When work becomes an addiction | Training | Economy

In 2019, the life of Juan Carlos (not his real name) changed dramatically. Previously, he held a responsible position in a multinational company in the field of marketing, and his daily life and even his own personality were literally limited, identified and absorbed by his work. An international team of approximately 300 people makes inquiries daily from Europe to the Middle East and America. Their day began when they started work in Dubai (around five in the morning in Spain) and ended when they finished in New York, Chicago or the west coast of the United States, at nine or ten in the evening. Until a very severe panic attack that occurred in the car led him to the doctor and a long-term sick leave for nine months. He didn’t expect this to happen, and his workaholic reality nearly cost him his partner, family and friends. But on the edge of the abyss, he asked for help and was saved.

A study carried out by the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Jaume I of Castellón and the University of the Basque Country estimated that in 2012 the number of professionals who, like Juan Carlos, were dependent on work in Spain was 4.6%. in just three years it could exceed 11%. Although there is no exact data on the current prevalence, it may be around 10%, according to various organizations. “I didn’t realize I had a problem and thought it was something natural. One of our bosses told us that we needed to have breakfast, lunch, dinner and dream about our goal, and I thought that was fun and something that really needed to be done,” explains Juan Carlos in a phone conversation.

We are talking, keep in mind, about shortly before the start of the pandemic. Years during which Juan Carlos (who today is still associated with this sector, but at a very different pace) lived for his company, which also contributed to the development of a culture of starting when the first one began and finishing when the last one finished. .wherever they are. The favorite word in the company was, of course, obligation (obligation). “We were like a special breed of people with a light that shone on us and showed us that we could work hard. Because, in addition, we could get a greater economic return and in a certain way shine the light on the rest of the people around us so that they see this light of dedication and commitment,” he recalls.

Although work addiction is not an officially recognized disorder, it is a reality that is difficult to see and acknowledge and is influenced by work, social and personal factors that need to be addressed with professional psychological help. Mental pathology today is the second cause of sick leave in the workplace after pathology of the musculoskeletal system, and in recent years its number has increased by almost 40%. When can we really talk about the existence of addiction? How to recognize that a problem exists, and what to do then?

Work addiction: symptoms and causes

Work addiction occurs when there is “an excessive and uncontrollable need to continuously work, which affects health, happiness and personal relationships,” explains Lourdes Luceño, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid. That is, when everything revolves around work, and there is practically no time for disconnection, pleasure and relaxation. It is a disorder with numerous symptoms, which, however, are difficult to identify with the presence of addiction, also due to existing social conditions: “From a social point of view, a very busy person is a successful person.” which, with the development of technology, can also work from anywhere and always be in touch. All this contributes to the development of work addiction,” warns Luceño.

Difficulty switching off or working too long are not the only possible symptoms. There is also the inability to delegate tasks; severe discomfort when the expected does not happen; feeling guilty when you don’t work; deterioration of family and personal relationships; excessive perfectionism; increased temper; work-oriented self-esteem or the occurrence of health problems due to working without adequate rest, among other things.

“There can be many reasons, but usually it is also a response to a pattern of emptiness in other areas of your life, which is easily filled with work time to avoid paying attention to emotional demands, your feelings, family responsibilities… It is similar to a strategy of avoiding situations with that I don’t want to encounter so that there is no room to think about whether you are what you really wanted in your life,” says Olga Merino, director of mental health at Avanta. . Health. Without leaving aside, of course, factors related to business culture: there are organizations whose particularly toxic or poorly managed environments “allow people to become extremely dependent on work because that’s what they strive for, and even punish the opposite.” , he notes. In Japan, this extreme addiction has a name: Karoshi syndrome, which refers to those who die from overuse and stress.

As Juan Carlos went down the path of his addiction, he began to sleep less and less and often combined several trips in a row with sudden changes in his schedule: the company called them trips. Red eyes, “red eyes” I barely slept for two or three hours, during which time I actually dreamed about work. “I fell asleep from exhaustion because my body and my brain couldn’t handle it anymore; But the little time I slept activated me, and since I had the opportunity to work, since there were already people working (somewhere) who asked my opinion, I did it,” he explains. This made me gradually withdraw from things: family, colleagues, friends… And his mood changed, he became more short-tempered both at home and at work.

