A workaholic and an engaged employee both work hard and a lot. The difference lies in the reason why. A workaholic is driven to work by an inner compulsion: they feel they must. An engaged employee is drawn to their work, because they find it enjoyable and important. That difference seems small, but it determines whether work gives you energy or slowly wears you out. In this article, you will read how to recognise both and what you can do as a manager.
How do you recognise a workaholic?
At first sight, you recognise a workaholic by the fact that they are working often and everywhere. You might think there is nothing wrong with that and that it is up to them. Yet there is a clear difference between a hard worker and a work addict.
Researchers Wilmar Schaufeli, Toon Taris and Arnold Bakker describe workaholism as the combination of two things:
- Working excessively: putting much more time and energy into your work than can reasonably be expected of you.
- Working compulsively: a strong inner urge to work, so that you keep thinking about your work outside working hours too.
So it is not just about the number of hours. It is about the 'must'. A workaholic can't put their work down and feels restless when they are not working. Taris, Schaufeli & Shimazu
That often comes at the expense of someone's social life and affects the people around them too. Workaholism is linked to health complaints, poor sleep, dissatisfaction with life and even poorer job performance. So hard work in itself is not harmful, unless it comes from an irresistible inner urge that turns work into an obsession. Arbokennisnet, Work engagement dossier
How do you recognise an engaged employee?
An engaged person also works often and hard. She does so with a great deal of passion and pleasure. The will to work comes from intrinsic motivation. According to the research, work engagement consists of three elements:
- Vigor: high levels of energy and resilience while working, even when things get tough.
- Dedication: finding your work meaningful and being proud of and enthusiastic about it.
- Absorption: being so absorbed in your work that time flies.
Engaged people draw strength and pleasure from their work, and so manage to motivate and inspire others. They work hard because work is fun for them and because they want to learn and grow. Not because they cannot resist an inner urge. Schaufeli, Taris & Bakker
The difference: being driven or being drawn
From the outside, workaholics and engaged employees look very similar. They are both busy, committed and completely absorbed in their work. Research even shows that absorption occurs in both. The difference lies in the motivation behind it. The engaged employee is absorbed in their work because it is so enjoyable. The workaholic because they can't do otherwise.
Dutch researchers sum it up nicely: workaholics are driven to their work and enslaved by it. Engaged employees are drawn to their work and devoted to it. Ouweneel, Van Wijhe, Schaufeli, Le Blanc & Peeters
You can see that difference in a few areas:
- Why they work. Workaholics are mainly focused on achievement and recognition from others. They want to feel indispensable. Engaged employees look for challenge because they want to learn and develop.
- Letting go. Workaholics find it hard to recover after a working day. Engaged employees can put their work down, and sometimes even take their energy home with them.
- Taking signals seriously. Engaged employees listen when the people around them say they are working too hard. Workaholics ignore those signals more often.
- Energy. Work costs an engaged person less energy than a workaholic. It even gives them energy.
Important to know: it is not always black and white. The same research shows that work engagement and workaholism can shade into each other and can even occur at the same time. So an engaged employee can also go too far. Read more in Help, I'm too engaged! and in burnout vs work engagement.
Signs of workaholism
Do you recognise yourself or a colleague in several of these signs? Then it is time to reflect on the why behind the hard work. The first four appear in the questionnaires researchers use to measure workaholism. Taris, Schaufeli & Shimazu
- You keep working when your colleagues have already stopped.
- You feel you are constantly racing against the clock.
- You feel obliged to work hard, even when it is not enjoyable.
- You feel guilty when you take a day off.
- You still think about your work in the evenings and at weekends.
- You ignore signals from your body or the people around you that it is too much.
What can you do as a manager?
In many organisations, it is precisely workaholics who stand out positively. They are always available, take everything on and work long days. As a result, they are often rewarded for behaviour that wears them out in the long run. As a manager, you can do a lot about that:
- Look at the why, not the hours. In conversations, don't just ask what someone does, but also what the work gives them. Does it give energy or cost energy?
- Reward results and growth, not availability. Anyone who is complimented for emails at midnight learns that this is the norm.
- Set a good example yourself. Take your own holidays, don't send messages in the evening and show that recovery is part of performing.
- Make recovery normal. Plan quiet periods after busy peaks and discuss workload openly in the team.
- Discuss signals in time. If you see that someone can no longer let go, say so. With persistent complaints, the occupational health doctor is the right next step.
Find the balance
Work engagement starts with a good balance. It is important that you are challenged enough at work, that you work for the right reasons and that you keep taking good care of yourself. That is what it takes to keep performing with engagement. Of course, that is easier said than done. Also read why you can only keep up hard work in a good, positive atmosphere.
Now that you know the difference between a workaholic and an engaged employee: do you recognise these traits, and how do you see yourself? Are you drawn to your work, or are you driven?
