Workaholism and its Effect on Leaders and Teams

We have all put in extra hours outside of work, but when you have a work addiction this can have adverse effects on your mental and physical health, and that of your teams.

Workaholism often has a negative impact on the employees that managers lead and so it is no wonder line managers and HR leaders are beginning to reflect on management styles and addictive behaviours. HR leaders often struggle the most with the impact of workaholism, both in their own working practice, and in the effects of workaholism on the workforce as a whole. If workaholism is a common symptom in your organisation, it could be indicative of a wider company culture issue. 

It is the HR professionals that can set an example and guidelines for the rest of the workplace to avoid workaholism taking hold. 

5 red flags for spotting a workaholic:

1. Perfectionism. 

Perfectionism under the guise of self-efficacy can often result in judging yourself and others around you when tasks are completed to a perceived sub-standard level. A workaholic’s standards are often unrealistic, inhuman and beyond a person’s healthy capacity, leading an employee to burnout. 

2. Staying in Control.

The workaholic often finds delegating tasks difficult, with the compulsive need to be in control of every aspect of the task in hand. With the need for perfection, delegating authority can feel as if the tasks will not be completed to the same standards by someone else. 

3. Overbooked and Overworked. 

Workaholics take on tasks which realistically, they do not have the capacity for. Back-to-back meetings, unrealistic deadlines and to-do lists with no end are all red flags of workaholism. The compulsion to have excessive work and put in long hours is one way the workaholic can feel ‘job satisfaction’.

4. Self-neglect. 

Workaholism often unfortunately leads to self-neglect. A work-addiction can often deteriorate the mental and physical health of the individual. Workaholics are susceptible to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and burnout. 

5. Inability to Relax. 

Workaholism is more commonly understood as ‘people who have an inability to relax’. A reluctance to disengage from thinking about work can be a red flag for someone who might need to reconsider their internal mental state. 

Seeking help with workaholism 

If any of these red flags resonate with you or you recognise these traits in someone else, there are self-assessment questionnaires available such as the Bergen Work addiction Scale to assess whether you need further help.

HR software can mitigate the stress and demands of managerial jobs

Using HR software can enable workaholics to relinquish control over admin-heavy tasks and improve their team management. Automated HR software offers automatic HR workflows to ensure accurate data transfer every time. 

Using HR software enables others in the workforce to take control of tasks, meaning the stress on the workaholic is relieved and the team is empowered. XCD’s platform, built on Salesforce, streamlines HR processes and communications using an all-in-one platform specially designed to make your life easier. 

Workaholism and perfectionism

As we mentioned earlier, workaholics tend to overload themselves with tasks as they perceive their perfectionism as the only acceptable standard. If those often-unrealistic standards are not met, it is your responsibility to communicate with your team members effectively to ensure there is no workplace discomfort. 

XCDs employee relationship management system allows team collaboration to be at the centre of your automated HR software. Featuring a centralised company dashboard, the employee relationship manager streamlines internal communications. Having dashboards accessible to all team members and managers, communication over the quality of work and key documents becomes a breeze.

How HR software can help workaholics delegate

A good leader is one that can delegate effectively and let go of control – tricky if you have workaholism. Being trusted with decision making and completing tasks is an assumed part of most jobs. However, the workaholic’s need can lead to micromanaging being an ever-present issue in the workplace. 

With XCD built on Salesforce, you can mitigate this by enabling managers to visualise the results of their team with custom reporting and analytics of the team workloads. With over 150 customisable reporting templates, managers can use key biometrics to analyse what works well for their teams and to ensure that tasks are being completed efficiently and effectively.

You may also be interested in: How to Manage the Micromanagers.

Time management and HR software

Workaholism often manifests itself through an overwhelming to-do list with deadlines that are unachievable. As a manager, for yourself and for your co-workers, it is important to curb workaholism with effective time management, unique to each employee. 

Automated timesheets

With XCD, you can utilise time tracking software to monitor how many hours your team members are putting in and their individual schedules. Ensuring employees and management share a transparent awareness of each other’s schedules can improve team motivation as everyone is aware of how they are using their time.

XCD’s single HR and payroll solution has the additional benefit of automatically sending timesheets to be processed by payroll. This ensures employees are rewarded accurately for their time dedicated and to not have to worry about remuneration.  

The XCD platform encourages employee self-service with their own information, payroll details and learning in an all-in-one platform. With the timesheet, you can track your own and your employees’ working hours and recognise when excessive work hours are beginning to cause burnout. 

HR Software and promoting a healthy work-life balance

Managing an employee who has an inability to relax or noticing that you find it difficult to relax can be challenging. When health and wellbeing are compromised because of a ‘successful’ work ethic, something must give. 

One way to curb workaholism and overworking with automated HR software is enabling employees and HR to access their holiday and leave requests and/or days remaining. Anyone can access this through the XCD mobile app, allowing you to have access to peace of mind that your managers and employees are using their holiday entitlement.

Why HR software is key to minimise workaholism

A sure way to reduce workaholism is to reduce work-related stressors by automating HR, payroll, and data analytics. HR software is one way your employees can have a better work life. XCD is a future proof single software solution built on Salesforce to suit your bespoke needs, helping you battle workaholism in the workplace. 

Book a free, no obligation demo today, to see how an automated HR system can help mitigate the stressors of managerial job demands.