work means excessive working hours combined with difficulties in detaching from work, as well as an inflexible and compulsive work style.
Negative social consequences
The American psychologist Wayne E. Oates coined the term workaholic in the 1970s and meant an uncontrollable need for work, comparable to addictions such as alcoholism. However, since the term is also used positively today, the research team consciously distanced itself from it: “An addiction cannot be positive at all, after all, that means an involuntary dependency,” says van Berk. And go hand in hand with negative consequences for people and their social environment in the long term.
Workaholism endangers health and social life.
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Image: Picture Alliance
Science has therefore moved away from the assumption that there are also happy, enthusiastic subtypes of addictive work. According to the scientist, however, there are people with a high level of commitment who feel joy and are inspired by their work. The difference is the fun, letting go and being able to relax.
Employers contribute to job addiction
What many studies have already shown: There is a connection between personalities tending towards perfectionism and an addictive working style. “But it is important for us to emphasize that the causes are not only in the person,” says van Berk. She criticizes that responsibility is often seen too strongly in the individual – in scientific and public discourse. For example, the statement that a person is in a race against time can also be due to very tight project deadlines or a lack of staff. “The reasons for addictive work are definitely also on the operational side.”
The results of the study prove van Berk right: according to the survey, for example, only 8.7 percent of the employees work as addicts in facilities with a works council; in companies without a works council it is 11.9 percent. In addition to health care, the co-determination of employees is therefore an “important instrument of company regulation, which can counteract excessive and compulsive work”.
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