Are you a Workaholic..???

Sharon Lobel, Ph.D., professor of management at the Alber School of Business and Economics at Seattle University, has an interesting perspective on workaholism. Rather than saying that all workaholics have a problem, she divides them into two types: Happy Workaholics, who don't wish for a different lifestyle, and Unhappy Workaholics, who complain regularly that they do want a change.


"Happy Workaholics value
work more than other aspects of life and arrange their lives accordingly," she says. "If someone loves to work and spends most of her waking hours at work, that's not a problem, in my opinion. On the other hand, if someone wishes that he had more time to devote to family, fitness, or hobbies but is prevented from doing so because he works too many hours, that person is an Unhappy Workaholic."

So how can you tell which category you fit?

"People who say they're working to 'advance at my job' or 'to buy a house' are probably not Unhappy Workaholics," says Dr. Lobel. "Unhappy Workaholics are likely to say their employer makes them work long hours and they're likely to express resentment toward the employer." Feeling overwhelmed, depressed, and tired are other telltale signs of the Unhappy Workaholic.

And what do you do if you find you're in this latter category?

"I think everyone needs to ask themselves what really matters in their lives," says Dr. Lobel. "Which values are most important? Achievement, wealth, social justice, health, relationships? What gives you the most rewards? Then you need to look at how you're living your life. Do you devote time and energy toward what you most value? If the answer is yes, then there isn't much of a problem. If the answer is no, then it's time to implement some change strategies."