Workaholism can’t earn you fulfilling rewards

Dubai: It's been four years since Dushyant Bhatia, a Dubai-based entrepreneur, has had a work-free holiday. By his own admittance, even weekends suffer the same treatment. He can recall only one weekend in February 2010 when he did not work.

After starting his second company Gozoop, a global online marketing agency specialising in Online Reputation Management (ORM) and Social Media, he calls work "his life". Speaking to Gulf News, he says, "Everything else is secondary. My working hours are weird — 12am to 5am on company strategy and 12pm to 9pm on research."

He is, what psychologists would classify, a workaholic. And Bhatia is a self-confessed one.

Growing trend

Workaholism is dominant in the UAE where the rush to scale the corporate ladder often results in work timings that stretch sleep and waking hours so randomly that one can no longer recognise a pattern. The same force stretches, tipping the work-life balance to a frightening degree, leaving little or no time for matters unrelated to work.

A timely survey helps contextualise workaholism, specifically in the UAE.

Last week's Regus Index Survey revealed that the work-life balance in the UAE is below average compared to the global average. Globally, workers enjoy work more and become more productive as a result of their improved work-life harmony. In the survey, 57 per cent of business people believe they spend more time away from their home life compared to the global average of 39 per cent.

This badge of workaholism however isn't one to be worn with pride.

According to Dr Samineh Shaheem, assistant professor of psychology at Human Relations Institute Dubai, who specialises in cross-cultural and business psychology, workaholism sets in when work becomes the most important aspect of your identity and activities, notably neglecting all other facets of your personal life.

She tells Gulf News, "If no other activity satisfies you as much as work; you are never fully disconnected from work; you are always drawn to work issues even when home; and you cannot stop thinking about work, are all signs that you are a workaholic."

Surprisingly, these signs are often considered positive instead of negative.

Sahar Haffar Moussly, UK-certified Life Coach and NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) practitioner, and proprietor of Harmony, a life and corporate coaching company in Dubai, says the positive aspect of workaholism is reinforced.

Unwitting reinforcement

Speaking to Gulf News she says, "Workaholism is a recognised condition worldwide. It started in the West where culture prizes work ethic, overachievement and financial success, where gazillionaires like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are household names, and where people who are addicted to work are seen by outsiders as smart, ambitious, and entrepreneurial."

Tamara Saeb, a Syrian director in a Communications company in Dubai, is testimony to this condition. Speaking to Gulf News, she says, "I didn't realise I am a workaholic till people pointed it out. I work 12-15 hours a day, and I am always connected, handling work issues whether it is with international clients who work on Friday — my weekend, or after work hours."

Tamara's efforts — long hours and commitment, have paid rich dividends. She has been commended and her professional contribution acknowledged financially through bonuses. Yet, she admits there are negatives. "While I have learnt on the job and picked up new skill sets, it can be stressful. Despite being single, I do not enjoy work-life balance. At times I dismiss gym to stay up late to work. I don't have ‘me time', and I don't get to spend as much time with family and friends."

Mohab Mufti, a Saudi investment adviser in Dubai, who recently launched his company Asiya Investments Dubai, tells Gulf News that he couldn't have achieved success without being a workaholic.

"I don't sleep much. I find myself working at 5am as well as 11pm," he says.

Still, there are aspects that Mufti misses. He hasn't been able to devote time to his hobbies — creative writing and foreign language. Neither has he been able to spend enough time with his family and siblings as he would have like to. He says, "My kids, now teenagers, understand why I have to be away working."

Psychological prison

From a psychological point of view, workaholism can lead to a state Dr Samineh describes as "the psychological prison". The perceived success at work comes with a huge price, both physically and psychologically, she says. "What's ironic is that the workaholic doesn't always succeed nor do they perform exceptionally better than others. Not because they are not competent, but due to the psychological prison the addiction to work creates."

It is hard to ignore the correlation between workaholism and work-life balance. Of the negatives associated with the condition Dr Samineh says a person could suffer from long-term physical and psychological ailments as well as an inability to nurture other relationships and domains of one's life. "Further long work hours, inability to balance work and private life as well as working in a dynamic and culturally diverse environment can also add to the every day challenges of the work world, eventually resulting in burnout or exhaustion."

The negative aspects spill into personal relationships, affecting overall well-being, adds Moussly. "The workaholic uses work to escape from difficult feelings and in this process loses awareness of his desires and needs. It results in diminished relationships outside of work and undermine overall well-being."

Working hard versus working long

According to Dr Samineh, working passionately and deriving satisfaction, does not make someone a work addict. Her advice is to learn to work smarter and more efficiently than to work longer.

Dushyant Bhatia, a Dubai-based entrepreneur, says, "Workaholism implies addiction to work — you live, eat and breathe work. Despite being a workaholic though, a person may be an inefficient worker."

Mohab Mufti, a Saudi Investment Adviser in Dubai, also feels strongly about this distinction. "I can work under pressure for an hour and deliver high quality work or take the entire evening to produce the same results. Working smarter is better than working longer."