Warning Signs For Workaholics

The term workaholic seems to be the in-thing these days, as if taking time for yourself, for family, and friends was thing of the past. The word itself has lost its danger sign, and is used as a synonym for a dedicated worker; so much, so that companies have started looking for such people when it comes to hiring. The recruiters tend to think that such people would be an asset to the company, would consider deadlines the gospel, would only blame themselves for job not done, and would not ask for much more of anything, except of course, work! What many of them do not realize is how much of damage it does to an individual – his social life, his self-esteem, his family life, and so on .The worst fact is that people who are addicted to work are always in denial, when it comes to recognizing and accepting that they have a problem. They do not see the warning signs in themselves and, sometimes, not even in others. In fact, the best way to check if one is addicted to work is not to look within oneself, but to look at how others are responding to it. Read on to find out how to guess that you or someone you love is turning out to be a workaholic.

 

 

Your personal room is no different from your room or cubicle at the office, complete with the huge mug of black coffee to help you stay up late. You have rid it of everything living, happy, and human – even the picture of the day you won an award at the office for your performance.

 

If you cannot bear to be disconnected from office for long, keep mobile phones switched on even during vacation or a family gathering, you are headed towards serious workaholism, which could take a toll on your health. Mobile phones were meant to be a way of staying in touch with loved ones, not for those who give you more work, and keep you away from family. All those who run away from family gatherings to check their emails, respond to calls, and so on are heading for trouble, not to mention inviting the ire of their family members.   

 

If you are, the kind of person who never allows other people to even staple the papers that you researched on, typed out, got printed and compiled; if you’d rather even do that yourself, you may have to take a hard look at the way you treat work. Work is meant to be a means of earning a living, for a higher purpose than work itself. It is not supposed to be an easy way of escaping home and your responsibilities as a family man/woman.

 

Many people, who are spiraling towards workaholic behavior, are content, relaxed, or at peace with themselves only when they are at their cubicle, behind the computer. The moment they step home, they become cranky, irritable, and frustrated. Such are the people who lose the capacity to be human and long for the mechanical, robotic existence of workplace.

 

If you leave for work before your kids wake up and come back only after they are sound asleep, take a step backwards and think “Is this what I would have wanted from my father/mother? What opinion would I have had of my father/mother, if I saw him/her only on weekends, sometimes, not even at that time?” Having children is a huge responsibility and fathers as well as mothers have to work hard to give them a decent life, but don’t forget that a decent life also means time spent with each other, because that is what a family is meant for.