The 8 Best Ways To Celebrate National Workaholics Day

Do you know someone who is always the first to arrive at work and is almost always the last to leave? If that's the case, you've got a workaholic on your hands, and we've got the perfect day for you to honor this rare type of human— National Workaholics Day!

In 1971, psychologist Wayne Oates invented the term 'workaholism.'

He defined it as "the compulsion or the uncontrollable need to work incessantly."

And "workaholic" is a person addicted to their work. This particular term is a portmanteau, and it is made up of two words: work and alcoholic. The term was widely used in the late 1960s to characterize people who worked excessively and compulsively.

Every year, on July 5, National Workaholics Day is dedicated and calls attention to the workaholics in your life, and it's meant to remind them to maintain a good and strong work-life balance.

It is said that the day gained popularity as a way to thank employees who worked on July 4 without taking a day off. The day has received immense popularity over social media platforms with yearly hashtag campaigns.

Is National Workaholics Day a National Holiday?

National Workaholics Day is not a federal holiday in the United States. But, on this day, workaholics are encouraged to take a day off and initiate lifestyle changes.

Are Workaholic Employees Engaged In Their Work?

A recent study by Malissa A. Clark highlighted that being a workaholic is not the same as being a highly engaged employee.

"One key difference between workaholism and work engagement is the motivations underlying these behaviors," she stated.

"Whereas engaged workers are driven to work because they find it intrinsically pleasurable, workaholics are driven to work because they feel an inner compulsion to work — feelings that they 'should' be working."

While thinking about work-related concerns, workaholics are often stressed out or filled with unpleasant emotions like guilt, anxiety, rage, or disappointment, according to Dr. Clark.

When someone is engaged at work, they approach their job as a passion project and are genuinely excited to come to work every day. On the other hand, workaholics treat their jobs as a chore rather than something they enjoy. It also doesn't help because most workaholics are unable to separate their personal and professional lives, resulting in increased stress.

15 Signs That Show You Are Dealing With A Workaholic

1. They come to work early, skip their lunch and stay late.

2. They feel obligated to be active at all times, which may drive them to perform tasks outside of their work description.

3. They don't have any hobbies.

4. When they are not at work, they are stressed and often deal with FOMO, i.e., Fear Of Missing Out.

5. They strive to be perfectionists but find it difficult to be satisfied.

6. Because they struggle with self-care and spending time with their family, they are perplexed by coworkers who prioritize work-life balance.

7. They hate taking vacations and, when they do, they bring their work with them.

8. When they should be doing something else, their minds wander to work topics.

9. They also work when severely sick, even if they don't get appreciated for it.

10. They have a weakened immune system, increased rates of burnout, shortened career paths, and a higher risk of heart attacks.

11. They never assign tasks to others.

12. They are not only willing to take on additional responsibility but also actively encourage others to delegate additional responsibilities to them.

13. They are unable to say 'No' to their boss.

14. They hardly say 'Yes' to their outside-work commitments.

15. They'll argue over the telltale signals that they're a workaholic.

If anyone you know or you can relate to the above signs, please take note:

Workaholism, unlike alcoholism, is socially acceptable and even encouraged in many workplaces. However, like any other addiction, workaholism also risks one's family, health, and productivity.

Remember:

Doing more work is not the point of celebrating National Workaholic Day. Rather, it encourages us to divide our daily time into work, family and charitable acts, and relaxation/sleep. It aims to promote the importance of unplugging and taking a break.

If you have a workaholic on your team, July 5 is a great day to recognize their efforts. But, it would be best if you also emphasized the necessity of a healthy work-life balance to them.

Continue reading to learn more about how you can make this day special for them. At the same time, make them understand the value of their personal time.

How to Celebrate National Workaholics Day?

1. There's a reason why Google and other corporate behemoths have fancy sleep pods in their offices. It's because these companies understand that sleep deprivation is a real issue for overworked employees and often can lead to serious health problems. To ensure that your workaholic employees get enough rest, you could impose a policy requiring people to stop working after a certain amount of time. Meanwhile, setting up nap rooms in your offices is an easy way to ensure that your employees have someplace to go to have a lie-down.

Read our blog on: How Sleep Deprivation Affects Work Performance

2. Promote family-friendly policies for all your employees. Encourage your employees to stop routinely prioritizing work over family and to strike a healthy balance between the two. Ask them to plan a family meal, start meaningful conversations, and eliminate stress at the dinner table. You may also organize a "Bring Your Family To Work Day" or a "Take Your Kids To Work Day" to emphasize the significance of a work-life balance.

3. Sports activities can be a great opportunity to refresh oneself and National Workaholics Day is an ideal time to plan for it. To make it more fun have your family join in. Such events should come with lots of prizes up for grabs.

4. A movie night is a terrific idea for your busy staff to bond and have fun. You could even create virtual movie night plans for them to enjoy at home with their loved ones.

5. Plan a surprise adventure trip for them to discover where they actually belong.

6. We can all agree that receiving rewards and recognition for doing a good job is one of the best parts of our jobs. But hosting a fun awards night where employees are presented with hilarious yet relatable award titles is one of our favorite team-bonding moments. So, this National Workaholics Day, get creative and come up with some unique awards to celebrate the workaholics. The “Always in a Meeting Award,” “Busy Bee Award,” “Call of Duty Award," and “Night Owl Award” are just a few of the lighthearted yet meaningful awards you can present.

7. Organizing some enjoyable team building activities is a simple way to get workaholics away from their desks and show them what they're missing out on. You could surprise them with a team lunch or a fun day of bowling. Meanwhile, use this opportunity to discuss the dangers of workaholism as well as the benefits of a work-life balance. Encourage them to make positive changes in their lives by emphasizing the value of a work-life balance.

8. Give them a day off to do anything of their choice!

"If your work or that of an employee takes top priority over everything else in life—relationships, play, important social events, and your self-care and health—it's important to recognize the problem and take constructive action," writes self-help author and Forbes columnist Bryan Robinson.

"Develop a work moderation plan geared to work/life balance—a broad framework that provides maximum flexibility and life balance like four spokes in a wheel that make it well-rounded: career, play, relationships, and self," he suggested. "Name three or four actions you can take in each area to make your wheel roll smoothly instead of wobble."

End Note

A strong work ethic is unquestionably necessary for success. Simultaneously, you must maintain a good work-life balance, and it all comes down to living a balanced life.

So, if you or another team member discover that workaholism jeopardizes your personal life or mental health, always seek professional treatment.

This article is written by Susmita Sarma, a digital marketer at Vantage Circle. She was involved with media relations before shifting her interest in research and creative writing. Apart from being a classical music buff, she keeps a keen interest in anchoring and cooking. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com