In so many workplaces employees tend to be workaholics because of their boss’s requests even when working hours are done, especially when an employee depends on that job they have no choice but to always be available when their boss needs them for work, and this ends up turning them into workaholics.
Workaholism is defined as the compulsion or the uncontrollable need to work incessantly. A workaholic employee is always working and never catches a break, they could be at a restaurant enjoying their family time but constantly looking at their phone or on calls for most of the time.
Alice Munyana a Human Resource Manager in a local video production company, says that workaholic bosses tend to transmit the culture to employees without them knowing.
"A workaholic boss feels that his employees should be the same because they are always thinking about work. If it is on a Sunday and the boss feels that there is some work that should be done he will call the employee with no consideration that it is a rest day and that work can even be done on Monday,” she says.
Munyana, says that to prevent such a culture to grow in a workplace, the boss should also asses themselves first and learn that they are workaholics and how to overcome that. The boss or manager should then cultivate a work-life balance in the workplace and their life too. They should always push employees to manage time, do their work in deserved hours and to also have time for themselves, it should be a cultivated culture in the office that all employees even employers understand and embrace.
Jean Baptiste Mutabazi, a program manager at a logistics firm in Rwanda, says that there are employees who use workaholism to feel better about themselves or to feel that they are important in their workplace.
"There are such employees who feel that working anywhere, anytime always gives them a kind of reward. It is the boss’s responsibility to reward those employees so as to prevent the workaholism culture to grow in the office. A thank you note from a boss or recognising their work can give them the assurance that you as the boss notice their hard work and their efforts, and then as the boss, you can go ahead to also tell them that it is okay to pause work for some time and enjoy their free time too,” he says.
Often, workaholics may not even be working on the right things, and to help with that one ought to keep employees focused, Carlos Hidalgo an American author says.
"I have seen many individuals work hard on things that simply have no bearing on moving an organization forward,” Hidalgo said. "Making sure there is a focus and understanding of what is needed is paramount”.
Diane Rosen an attorney with Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP in New York City, says that humans are not robots, and they cannot work on a task endlessly, and to prevent from having workaholics employees bosses and managers should treat their employees humanely.
"Managers can help employees end their workaholic tendencies, and stop themselves from unconsciously promoting such tendencies by having compassion for their employees and imagining themselves in their employees’ positions,” she says.
According to Rosen, get real with workaholics, be direct with employees, let them know they don’t need to work extra hours and ask them what specific tasks or projects are taking so much time.
"I think managers have a specific obligation to call direct reports out when they are overextending themselves or productivity seems to be waning,” she says.
You could also inform the employees about the many benefits of having a better work-life balance, including an increase in creativity and the opportunity to foster a better work environment, Rosen adds.