It’s a fine line between being a hard worker and a workaholic. Sometimes the symptoms of workaholism go unnoticed and this seemingly harmless addiction ruins your professional and personal life.

How to distinguish between the two? And can workaholism really be detrimental for the company’s performance?

Check out: Are You a Hard Worker or a Workaholic? 

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Glossary

• crucial – decisive or critical, especially in the success or failure of something
• compulsive – resulting from or relating to an irresistible urge
• outwork – work harder than (someone else)
• boundary – a line which marks the limits of an area; a dividing line

Think about it

Answer the questions below.

• What is the difference between workaholics and the hard working?
• What two levels does workaholism affect your company on?
• How does workaholism affect team work?
• What steps could employers take to counteract workaholism?
• Is your personal and work life balanced?

Practice makes perfect

Fill in the blank spaces with the correct forms of the words in CAPITAL LETTERS.

Since the hours of the work week have ________ CONSISTENT increased, defying the workaholic _______ MENTAL and culture is difficult to accomplish. That’s why it’s important to ________ DEFINITION strict boundaries within the office because modern society has led to smaller differences between work and leisure. Coming up with a structure, or rules for certain boundaries like ________ FORCE a lunch hour, or ________ FORCE employees to leave after eight hours, might be some simple, first steps in the right direction. 

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