Five Traits of Workaholics

Can you or someone you know turn off work? Can you delegate? Does work make your relationships suffer?

You can probably see where we are going with this line of questioning. It has to do with work-life balance or in the case of workaholics, the lack thereof.

In the Wall Street Journal's "When Devotion to Work Becomes Job Obsession" (link may require registration or fee), five common traits of workaholics are described:

1. Preoccupation with work.

Workaholics are typically unable to "turn work off," says Dr. Robinson, who calls himself a recovered workaholic [and author of Chained to the Desk: A Guidebook for Workaholics, Their Partners and Children, and the Clinicians Who Treat Them].

Working from home after the work day ends is common. So is checking a BlackBerry often throughout the night and weekend.

Work may dominate a workaholic's conversation in social settings, says Alan Langlieb, director of Workplace Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Mr. Flax says he talks about taxes, business and financing at social events. His wife, Nannette, worries that people who listen are just being polite. "Most of the time, I'll walk by and give him the evil eye or grab him," she says.

Workaholics are often uncomfortable using sick days or vacations. Removed from work, Dr. Robinson says, they can experience psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms such as depression and headaches.

2. Discomfort delegating.

Many workaholics are poor delegators because of their need to control, Dr. Langlieb says. They convince themselves only they can handle the tasks they should be delegating, says Gayle Porter, associate professor of management at Rutgers University, in Camden, N.J.

3. Neglect other aspects of life.

Often, workaholics put work before their families and personal lives. Mr. Flax says his daughter made a wish at her bat mitzvah several years ago for him to be home more. He says he began coming home for dinner more often, although he then returned to the office afterward.

4. Merge other parts of their lives into work.

Workaholics may try to create businesses based on their hobbies. Mr. Robinson tried to turn personal relationships into business endeavors. "Every friend I had, I'd say, 'Let's write a book together,' " he says.

5. 'Sneaking' work.

Workaholics, like other addicts, often try to hide their addiction. "If you find you have to lie to people about where you are or what you are doing, there is a problem," Ms. Porter says.

It must be stressed not to confuse workaholics with hard workers. Hard workers maintain an appropriate work-live balance, workaholics don't. Workaholics do not necessarily love their work or try to excel in their work but they believe that their company (or department) will "fall apart" if they aren't constantly working.

It should also be noted that like other "isms", the concept of workaholism is a relatively recent concept. According to Wikipedia, "The term was first coined in 1971 by Wayne Oates in his book, Confessions of a Workaholic. It gained more widespread use in the 1990s, as the result of a wave of the self-help movement that centered on addiction."

Even the concept of work-life balance is relatively new. As WSJ's Jared Sandberg, "For thousands of years, work and family weren't separated. Children helped supplement income and women participated in barter, producing, for example, extra butter for trade." Then in the 50's the roles were separated and men were expected to work and women were to focus on the family. Two decades later, workaholism is born.

This post is part of LifeTwo's Midlife Career Change FAQ covering all aspects of changing careers in middle age.