Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9407070004
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: F2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ARDEN MOORE FORT LAUDERDALE SUN-SENTINEL
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
What Weinstein first noticed was their dirty footprints on her freshly vacuumed carpet. Not the shattered door.
``I used to leave my house each morning, vacuuming my way out the door,'' said Weinstein, chief executive officer and founder of the Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Child Care Connections. ``Talk about your compulsiveness.''
But help is on the way. Sandra Haymon has developed a research survey to identify workaholics as part of her doctoral dissertation at Florida State University.
``Until now, we had no empirical research instrument to determine who is a workaholic and who isn't,'' said Haymon, a self-described workaholic who is striving to find a balance between work and leisure in her own life.
Haymon, a psychologist who counsels a wide range of patients at the Apalachee Center for Human Services in Tallahassee, spent two years researching professional and academic journals before discovering there has never been an empirical study to identify work addicts.
``There has been scientific research done on the Type A personality, but not workaholism,'' said Haymon. ``In the popular press, there have been articles about people's obsession which is sometimes called workaholism, but until now there was no means to measure it.''
Haymon identifies five major characteristics that haunt workaholics: anxiety, obsessive compulsiveness, mania, intolerance and self-doubt.
These people feel the need to arrive to work early and leave late; have no patience for co-workers who work 40-hour work weeks or do not keep the same frenzied pace; and constantly feel they do not accomplish enough in their work day.
She calls work addiction the ``silent killer'' because those afflicted often ignore physical warning signs such as ulcers, headaches, indigestion and chest pains.
``For years, workaholism has been held up as a virtue, but the truth is that it is dysfunctional and a vice,'' said Haymon. ``These people seem to never miss a day of work, but one day, they just drop dead.''
Haymon surveyed 253 male FSU students who did not know that the questionnaire dealt with work addiction. She said the checklist correctly assessed 88 percent of the students. She is planning to conduct a similar survey on female students and eventually, market the survey to companies.
``In the long run, industry will see it is not economical to exploit work addicts,'' said Haymon. ``To a certain degree, we are already starting to see a rebellion of sorts - the white-collared professional who walks out of Wall Street in the middle of his career to help the homeless.''
Haymon said the most important - and most difficult - trait work addicts must learn is how to relax. The adoption of two playful kittens has helped her learn to unwind at home.
Weinstein, in charge of a $22 million agency with more than 300 workers, is also learning to balance work and family. And, she is urging her employees to do the same.
``Several people in this agency don't know when it is time to go home because they are so dedicated to the people they serve,'' said Weinstein. ``But I remind them that we are a family agency and their families have to come first. If their child is in a school play, take a few hours off and go see them.''
She pauses.
``Do I follow my own advice? Twenty-five percent of the time I do,'' she says. ``I'm doing better, but I'm honest about it.''
by CNB