Working round the clock

You only need to do a quick search on Twitter to see how many people out there associate themselves with being workaholics — hundreds of them who put it right up there as part of their profile information. Perhaps not all of them are so (in the true sense of the word) but the current work culture across the world — where it’s all about the bottom line — seems to mostly encourage employees who become wedded to their jobs.

The guy who coined the original term, Wayne Oates — a workaholic himself — noted, in a 1968 essay, that his own addiction to industriousness had been a disorder akin to substance abuse. But more than 40 years later, he is hardly alone, as a recent Expedia survey of US workers suggests that even when employees do take time off, more than half stay plugged in, responding to work emails and checking in at the office during their vacation.

In extreme cases, that attitude has even spawned a condition called ‘leisure sickness’ — where people experience symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain and nausea just because they are away from work. But even though only a very minor percentage of people can claim to suffer from this unusual phenomenon, chances are you probably know a workaholic or two — of the less extreme variety, of course.

Denial tends to be the kneejerk reaction of most who are labelled so — probably because of the negative overtones that come with it — but there are several who are wed to their work by choice, for love of the job and everything that comes with it. Like Iran-born Tanaz Dizadji.

PURE PASSION: Tanaz Dizadji, director of UAE-based non-profit organisation START

The 28-year-old director of the UAE-based non-profit organisation START confesses she’s “always been a bit of a workaholic” — because that’s how much she loves being involved. “I think if you really love what you do (and I do), then you can’t help but want to keep doing it everyday and you have to control yourself not to do too much. Some people wake up in the morning and have to will themselves to get to work. I just can’t get there quick enough.”

IN A WORD The appearance of Oates’s book Confessions of a Workaholic in 1971 propelled the term ‘workaholic’ and is said to have prompted many writers to start using similar ‘-holic’ suffixes to describe “all-consuming obsessions”

Tanaz’s upbringing and culture may have had some influence on her work ethic, considering everyone in her family is equally passionate about their work. “It’s a common conversation at the dinner table in our house,” she explains. “We don’t see it as a negative [that we discuss work at home]… It’s a good thing, exchanging experiences and stories…”

Tanaz says she travels every two months or so, and not just for work, but she is always connected with her workplace — even when she’s on leave. And that’s by choice. “I have an excellent team so I know that if (God forbid) anything happened to me, they’d be brilliant,” she says. “I don’t need to be involved; I just love to help, that’s all.”

Relaxing doesn’t come naturally to her, she admits. “It’s great that a lot of people switch off when they go on leave, but I always struggle to do that because I like being in touch with what’s going on.” As an extrovert, the young director says she gains energy from being around people — and her work (which involves working with disabled, refugee and orphan children) lets her do just that.

Her recent trip to the Amazon — where she was incommunicado for more than seven days because they “didn’t even have phone reception” — was therefore a totally different experience. “It was a bit tricky at first but it turned out great. Learning to relax though is still a learning curve for me.”

The hands-on entrepreneur has been taking measures to maintain a balance of late, forcing herself not to look at emails after 9pm and turning on her out-of-office auto responder. “That was a new development for me,” she laughs. “I could feel myself resist pressing the button activating the auto responder because it felt like I was being disloyal… It’s the same thing with emails. You’ll always see something you want to tackle and then that’s it. Your mind’s already engaged back at work so, these days, I’m trying not to look at emails so I can relax before bedtime.”

Tanaz agrees with all the experts that iterate the importance of switching off. She has her own hobbies — learning French, Pilates, tennis, photography etc — but says she still gets the occasional comment from friends that she works too much. “A lot of people tend to be in denial about how much of a workaholic they are. The general idea is that if your family and friends are all telling you that you work too much or if you yourself feel too stressed and unable to relax, it’s time to adapt your lifestyle.” It all comes down to efficiency, she feels. “It’s not how many hours you spend at work but about how productive you are at what you do.”

DRIVEN BY SUCCESS: Mayur Vaishya (right; pictured with his wife) says he could choose not to work at odd hours in the night — but does so to stay ahead of the game

Mayur Vaishya hails from Mumbai and believes time management has a lot to do with crossing that line into workaholism. The Dubai-based boutique banker has clients all over the world “who sometimes lose track of time and call even at midnight or 2am”. But Mayur says it doesn’t matter if he’s asleep or not — he tends to picks up all calls by the second or third ring. Doesn’t that bother him? “It bothers the wife,” he quips. But for him, it’s all in a day’s work.

YOUR TAKE Workaholism is often seen as the respectable addiction. Experts say the distinction has less to do with the hours you work than the attitude behind them

The 37-year-old does have the option of not responding to those calls — but doesn’t give himself that choice because of a certain inner commitment that drives him to perform. “The field we’re in is finance-related,” he explains. “All our clients are high net-worth individuals (our bank accounts can only be opened with a minimum of a million dollars). We’re managing people’s money, and with their money, their expectations as well — so we can’t give them the feeling that we’re relaxing. Even if I’m in a meeting, I’ll take a second to message and tell them I’ll get back ASAP.” Making sure he is constantly on call is Mayur’s way of reassuring clients of any concerns they may have. He could ease up, he reckons, but prefers it this way.

