The Cost of Over-Commitment: Navigating Workaholism and Productivity Shame
It's been almost exactly a month since I last posted on LinkedIn and since the last edition of the Better Boundaries Brief. That post was Make the Most of Your Summer Break (and Why You Need One), and I definitely took one. But if I'm being honest, that was not entirely by design. While I took planned time off after a busy June and July, I was also forced to cancel, regroup, rearrange, and rest by a series of occurrences that I blame on Mercury retrograde. But if I'm still being honest here, a lot of it was a consequence of doing too much and not leaving enough room for magic, as I like to say. For the past couple of weeks in particular, I've been thinking a lot about rest and productivity, and where the need to constantly "do" comes from.
I was struck by this article in the New York Times (gifted here for those without a subscription): I had a difficult childhood. It made me an amazing employee. The author writes about parentification, or when children are forced to take on developmentally inappropriate responsibilities for the mental, physical, and emotional needs of others, without emotional support of their own. Each of our experiences of childhood trauma is unique, but I can relate hard with the end result - a need to be busy as a way to escape or exercise control, a need to be productive to feel valued, a need to achieve to feel worthy.
"I conflated success with happiness, productivity with value." ~Jennifer Romolini
While I feel vulnerable sharing these thoughts, I've been exploring them for years in my personal and professional life, and I've posted multiple times over the past year about the importance of rest. In fact, this Brief is largely motivated by sharing my own experiences with rest as an act of resistance. In fact, today's cover quote is pulled from Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey, which I posted about at the end of last year. Our cultural obsession with productivity is a health issue, and it’s an equity issue.
What does it mean to be a workaholic? Workaholics have difficulty disconnecting from work, to the detriment of other areas of their life. They may overwork, over-commit, and feel guilty when not working. This can lead to productivity shame, which happens when we set up unrealistic expectations for what we can or should be doing, and then feel bad when we fall short. I first realized I might have productivity shame when I noticed that if I was home taking a nap in the afternoon and my husband came home, I would immediately get up and start doing something. Naps are okay, y’all!
Most of us are not truly workaholics, and building our self-awareness can help us to monitor when work starts to become excessive or compulsive, or interferes with things necessary for our health and well-being, like sleep.
Clockify, What do people sacrifice for work?
What boundaries are at play?
Time. Workaholics often struggle with time management and prioritization. In one test of workaholism, the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, criteria include:
You think of how you can free up more time to work.
You spend much more time working than initially intended.
You deprioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and exercise because of your work.
If you do things always or often, you may need to assess how you protect your time and be sure to actually plan for non-work time, including play, movement, and mindfulness.
Mental. Not everyone has childhood trauma, and the burden is not solely on us as individuals to protect our mental health. Toxic workplace cultures can create the pressure to perform and the feeling among employees that they are obligated to do more, be more visible, and produce more. According to Slack’s Workforce Index, 37% of desk workers are logging on outside of their company’s standard hours and more than half of these workers say it’s because they feel pressured to, not because they choose to. However, these employees have lower productivity, increased stress, and more burnout.
Slack Workforce Index, Employee Pressure to Work After Hours
Identity. I’d also strongly urge you to think about how work is tied to your identity. Many of us become defined by our work, whether a role or specific job, and when we experience failures (by our own standards or others’) we can start to question the core of who we are. One of the best pieces of professional advice I’ve ever gotten was to lead with who you are, not what you do. When you lead with who you are, and live your values, you are less at risk for falling down the workaholic rabbit hole and productivity shame spiral.
What policies are at play?
While there are many relevant laws and organizational policies, the one that I will highlight today is the Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA. This law establishes minimum wage and requirements for overtime pay, among other things. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, in fiscal year 2023, more than $274 million in back wages and damages was recovered for 163,000 workers. Back wages include wages that should have been paid for work you’ve already done or could have done, including minimum wage, overtime wages, tipped wages, and promised wage increases. Knowing if your position is covered under FLSA and your rights regarding your wages is an important tool for advocating for yourself in the workplace.
