What is it about?
This study examines the impact of workaholism (a compulsive need to work excessively) on employees' emotional exhaustion on a weekly basis. The researchers tracked 167 employees over a seven-week period and found that when employees exhibited stronger workaholic tendencies in a given week, they experienced heavier workloads and greater emotional exhaustion.
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Why is it important?
The study also examined whether a family-supportive work environment—characterized by a value for work-life balance—could help mitigate these negative effects. While such an environment generally reduced exhaustion and mitigated the impact of workload on exhaustion, it did not diminish the connection between workaholism and workload. Surprisingly, in highly supportive workplaces, workaholic employees felt even more exhausted—possibly because they felt out of sync with their organization’s values.
Perspectives
The findings underscore the importance of both organizational policies, such as limiting after-hours work, and individual-focused interventions, including coaching to help employees manage workaholic tendencies, in preventing exhaustion.
PhD Delia Virga
West University of Timisoara
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: From workaholism to exhaustion: The weekly manifestation of a personal demand in a supportive organizational context., International Journal of Stress Management, December 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/str0000343.
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