Mayur has only been in the banking field for the last eight years (having worked his way up from scratch). Prior to this, he was in the fashion designing industry where, he says, his work schedule wasn’t very different. Employed with the well-known Indian fashion duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla (“whose most loyal client is Amitabh Bachchan”), Mayur says they used to go without sleep for 4-5 nights at a stretch sometimes in order to get orders out — so tough working hours are not new to him; he accepts it as part of the package.

He makes an interesting point in boiling it all down to individual management. “It’s not that I like being called a workaholic — but I still feel it’s something I can’t help but do in order to keep up with today’s workload and competitive professional environment.”

DRAWING THE LINE: Business stress consultant Carole Spiers is a firm advocate of regular downtime for working professionals, no matter how much you love the job

Carole Spiers, business stress consultant and CEO of the Carole Spiers Group in London, has been associated with the field of occupational psychology for over 20 years and is more than familiar with the many faces of stress at the workplace. In her experience, workaholism is usually a combination of both an employer “getting leaner and meaner” and the employee’s pressure to achieve, prove and deliver. “With the tough economic climate today, the competition and the scaling down at organisations that there is, there’s usually one person doing three people’s jobs — and pressure on both sides to deliver,” she explains.

THE FAMOUS ONES Some of the most well-known personalities were also known to be workaholics. Thomas Edison, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and the late business magnate Armand Hammer — who’d put in “14 hours a day, seven days a week” — were some of them

The motivational speaker, who was in town for yet another commission to talk to employees about work-life balance [Carole often flies down from the UK on such assignments], stresses that a positive work culture can only be achieved through dual responsibility. “Organisations obviously want to get the most out of their employees but have to realise that the only way they’re going to make more money is by having a workforce that’s happy, striving and healthy. You can work your people to the ground and write it off by saying everyone’s expendable, considering the transient nature of the work force in Dubai, but how long is it going to take you to train them again? Is it not very short sighted not to look after the talent from within?”

Having said that, she notes it is also up to employees to speak to bosses about what is not achievable at any given time. “Of course, not everyone is going to listen and people may decide to leave the job. But that’s where the dual responsibility comes in. Ultimately, it’s up to the organisation to demonstrate a healthy workplace culture.”

And there are a few organisations actually hoisting that flag. A recent AP report stated Volkswagen now turns off some employees’ email 30 minutes after shifts end. BMW is planning new rules that keep workers from being contacted after office hours while Goldman Sachs is urging junior staff to take weekends off. Carole too cites an American company whose CEO recently decided it’s all lights out in the factory after half past five. Everyone must go home. These are, what she calls, the “enlightened few”.

The welcome moves come years after the ease of instant communication allowed bosses to place greater demands on workers. Commenting on the industry response, professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University Cary Cooper points out that the imperative to be constantly reachable is taking a toll on the work delivered at the office. “Employees are turning up, but they’re not delivering anything.”

Technology gives you the opportunity to tell the world you’re working, says Carole. “But it’s also very addictive. You feel the need to be on call all the time and check your emails at 10pm or even in bed. You get husbands and wives playing with kids with BlackBerries in hand. People feel this need to ‘keep up’ all the time. Why?”

SLOWING DOWN: Gaile Panganiban has had to cut back on after-hours work after being diagnosed recently with hypertension

As the recruitment head for an Abu Dhabi-based company, Gaile Panganiban says she’s “genuinely guilty” of being a workaholic and almost always has work on her mind. “Our work involves providing labour force candidates, primarily in the health and oil and gas sectors, so there are times when I step into a pharmacy for medicines but end up whispering to the pharmacist about whether he’s got certification and is on the lookout for another job, because I may know a client that’s seeking someone.”

GET IN TOUCH Carole often holds speaking engagements on the importance of a work-life balance in Dubai. For more information, visit www.carolespiers group.co.uk

The Filipino expat has been working in the human resources industry for about 11 years now, and has a habit of working remotely even on vacation. “That’s not something the company insists on,” she clarifies. “It’s a personal choice. A week before I leave for my break, I ask the IT department to sync all my work so that I can work from abroad. I even let people know (in my auto responder) what time and how they can reach me while I’m away… I feel responsible and I guess it’s how I get my fulfilment because I’m a career woman.”

Gaile has had to slow down since October though, after being diagnosed with hypertension. “The doctor made me see that it was for the sake of my family that I was working so if I loved them, I’d have to take care of myself.” So while the HR professional hasn’t entirely cut back on being connected all the time, she is taking steps to that effect. “I don’t answer calls after 6pm anymore. I used have calls coming in endlessly till 9pm but I drew the line last October and the office knows not to transfer calls to me after work hours anymore. I think it’s the one good move I made.”

Knowing where to draw the line may be all the difference between a minor case of stress and total burnout. Carole concludes with a couple of poignant remarks: “The body is a machine and, as with any machine, needs to be able to switch off and recharge its batteries. You don’t run a car full tilt throughout the year without changing the oil and tyres. Once you reach total burnout, the human body will never go back to fully working again. So keep doing what you love to do — but switch off when you have to, because that’s what your body needs.” - karen@khaleejtimes.com

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