People covered by FLSA may not feel they have the power to address pay violations, but they feel a significant impact when violations occur. In 2023, there was an average of $1,297 for each employee due back wages, equating to more than 5 weeks of groceries, 1 month of rent, 3 months of utilities, and 7 weeks of childcare. For organizations, compliance with FLSA is a way to address economic inequity and instability, as the people most impacted are low-wage, underserved workers in industries like construction, retail, and food service.
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Workers Impacted by Sector
People in certain positions are not covered by FLSA, including executive, administrative, and some professional positions (like teachers), but this doesn’t mean you are powerless. I remember that one of the first messages I got about what it means to be a senior leader is that you have to be available. There’s an expectation that because of your level, you are expected to do things like work outside of normal hours, be available on holiday or vacation, or respond to messages at all hours of the day. Let me tell you that you can ALWAYS set boundaries around your time and energy and a healthy and inclusive workplace will both respect and support that.
Who is most impacted?
While we are all impacted, women, and especially women of color, are more likely to report negative workplace experiences and barriers to advancement. This can lead to a perceived need to prove your value to an organization and a willingness to cross your own boundaries in order to produce, seem like a team player, or show you are “deserving.” This is where the line between working hard and workaholism can begin to blur. There may also be a sense of shame that comes from working hard and being productive and still being underrepresented in positive employment outcomes, like promotion to leadership positions and equitable pay.
According to the Women in the Workplace 2023 report by McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.org, women from marginalized groups more often experience microaggressions and these have a lasting impact. Can you imagine constantly having your judgment questioned, being mistaken for someone more junior, or not getting credit for your own work? I recently saw yet another post about a woman attorney who was asked if she was either the paralegal or the client.
McKinsey & Company, Microaggressions in the Workplace, Women in the Workplace 2023
Finally, research shows that people with ADHD, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and depression are more likely to exhibit traits of workaholism. If you have one of these diagnoses, it’s important to be proactive in developing strategies to manage your workload and stress and find ways to disconnect outside of work.
What can you do with this information?
One of the most important things we can all do is reflect on our own work habits. Developing self-awareness is critical for us to be our best as employees and as leaders. Then you build on what you find by putting strategies in place to support your own wellbeing AND you advocate for healthier norms in your workplace. Here are some ideas on the “how”:
Personal Strategies
✋🏽 Establish Clear Boundaries: Set and communicate clear boundaries around work hours and availability to prevent burnout. This can include designated no-email hours or no-meeting days, specific times dedicated to rest and personal activities, and a digital detox for a few hours or a whole day.
🧘🏽 Prioritize Self-Care: Integrate regular self-care practices into your daily routine, such as mindfulness exercises, physical activities, or hobbies that help you disconnect from work and reduce stress. I enjoy taking short walk breaks and listening to music in the Calm app.
🧠 Seek Professional Support: If your experience with work is affecting your mental or physical health, consider seeking support from mental health professionals who can provide strategies to manage stress, understand the motivation for your behavior, and redefine your relationship with work.
Organizational Actions
⚙ Promote Flexible Work Arrangements: Implement policies that allow flexible work hours and the option for remote work, accommodating different working styles and personal life demands. This also makes for a more inclusive environment that recognizes and values differences across age, gender, religion, race, and culture.
⏱ Encourage Regular Breaks and Time Off: Create a culture that encourages employees to take regular breaks throughout the day and to fully utilize their vacation time without stigma. Your leaders modeling these healthy behaviors is key to creating a healthier culture.
🌸 Provide Mental Health Resources: Offer resources such as workshops on stress management, access to counseling services, and training for managers to recognize signs of burnout and how to effectively support their team members.
______________________________________
I took the Work Addiction Risk Test that Jennifer Romolini mentions in her NYT piece. While my average score wasn’t particularly high (2.52) it was driven by high scores on all the questions related to compulsive tendencies, like “I stay busy and keep many irons in the fire.” Yep, that’s me. If you’re curious, there are several validated tools out there, and if you think this article describes you, there are Workaholics Anonymous groups that can provide support and a path forward.