Are You a Workaholic?

If you’re not sure whether or not you’re a workaholic, here are ten signs to laughingly, but truthfully, help you decide:

1. Your idea of daily exercise is walking from the company parking lot to your office.
2. You’re on a first name basis with the nearby takeout restaurant.
3. Your middle is substantially “rounder” than it was five years ago.
4. You could buy a car with the amount of pay you’ve accrued for vacation time.
5. You’re taking medicine to control your blood pressure and cholesterol, and your doctor is monitoring your blood sugar levels.
6. Arriving home before 8:00 p.m. is early for you.
7. Your dog barks when your car turns in the driveway because it thinks you’re a stranger.
8. Your last “date” with your spouse was before you were married.
9. Your children write notes to communicate with you.
10. You reserve every Saturday for the same thing — going to work.

If you’ve come to the realization that you are in fact a workaholic, do you want to change?   Ask yourself if you really need to handle your entire workload alone, or if some of it can be delegated.  Perhaps you can ask for a position to be created to help you.   If you find that you do have options to help you scale down, and you don’t take advantage of them; or if it is quite possible for you to cut back on your working hours, but you choose not to, you may actually be opting for the workaholic lifestyle, whether you recognize it or not.

In any case, it is possible to break the cycle with the right tools and acknowledgment.   If your company has an employee assistance program (EAP), consider making an appointment with a counselor, which is always confidential through these programs, and at no charge to you.  Optionally, consider utilizing your mental health benefits within your health insurance plan to choose and visit a private counselor who is covered by your plan network.

You may have a prestigious title, hefty pay, internal authority, and impressive power, but just like everyone else, you’re only human, and your quality of life is important.  Will you work to live or continue to live for work?   The choice is yours.

Finally, if you need to change jobs in order to change yourself, call us – we’re here to help.

by Fred Coon, LEA, JCTC, CRW

Stewart, Cooper & Coon, has helped thousands of decision makers and senior executives improve upon and move up in their careers; and achieve significantly improved financial packages within short time frames. Contact Fred Coon – 866-883-4200, Ext. 200

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