Are you a 'workaholic'?

[grumpy4squash]

If you would describe yourself as such, how much do you work (and what do you do)?

Would you like to work less?

Yes. I am a deputy head (that’s my basic job title, I do much more than that!). I am in school 12hrs a day during term time and about 8hrs a day during the holidays and most weekends am in school for at least 7 hrs. Plus of course answering emails in the evenings and other times.

I’d like to work less, but it just isn’t possible as I am doing the minimum to keep the school in an even keel. Being a DSL means that that side of things has to take priority and you have to drop other things, e.g. a child made a disclosure and I then spent probably about 3 and a half hours dealing with it, and i’be not yet even finished writing up the paperwork. It involved 4 calls to social workers, 2 calls to the parents, one meeting with the child, one with a teacher, one meeting with the parent and one with the parent and child together.

Yes. I am a partner in a vets practice in the last 7 days I have worked 58.5 hours with another 35 hours on call. I am passionate about the level of service my clients deserve. Do I wish there was a way to achieve it that did not financially cost the client more and cost me emotionally and physically less - yes I do. The compatibility between clients would like and what physically we can give is getting greater and greater.

I wouldn't describe myself as a workaholic, but can slip into working too many hours when deadlines are looming or the goalposts get shifted and we're expected to pick up the slack! it's worse when I'm working from home, because I know I can walk downstairs and I'm into 'life' not 'work'.

It is within my gift to work fewer hours, but to get the job done, well it just isn't a 9-5. Hmm maybe that does make me a workaholic at least we always get to sit down by 8pm for our meal so I'm not too bad I suppose.

Interesting to explore where the boundary is (and to find out what other folks do)!

I work average 50 hour weeks & always bring my laptop home. I travel a bit as well, probably 4 or 6 times a year. I really enjoy what I do (senior leadership) and it's demanding, so don't begrudge the extra hours. DH complains a bit when I turn up at home just as he's putting dinner on the table at 8pm....

Nowadays, I am mindful if I'm tempted to slip into the same patterns of working hours and behaviours you describe,, grumpy that relationships must come first, and not to take loved ones' patience and tolerance for granted. It's all too easy in whatever line of work, interesting or otherwise, to get sucked into the workload, and fail to recognise that human relationships can suffer.

It does need a lot of discipline, been there done that. If I feel it slipping, I give my head a wobble and remind myself not to have every ounce of energy sucked out of me thru work, at risk of leaving limited resource for my nearest and dearest. Without them, life would be empty. The office is replaceable.

A key aspect is whether you are receiving recognition for the hours, not necessarily the money, but support of management that you are going above and beyond. If they are all about squeezing every last drop out of you because they're paying you well, that's when the balance is tipped into an unhealthy environment. If they give you flexibility, recognition and appreciation then you have to decide if that is enough to sustain you through or whether there is something else that's causing you to question your workaholism.

daisy
You make some very good points and you are completely right.
I'm in a slightly unusual situation work-wise as I'm on an unofficial year long probation for a more senior role, which would benefit us all, so there is a lot hinging on my performance this year. I'm probably squeezing the last drops out of myself!

My boss is generally lovely and very reasonable - I'm not being taken advantage of, although it might start to feel that way if the promotion doesn't materialise.
Might join you in the head wobble :)

Hmm I'm rather concerned about you having an unofficial year long probation. I'm sure your manager is supportive, if you're acting-up, for a whole year and getting no guaranteed remuneration change, to boot!

Having had my own professional fingers burned with platitudes and broken promises, I've come to realise the only surefire way to get promoted is to throw your hat into the ring with a bona fide internal vacancy where you are on a level playing field, succinct recruitment timeframe and then (all being well) satisfy a formal vacancy with the salary level and benefits befitting of your worth, according to the vacancy spec.

It's objective and transparent. None of the shifting of goalposts that can occur if it isn't formalised.

Daisy
We are a small company, which makes things generally flexible but means we don't have many of the formal aspects like strict role descriptions and salary ranges or even internal vacancies. It's somewhat negotiable.

I did get a pay rise and job title change at the start of the unofficial year, it just wasn't quite what I had in mind, hence reviewing after 12 months (if that makes any sense). I take your point though and realise that I could end up getting totally shafted after a year of hard work. Thanks for your concern.

Sounds like they are a good employer and hopefully doing the decent thing by you. I'd watch your hours, if you are regularly going up to or exceeding 50 hours a week, you could be at risk of exhaustion, and it exceeds the Working Time Directive of recommended < 48 hours a week.

www.gov.uk/maximum-weekly-working-hours

Yes. I'm a teacher and want things just right, I spent hours yesterday finding the right videos for a French lesson.

Working time directive is a joke for me!

I do a minimum during term time of 5x12hr days, with usually another 8 onthe weekend, plus an evening event adding on another 3 hours, so call that 70 hours a week averaged out in term time, and in the holidays I tend to do 5x8hr days. So thats 40 hrs a week I’m the school holidays. I take 4 (working) weeks off a year.

At least my boss appreciates me and last year I got a significantly above inflation pay rise.

If your working 70 hours a week then thats nearly two full-time jobs.
Do you get paid anything like having two full-time jobs?

I was, I found it really important to have a strong work ethic and gave every role my all. I usually lasted around 2/3 years then would burn out and need to move on.

Last role was 8 years with some amazing flexibility which allowed me to see what a true work/life balance looks like.

We are just about to buy mortgage free on the outskirts of a big city and when my current contract finishes I won't take another one for a while.

I no longer want to be a 'workaholic' and I'll be lucky enough not to have to be.

No. I typically work 60 hours a week because that’s the demands of the job, but if I could do it in less then I would, and plenty of people would spend more time on it.

I work more than my contracted hours, to get everything done. Have done for years. No recognition, and too late now for promotion - I'll be retiring in the not-too-distant future. So I'm gradually cutting back my hours, and so far, nobody's noticed.

I used to be. I burnt out. I would go into work on rest days or annual leave if a job needed doing. I loved my job but after 20 odd years I went “bang” and had to get out.

What did you do finfinty? Yes I'm a workaholic.I get.great pleasure from it.I do 12\13 hour days around 54 hour.weeks.The I'm in the process of.reevaluating my life.Recently I've been unwell and work exhausted it has dragged me down.I work ever until 10 ish weekends Xmas all bank hols.I have left two jobs in recent years when I felt it was too drawing.Normally I am excited to get to work and crack on.The downside is i have no social life of time with dh.The upside is I get paid to do something I'm passionate about.