What are the consequences of work addiction?

The consequences of this type of disorder, as already noted, are numerous, both psychological, physical and emotional. Firstly, because it ultimately leads to “withdrawing from people who can be guideposts in your life because you yourself are withdrawing from your friends and family; This can cause extreme emptiness and loneliness, and the level of self-care decreases because we eat poorly and sleep poorly,” says Elisa Moreno, occupational health coordinator at the College of Psychologists of Madrid. “And at the end of the day, that emptiness is existential, because they take your job and you are nobody else. In a sense, a person materializes as something from which we receive a return.”

But the consequences are also physical, as Luceño states: “These are people who continue to have high levels of stress, which can lead to many comorbidities: problems in the immune system, cardiovascular disorders, skin problems, diabetes, sleep disorders. disorders, depression or anxiety.”

The problem is that in most cases (like what happened with Juan Carlos) people don’t realize they have a problem, and in fact it’s usually those around them who notice it first. Until something goes wrong on a physical level, they go to the doctor and only then begin to realize that there is something that they have not been able to cope with. “Suddenly they develop a pathology, and the doctor recommends at least three to four months of sick leave. So when I work with them, I ask them about the time they spent with their family, friends, or hobbies in the last six months. And there are people who start crying because they realize that they have given up a lot of things that were an important part of their lives,” Moreno says.

In addition to the necessary professional help, to overcome work addiction, it is necessary to restore some fundamental health habits and balance the above-mentioned areas of relationships, since life cannot be based solely on work. Ultimately, it’s about weighing everything on the self-care scale, “and weighing from time to time the level of satisfaction and commitment I have in each area of ​​my life. If the balance is balanced, there are no problems, but usually when we enter the illness phase, obligations are already so pressing on me that satisfaction becomes increasingly minimized,” says Moreno.

The importance of corporate culture

All experts surveyed note the importance of corporate culture in the emotional well-being of employees and, ultimately, in the emergence of mental health problems. For this reason, strategic management of corporate culture “should promote work-life balance and take into account aspects such as work-life balance and the right to leisure. The shutdown is not only necessary, it is prescribed by law,” defends Luis Miguel Romero, professor of management and strategic communications at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid. “There are many organizations in which overexploitation is encouraged and even rewarded… In highly competitive industries, employees work excessively to prove their worth, even if it means a significant loss in their quality of life.”

From an organizational strategy perspective, emotional well-being and adequate management of emotions are becoming increasingly important. Not only for health reasons, but also for the company’s own benefit, since these types of problems, sick leave and violations clearly negatively affect labor productivity and the occurrence of errors and accidents at work. The message is getting through little by little: “More and more companies are providing psychoeducation courses through professional psychologists, giving them the tools and skills to care for and manage emotions,” admits Merino.

According to Romero, ensuring a healthy culture within companies involves “encouraging open and transparent communication among colleagues and between members and leaders (horizontal and vertical), promoting reconciliation and offering opportunities for professional development and growth, recognizing and rewarding work well done.” . But also providing support to employees with emotional difficulties; identifying and controlling toxic leadership; and providing employees with communication and conflict resolution tools; emotional management, healthy habits and even organization.

Appropriate training in occupational health

Be it in the field of psychology or human resource management, there are all kinds of training courses on talent management, employee care policies, Health 360, attentiveness, emotional leadership and even cognitive behavioral therapy, which is very helpful for a disorder like this. Courses, master’s degrees and specializations taught by universities, business schools and training centers, which can also be found on platforms such as Emagister.

If you want more extensive training, Luceño recommends getting a master’s degree in occupational hazard prevention, as one of the areas he is working on is the psychosociology of work, “which will include the assessment of psychosocial risks (work environment conditions related to the organization) . , content of work and performance of tasks that can affect both the well-being and health of workers). However, Merino ultimately states that there is no specific training in professional mental health, “which does not exist and should not exist.”

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