The return to slavery

The Return to Slavery

Many of us believe being a workaholic isn't a
problem, since hard work is a source of
pride and produces desired results. What
happens when it becomes the modern
version of slavery?

By Elana Shoval

In 1990, after a long and tiring struggle, I was accepted
to work as an editor at a daily newspaper. I was exited
and proud. After all, this had been my dream for many years
and here I was, getting exactly what I had always dreamed
of doing.

Shortly after starting my new job I found myself working
long, hard hours. No task was too difficult, too tiring or
too boring for me. I was willing to do anything and
everything. Of course I was always tired, sometimes even
exhausted but I didn't mind. My diligence was highly
appreciated, rewarded and necessary.

I remember working six days a week (while most of my
colleagues worked five), sometimes on weekends and
holidays, year after year. I would come to work every
day at 9.00 A.M. and leave at 1.00 past midnight, when
the editing of the next day's news pages were completed.
That's how dedicated I was to my job.

A simple calculation shows that with this kind of schedule,
all I could do was work, sleep and go back to work. I had no
life; no time for vacations, meeting friends, no going to
movies or having a nice quiet meal at a restaurant. Even
reading and watching TV, my favorite pastimes, were now
dedicated to subjects related to my job: reading as many newspapers as I could, or watching news broadcasts at every possible moment.

I managed to lead this lifestyle for almost a decade. During this period I lost some of my best friends who became fed up with the little time I had for them. I developed chronic pain in my lower back, indigestion, and frequent headaches.

Was I a workaholic, or just an overly enthusiastic journalist? Looking back at those years I think I experienced both. I certainly loved my job but I didn't like spending every waking hour doing it. I remember yearning for a free weekend or for more time with my daughters, which became more and more infrequent. Yet I also felt a strong need to prove myself to my superiors and to myself, and to show the world what a dedicated, responsible and hard worker I was. I loved the large checks I received at the end of every month too. Again and again, I found it impossible to say "no" to the new load placed upon my shoulders.

I think many a time my superiors took advantage of my dedication. Sure, I was rewarded for my efforts, and yes, they really needed what I produced. However, nobody seemed to care about my health or well being. And why should they when I didn't either?

Are you a workaholic?

A workaholic is defined in Wikipedia as "a person who is addicted to work. This phrase does not always imply that the person actually enjoys their work, but rather simply feels compelled to do it… Although the term 'workaholic' usually has a negative connotation, it is sometimes used by people wishing to express their devotion to their career in positive terms".

The first to use this term was Wayne Oates, a psychologist and religious educator, who wrote the book "Confessions of a Workaholic" in 1971, in it he described the inner world of people who worked too hard although they didn't have to. During the 90's this term became more popular as the result of a wave of self-help movements. These movements formed an analogy between harmful social behaviors such as over-work, drug addiction and addiction to alcohol.

Over the years this term became controversial mainly because it was hard to tell when a hard worker had become addicted to work and when he was just dedicated to his job.

According to Workaholics Anonymous (WA), you are a workaholic if you work more than 40 hours a week, take your work home with you, fear that a lack of hard work will get you fired, and when you allow your personal relationships to suffer from the long hours you put into it.

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