Workaholism and Employee Well-being Dynamics
Summary
Workaholism is characterised by an uncontrollable internal compulsion to work long hours and maintain persistent work‐related thoughts, often at the expense of personal health, relationships and leisure. Distinguished from work engagement and work passion by its obsessive and rigid nature, workaholism arises from both individual predispositions and organisational contexts, such as excessive job demands and cultures that valorise overwork. The dynamic interplay between compulsive working and employee well‐being encompasses heightened psychological distress, burnout, physical complaints and disruptions to work–life balance, alongside paradoxical effects on productivity and organisational performance. Cognitive and moral processes play a critical mediating role: moral disengagement can suppress voice on unethical practices, while destructive leadership and technology‐assisted after‐hours demands exacerbate stressors that perpetuate compulsive work patterns. Intervention strategies—from mindfulness‐based programmes to structural policy reforms—are under active investigation, yet robust evidence on their long‐term efficacy remains limited. This field underscores the global imperative to design sustainable work environments that safeguard employee health without undermining organisational objectives.
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Workaholism and Employee Well-being Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in workaholism and employee well-being dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Workaholism: A persistent, uncontrollable need to work excessively, resulting in negative health, social and performance outcomes.
Work Engagement: A positive, fulfilling work‐related state characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption, distinct from compulsive working.
Employee Well‐being: The psychological, physical and social health of individuals in the workplace, encompassing stress levels, satisfaction and balance.
Moral Disengagement: Cognitive processes enabling individuals to rationalise unethical behaviour and detach from moral self‐regulation.
Technology‐Assisted Job Demand (TAJD): Work pressures extended into personal time via electronic communication tools, contributing to excessive working.
Destructive Leadership: Leadership behaviours that create toxic climates, increase job demands and undermine employee health and well‐being.
References
- Workaholism: Taking Stock and Looking Forward. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior (2023).
- Quiet Workaholics? The Link Between Workaholism and Employee Silence and Moral Voice as Explained by the Social‐Cognitive Theory of Morality. Journal of Organizational Behavior (2025).
- Unsustainable Working Conditions: The Association of Destructive Leadership, Use of Technology, and Workload with Workaholism and Exhaustion. Sustainability (2019).
- Meditation awareness training for the treatment of workaholism: A controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Addictions (2017).
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