We have all been confronted, directly or indirectly, with this addiction to work: a loved one who constantly checks their emails, even during family gatherings, a colleague who works long hours every day, including weekends, or ourselves, at some point in our lives, when work takes on a very important role. How far can this addiction to work go? When should we sound the alarm? What are some tips for avoiding falling into it, relapsing, or getting out of it? We discussed the subject with Gwenael Dinety, a clinical psychologist who also works as a psychologist on our listening platform. He answers our questions.
Workaholism: How can you recognize someone who is affected?
We all have images in our minds of what a workaholic might be like, a "workhorse." We all know craftsmen who get up at dawn and go to bed late at night, including on weekends, office colleagues who arrive first and leave last, professionals who send or reply to emails late at night, on weekends... In fact, we probably do this ourselves! We have probably all experienced (or would have liked to experience) similar episodes in our lives: the first few weeks in a new job, after a promotion, during exams...
Workaholism: could being "addicted to work" actually be a good thing?
The Japanese term for "workaholism" is Karōshi, which literally means "death from overwork."In English, I find that the term "workaholic" accurately describes the underlying mechanisms. It is important to be motivated and responsible in your professional life, and this will always be an asset for the worker, their job, and their colleagues. Professional life is an important source of gratification. Financial, of course, but we should all be able to find pleasure and pride in achieving our goals, in interacting with our colleagues, and in mastering our tasks.
In the end, is it positive, even desirable, behavior that ultimately becomes harmful?
It is normal to experience periods that are sometimes more intense (annual reviews, major changes, etc.), but this exceptional overinvestment can only be temporary. Each of us chooses to invest a certain amount of our energy in our work, and today's jobs are increasingly demanding of this investment. To increase productivity, to compensate for absences, to cope with overload, which is becoming the norm. And we have more and more tools to stay "connected": smartphones, laptops, teleworking, etc.
When these periods of overinvestment persist and become excessive, the state of tension becomes permanent: the entire body and psyche become exhausted. All physiological functions are increasingly disrupted, exacerbated, or inhibited: appetite, sleep, digestion, sexuality, etc. Cognition is also disrupted: attention, memory, concentration, logic, etc. Relationships are also affected, particularly due to a growing lack of investment in spouses, children, and friends. Even your dog no longer recognizes you (in fact, you don't even remember having one...).
Workaholism: when does the situation tip over?
It is obviously when things become excessive that we see this balance being disrupted, transforming what was once a resource into an addiction. What should alert us is the fact that investment in professional life is replacing other needs or activities: relationships, sports, leisure activities, etc. "My work is my life," you may hear people say. Everything related to the professional sphere then takes on increasing importance, to the point of becoming more important than other tasks that we used to enjoy: sleeping in, going out after work with colleagues, then bathing the children in the evening, eating with the family, and then weekends or vacations, and then all the little moments of the day because you're checking your emails, because you're monitoring a problem... But while the situation can indeed escalate to the point of sudden death (karōshi), there is of course a gradual progression, with warning signs. It's important to remember that this is truly an addictive behavior that develops over time. As with any addiction, what is initially a source of pleasure then becomes a source of stress and constant preoccupation: a real obsession with work gradually consumes all aspects of life.
Would it be this excessive aspect, and the fact that it weighs on the rest of the family, social, and biological functioning, that would signal the onset of pathological functioning?
Yes, but these signals are not often heard right away. Or, if they are, the problem they signal remains unrecognized. "It was just a minor discomfort, it happens to me from time to time at the moment," "The holidays are coming soon, it'll be fine! " It then takes an incident, the straw that breaks the camel's back, for people to realize what is happening. Unfortunately, sometimes, when a single drop would suffice, a whole wave comes crashing down: a serious accident, a major conflict, a death... Due to a state of fragility, the breakdown can be violent. And so can the time it takes to recover.
How can we overcome workaholism?
This is bulimic behavior in the literal sense of the term: investing in work leads to an even greater need for recognition at work. When this recognition is insufficient or lacking, the investment is further increased, which further increases the need for recognition. The cycle is natural (you have to persevere), but in this case, it cannot be broken and its intensity becomes excessive: the slightest hiccup in the process has a violent emotional impact. To make good use of these behaviors, the first step would be to become aware of the continuing deterioration of the situation. Next, it is important not to neglect other investments (leisure activities, friends, family, etc.) outside the professional sphere, but also to set limits on daily work-related behaviors. This is the "right to disconnect" that is increasingly being discussed. It is also often important to be aware of trauma or injury. A wound that we may have bandaged with work, in order to forget, to focus on something else or to change, to find a new identity.
Professional support can make it easier to identify these behaviors and listen to the warning signs that those around you or your body may already have begun to send. In other words, intervene as early as possible, when bad habits, or even damage, are still minimal. It is not really necessary to wait for a forced and prolonged sick leave to talk to a psychologist. This is especially true since it is often possible to take action both professionally—by changing habits and ways of working and managing employee requests differently—and personally—by limiting one's involvement, managing stress, and becoming aware of warning signs, the suffering caused, possible adaptations, and solutions.
