Are you a workaholic?

75bu...DacB

18 Jan 2024

180

The effect of workplace loneliness on workaholism

SELF

Workplace loneliness is a stressful situation that results from poor relationships established by the individual in his/her work life.
is defined as a situation. On the other hand, workaholism means working excessively in general.
It is defined as an uncontrollable and compelling need for The aim of this study is workplace
emotional loneliness and social loneliness, which are two dimensions of loneliness, and excessive
To determine its effects on work and challenging work. Within the scope of this purpose, Kardemir
Data were obtained from 413 workers, civil servants and managers working at A.Ş. using the survey method.
has been made. The path created within the scope of structural equation modeling in order to test the hypotheses.
analysis was used. As a result of the study, emotional loneliness is associated with overwork and compulsive
It has been determined that it increases work behavior. On the other hand, social loneliness and overwork and
No significant relationship could be detected between challenging work behaviors.

Key Words: Workplace Loneliness, Workaholism

ENTRANCE

Increasing pressures arising from the global economy are causing employees to become more dependent on their work lives. reveals the need to give greater importance. Work-related roles of employees today becomes increasingly unclear and the distinction between work and private life disappears. increasing technological Working styles are also changing with the changes, and the importance of space and time regarding work is increasing. is losing (Ng, Sorensen and Feldman, 2007). As a result of the mentioned changes, many employees It is seen that they spend most of their time working long hours. Oates (1971) employee Dependence on work as a negative situation for working beyond the limits of competence states that it can occur and calls this situation "workaholism". According to Porter (1996) Workaholism, like other types of addiction, causes the individual to exhibit excessive behavior and disrupt life. It may cause the patient to neglect other areas.
From the 1970s to the present, the effects of workaholism on business life and employees have varied. are examined by researchers (Oates, 1971; Spence and Robbins, 1992; Porter, 1996; Scott, Moore and Miceli, 1997; Burke, 2000; Burke and Matthiesen, 2004; Ng et al., 2007). In this context, some Researchers state that workaholism is a completely harmful condition (Oates, 1971; Porter, 1996), some researchers say that workaholism is basically a positive phenomenon (Burke, 1999) and some researchers believe that workaholism may have both positive and negative outcomes. attracts attention (Spence and Robbins, 1992; Ng et al., 2007).
However, in addition to the positive and negative outcomes of workaholism, researchers also He states that the factors that may cause it are also an important issue. This In this context, different studies have been carried out to reveal the causes of workaholism. (Spence and Robbins, 1992; Burke and Koksal, 2002; Burke and Matthiesen, 2004; Burke, Matthiesen and Pallesen, 2006; Johnstone and Johnson, 2005; Sharma and Sharma, 2011; Van Wijhe, Peeters and Schaufeli, 2014). Why people work excessively and therefore become workaholics There are three different theoretical perspectives that try to explain what it has become. First of all, workaholism According to theories that base the cause on individual differences or personality, certain personality traits (introversion) People with type A personality) exhibit more workaholism behavior (Scott, et al., 1997). Secondly, according to theories that examine workaholism from a socio-cultural perspective, workaholism a combination of the social and cultural experiences they gained during childhood, adolescence and adulthood. is the result (Oates, 1971). Thirdly, according to behavioral theory, when overwork is encouraged and when rewarded, the likelihood of individuals exhibiting workaholic behavior increases.
When considered from a socio-cultural point of view, one of the reasons for workaholism is the problems in the workplace. Not being able to get close to colleagues in their relationships, not being able to feel like they belong to a community, not being able to get close to people, It is thought that there may be workplace loneliness, which can be defined as the inability to develop intimate relationships. In this context, the study investigates whether there is an increase in the degree of workaholism of individuals who feel socially and emotionally distant from their colleagues. Therefore, the aim of the study is to examine emotional loneliness and social loneliness, which are considered within the scope of workplace loneliness. The effects of loneliness on overwork and compulsive work, which are considered within the scope of workaholism. is to determine. However, within the scope of the research, the level of workplace loneliness and The level of workaholism depends on various demographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, educational status, whether it differs in terms of weekly working hours, working hours in the institution) is being investigated.

