When I came back to Mauritius some five years ago, I was under the illusion that “island life”, as my overseas friends and colleagues sometimes referred to living here, would be one of more or less “holiday disguised as work.” I remember mentioning to them that, after 30 years in a huge, landlocked city where work and more work was the standard motto, I was looking forward to living in a country where most managers didn’t do much all day long. Well, I was wrong. Although we don’t have official statistics, my discussions and observations with my fellow executives and managers have led me to conclude that this island too is fast joining the rat race. From our Prime Minister down, we are all or are about to become workaholics.

Work addiction or ‘workaholism’, as it became known during the late 60’s, is fast developing into a major problem worldwide. It is estimated that in Britain for example, one million employees work no less than 60 hours per week. An amazing 13% of UK managers, craft workers and professionals, believe firmly that they are totally addicted to work. Of these 33% are self-employed and almost 75% are men. In her book, “Working Ourselves to Death”, management consultant Diane Fassel calls addiction to work the “cleanest of all the addictions” and warns that it’s one of the most difficult to face because of the support that “working hard” receives from our parents, education, bosses and religious leaders.

What are the consequences? Although a sizeable portion of the sample surveyed reported a high level of job satisfaction and motivation, many workaholics admit to serious problems at both work and home. Regarding work, 73% of those working over 48 hours per week admit that they make mistakes due to tiredness and 36% concede that they spend much time redoing work or solving problems caused by poor planning and organising. And despite working long hours themselves, only 29% believe that people who work long hours are more productive than those working regular hours. Regarding their home, 30% feel that working long hours has put a strain on their relationship with their spouse and 44% say that they’ve missed their child’s birthday or school event.

Are you a workaholic? If you answer yes to four or more of the following questions, the chances are that you are addicted:

• Are you unable to say no to job demands?

• Do you rarely take a holiday and always work at weekends?

• Are you always available and easily contactable by phone?

• Do you miss important family and marital events because of work?

• Do you think about your work when driving, falling asleep or when others are talking?

• Do you take work to home, bed, on weekends and on vacation?

• Have your family and friends given up expecting you on time?

• Do you get irritated when people ask you to stop doing your work in order to do something else?

• Do you work or read during meals?

And if you are a workaholic, psychologists will tell you that you have a ‘compulsive personality’ – you cannot stop working and do so despite adverse consequences such as poor health or damaged relationships.

Why? What’s the reason for this widespread addiction? I believe that a central reason lies in the fact that deep down, workaholics feel an impervious need to escape from themselves. They feel an urgent need to find meaning in something ‘out there’ – outside of themselves with which they can identify, master and produce. Like all other addictions such as tobacco, television, sex, shopping or alcohol, working long hours then becomes a symbol to which they cling – it sustains, upholds and satisfies them and fills the void that they would otherwise experience. Until workaholics reach within themselves, become self-aware and discover what this void is and why it exists, all that is ever achieved is a short-lived symptom relief. The basic unease remains.

<B>Prof E.Charoux

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