work·a·hol·ic
noun /w?rk? hôlik/
workaholics, plural
1. A person who compulsively works hard and long hours. Warning signs include taking work on vacations or weekends; talking or thinking about work more than any other subject.
Last night we left work at the relatively early hour of 7pm to attend a dinner. What was the topic of conversation at the table you ask? Why, work of course! After dinner we came back to the office to finish off some ‘critical’ tasks. When we eventually made it home to bed, what did we dream of? Spreadsheets. Sick isn’t it! But one thing is for sure, we are most definitely not the only ones. When you compare the above dictionary definition to these behaviours, would one label us workaholics? Most people outside the media realm would say… hell yeah!
So where did this innate obsessive tenancy to be so involved in our jobs stem from? For both of us, this compulsion started in our secondary school years and progressively evolved throughout our tertiary studies. Compacting a week’s worth of assessment into a 24-hour window became the norm, as did juggling a full time job and a demanding social life. The result, an unequivocal and undying need to always be ‘on’.
Always being ‘on’ is stressful and as we are often warned, stress can lead to disease that is both physical and mental. We have been unfortunate enough to contract a condition known as SNA and surprisingly it’s contagious. Before you say “gross” and close this page, be assured that SNA (Sunday Night Anxiety) is actually a common condition amongst many media folk. Following a weekend break from the chaotic daily grind, SNA escalates into undesirable behaviours such as mentally revising infinite to-do lists or fretting that looming deadlines will be missed.
Admittedly, we are apprehensive of the dreaded SNA to the point of taking somewhat severe precautionary measures to help subside that which ails us. Such measures include; working overtime, checking our work emails after hours and comforting ourselves with our laptop in bed. Let’s face it, these are all precautionary measures that most of us workaholics have become all too comfortable in undertaking. The antidote to SNA you ask? Working on the weekend of course!
Yes, these precautions can help make it easier to sleep at night, but are they doing us any good? Despite logging an extraordinary amount of hours, workaholics are frequently said to be ineffective employees. Well, we don’t necessarily agree with this. On the contrary, we find that the additional hours spent glued to our computers has rapidly progressed our learning and broadened our prospects. The opportunity cost is that we often set unrealistic benchmarks which progressively become harder to meet let alone exceed.
On one hand, these behaviours make us feel as though we have a certain power or a sense of control over our lives. However, some people will argue that we might be losing sight of the important things in life, for instance spending time with family or joining our friends for a Sunday sesh at the local pub. Recently, a fellow workaholic notably quoted, “I know my partner will get over it, but you always know that a deadline is unforgiving”. When it comes to priorities for the workaholic, career will always be number one. The question becomes how long can this behaviour be sustained?
As much as we would love to continue satisfying the insatiable desire to always be ‘on’, our batteries are bound to run out. When they do, what will be left to show for it? Will our friends, partners and family still be forgiving? Will our passion and hobbies become nothing but a distant memory? This piece has been a self reflective process which has resulted in an anticlimactic realisation. We don’t have an answer, only more questions but the biggest question of all... is it all worth it?
Hannah Rowe and Mia Hamzic
ZenithOptimedia
The AdNews NGen blog: Confessions of a workaholic
17 October 2011