A woman in a paddleboat on a lake with her two young children isn't relaxing -- she's talking on a cell phone with her boss.

An attorney honeymooning on a tropical island is faxing legal briefs to his home office.

A boss lambasts a young dot-com executive for turning off his cell phone during his child's birthday party on a Saturday.

These are scenes from the recent books White Collar Sweatshop and Netslaves, but they may not be unfamiliar to many employees who find that work is invading the most intimate moments of their lives. Some employees even bring work projects home and check office email compulsively, driving loved ones to distraction. If you feel that you're either becoming "addicted" to work -- or that it's addicted to you -- here are some tips:

• Stop working on the weekends. Okay, maybe you've gotten used to it. If you find complete withdrawal too difficult, start by working only on Saturday and keeping Sunday for yourself. Plan weekend events, like an all-day hike, which will make work less tempting. (And remember to leave your pager and cell phone at home when hiking.)

• Leave your briefcase at the office. If this is too hard for you at first, start by stowing it there just a day or so per a week.

• Cut back to a 40-hour week. If feeling overwhelmed is the problem, delegate some of your responsibilities to your coworkers or employees (without causing them to feel overworked).

• Pay attention to your symptoms. Are you getting migraines, back pain, or ulcers? Do you have trouble eating and sleeping? Is your blood pressure too high? These ailments could be related to stress and overwork.

• Do something to strengthen your relationships at least once a day. Take time to focus on others areas of your life besides work -- help your children with their homework, exercise with a friend, or take a walk with your partner. If you enjoy making lists, mark these "dates" down in your calendar or PDA.

• At least once a week, try something new and fun. Find a hobby that's completely unrelated to your profession and give it a try -- even if the end result isn't perfect!

• Stop multitasking. If you find yourself reviewing work material or interrupting family meals to talk on the phone, stop. Make time for personal conversations, too.

• Get moving. Your body needs some help keeping you fit for the hours you sit at a desk or stand on your feet. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, three to five times a week -- the more the better.

• Watch what you eat. Too much sugar and caffeine can keep you from getting the rest you need when you finally do leave work and hit the sack.

• Consider counseling. If you find yourself uninterested in much besides work, consider seeing a therapist to figure out what's going on.

•Respect employees' boundaries and privacy. Try not to call, page, or email workaholics at home after hours, on weekends, or when they're on vacation. Contacting them at home reinforces the notion that they're indispensable.

•Avoid calling, paging, emailing, and instant messaging your other employees in their off hours as well because this encourages workaholism.

•Set realistic deadlines.

•Encourage employees to take coffee breaks, lunch hours, and unused vacation time.

•Discourage employees from taking work home with them.

•Encourage workaholics to interact with other employees off the job, which may mean organizing an occasional group outing. Many work "addicts" feel isolated and often don't have friends or family to discourage them from working too much. When you're on the outing, try to avoid talking shop.

•Pay attention to whether workers are calling in sick more than usual. Your organization may depend on employees working overtime to get the job done, but if they experience a rise in health problems and absenteeism as a result, that system may not be an efficient way to function in the long run. Overwork and stress results in millions of dollars worth of disability claims and sick days every year.

•Allow your workers flexible hours to complete the job.

•Encourage workers to exercise to ease stress. If your workplace can afford to, offer subsidized gym memberships as part of the benefits package.

•Lighten up. Getting down to business might just mean taking the time for a good laugh.

•Don't overwork yourself. If employees see you at the office until all hours, they may feel under pressure to do the same.

-- Psyche Pascual is the articles editor at Consumer Health Interactive.

References

First published October 3, 2001
Last updated March 4, 2008
Copyright © 2001 Consumer Health Interactive

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