2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

workplace loneliness

The concept of loneliness refers to the qualitative or quantitative deficiencies in the individual's social relationships. It is accepted as a psychological state that results (Wright, Burt and Strongman, 2006:59). Loneliness is a feeling that occurs as a result of the individual reducing his/her relationship with his/her environment, and is lived by his/her own will. As a result, it is an emotional state that can cause pain and distress to the individual. However, loneliness It may pose a danger that may affect a person's psychological, physical and social integrity. (Yılmaz and Altınok, 2009:455). The main reason for loneliness is the individual's inadequacy in social relationships and is that he cannot get enough satisfaction from these relationships. Therefore, the individual is with others or Even when social relationships are established, one may experience loneliness. (Yılmaz, Yılmaz and Karaca, 2008:72; Mercan, Oyur, Alamur, Gül and Bengül, 2012:216). The lonely individual identifies himself with the people around him. They cannot feel in harmony, their social activities are limited, they avoid taking responsibility, They have difficulties in making friends, act superficially in their relationships, and interpret events negatively. evaluates and adopts self-centered attitudes (Yılmaz and Altınok, 2009:455).
Research has shown that the causes of loneliness are lack of social skills, negative expectations and cognitive loads, shyness, insecure attachment, perception of inadequate social support and family Factors such as incompatibility in its structure are shown (İlhan, 2012:2378). Pushed by the environment loneliness experienced as a result of loneliness, loneliness experienced in the form of alienation from the society in which one lives, loneliness chosen by minimizing relationships and feeling lonely and misunderstood There are many different types of loneliness, such as true loneliness.
Research has shown that the causes of loneliness are lack of social skills, negative expectations and cognitive loads, shyness, insecure attachment, perception of inadequate social support and family Factors such as incompatibility in its structure are shown (İlhan, 2012:2378). Pushed by the environment loneliness experienced as a result of loneliness, loneliness experienced in the form of alienation from the society in which one lives, loneliness chosen by minimizing relationships and feeling lonely and misunderstood There are many different types of loneliness, such as true loneliness.
In the research conducted, there are generally two types of loneliness: social and emotional. is mentioned (Weiss, 1973; Wright et al., 2006; Doğan, Çetin and Sungur, 2009). social loneliness, Lack of close social relationships between individuals or a community that accepts the individual not being able to take part in it. The individual who is in such a loneliness feels shy and loses friends. Feelings of rejection and marginalization are observed. individual, social interaction When he gets into it, he can get rid of these feelings.
Emotional loneliness is the absence of close, intimate emotional relationships between people, death and It refers to the disappearance of very important relationships as a result of some events such as divorce. Emotional loneliness can be eliminated by establishing important relationships similar to pre-existing relationships. (Şişman and Turan, 2004:120; Yaşam, Demirtaş, Bozak and Doruk, 2013:564; Erdil and Ertosun, 2011:507). According to research, loneliness is the most important factor in life satisfaction. is one of the indicators. The rate of life satisfaction appears to be lower in lonely people (Goodwin, Cook and Yung, 2001:225).

workaholism

The concept of workaholism was first used by Oates (1971), inspired by alcoholism. According to Oates (1971), the concept of workaholism refers to the employee's addiction to work by working non-stop and the resulting addiction to work. It is defined as the display of certain characteristics due to the negative consequences it brings. This In this context, workaholism is defined as a persistent compulsive or controlling effort to work non-stop. It is expressed as an impossible need (Schaufeli, Taris and Van Rhenen, 2008:175). Other According to one definition, workaholism means the employee's excessive devotion to his job (Burke, 2000:3). When a workaholic individual exaggerates work, this causes his/her happiness to decrease, his/her health and interpersonal problems to decrease. It may cause their relationships to deteriorate (Schaufeli, Taris and Bakker, 2006:193). Researches, shows that workaholics work at least 50 hours a week (Spence and Robbins, 1992:161; Burke, 1999:333-335; Van den Broeck et al., 2011:602).
An individual who perceives high pressure at work feels obliged to work more. drifting into workaholism. In terms of personal characteristics, individuals with type A personality structure It seems that people tend to be more workaholics (Özcan and Behram, 2013:102). With this Within the scope of the research, basic personality traits include obsessive compulsiveness, achievement Focus, perfectionism and responsibility are factors that increase the tendency towards workaholism. It is accepted that it is between (Özcan and Behram, 2013:92-93). In addition, workaholism affects employees' It negatively affects physical and psychological health (Akın and Oğuz, 2010:313). workaholic Since people make success the only purpose of life, they have an internal motivation to work. They feel their work and see their work as the only motivator in their lives.
Workaholism also negatively affects the individual's family life, causing burnout, work stress and various health problems. disorders and result in the individual developing a negative attitude towards his job. can give birth (Akın and Oğuz, 2010:315). Spence and Robbins (1992:168) state that workaholics experience stress and He found that workaholics have high stress levels, associating it with perfectionism. According to another study, an increase in the level of workaholism causes mental, emotional and physical exhaustion.
Scott et al. (1997) stated that workaholism has two dimensions: behavioral and cognitive. states. While the behavioral dimension refers to the time voluntarily spent on work activities, the cognitive dimension refers to the time spent voluntarily on work activities. This dimension means that the individual thinks about work even when he is not at work. Behavioral and cognitive Within the framework of the dimension, Schaufeli et al., (2006) defined workaholism as excessive work and compulsive work. It states that it has a dual structure. There are many studies conducted on workaholism. In the study, Schaufeli et al. (2006)'s study was based on two dimensions of workaholism. It is seen that it has been examined within the framework of (Schaufeli et al., 2006; Van den Broeck et al., 2011; Sharma and Sharma, 2011; Salihoğlu, 2014; Van Wijhe et al., 2014). In this context, overwork is the employee's actual is about behavior. Workaholics may become excessively involved in work-related activities if given the opportunity. takes time. Therefore, he/she performs more than his/her colleagues or the organization needs. strives to bring it. Challenging work reflects the cognitive aspect of workaholism. Workaholics are obsessed with work-related activities. Even if they are not at work, they often do work they think (Scott et al., 1997; Schaufeli et al., 2006; Van den Broeck et al., 2011).
Employees who display workaholic behavior contribute to the organization with many successful works in the short term. contributes to physical (stomach, heart problems, etc.) and psychological disorders in the long term. (depression, feeling of loneliness, etc.), stress, inability to focus, lack of attention, chronic fatigue, leaving work It causes inefficiency of the organization with symptoms such as desire and this situation increases costs (Temel, 2006:125).

SOURCE

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