Work is one of the most important and positive values for people in many societies and cultures. However, passion for work can become obsessive: in this case work activities take up a disproportionate space in the person’s identity and cause conflicts with other life domains (Gorgievski & Bakker, 2010). This over-commitment of energies and time to work has been used in literature to describe the notion of workaholism. This term is generally used to describe a condition of working to excess and it is often used as a synonym of work addiction, indicating an internal drive to work to the exclusion of all other potential sources of life satisfaction. From an organizational perspective, although initially some authors viewed workaholism positively (Machlowitz, 1980; Sprankle & Ebel, 1987), today there is near consensus amongst scholars and researchers that workaholism is a negative psychological state akin to an addiction (Schaufeli et al, 2006). In fact, there is some empirical evidence of the association of workaholism and poorer psycho-physical well-being and quality of life (Porter, 2001; Bakker et al., 2009). This study aimed to increase the understanding of the workaholism construct and its relationship with some job dimensions and well-being outcomes, using the job demands-resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) as a framework. Specifically, it was hypothesized that 1) workaholism mediates the relationship between job demands and exhaustion, and that 2) job resources moderate the relationship between job demands and workaholism. The study involved a convenience sample of 617 Italian workers from different occupational sectors. They filled out one self-report questionnaire consisted in different measures: workload, 4 items; mental demands, 4 items; emotional demands, 3 items; colleagues support, 4 items; opportunities for professional development, 4 items; job security, 3 items; workaholism, 7 items; work-family conflict, 5 items; exhaustion, 8 items; intention to change job, 3 items. Data analysis was conducted with Pasw Statistic 18 (descriptive analysis) and Mplus5 (SEM & MSEM; Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2007). The SEM analysis revealed a mediation role of workaholism between job demands on the one hand, and work-family conflict and exhaustion on the other. In turn, exhaustion showed a positive impact on the intention to change job. Moreover, the MSEM analysis showed that job resources (mainly opportunities for professional development and job security) moderated the relationship between job demands and workaholism. The results indicate that more job demands increased workaholism, whereas job resources attenuated the impact of job demands on workaholism. Therefore, findings underlines the importance to take into account the role of job context on determining workaholic behaviors and, consequently, poor well-being. Future longitudinal design should replicate the cross-sectional findings of this study, as it is not possible to demonstrate the temporal order and causality of relationships. Moreover, this study includes only negative outcomes; it should be integrated, respecting the call for positive psychology (Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008; Schaufeli et al., 2009).
The role of workaholism in the job demands-resources model
MOLINO, MONICA
2012-01-01
Abstract
Work is one of the most important and positive values for people in many societies and cultures. However, passion for work can become obsessive: in this case work activities take up a disproportionate space in the person’s identity and cause conflicts with other life domains (Gorgievski & Bakker, 2010). This over-commitment of energies and time to work has been used in literature to describe the notion of workaholism. This term is generally used to describe a condition of working to excess and it is often used as a synonym of work addiction, indicating an internal drive to work to the exclusion of all other potential sources of life satisfaction. From an organizational perspective, although initially some authors viewed workaholism positively (Machlowitz, 1980; Sprankle & Ebel, 1987), today there is near consensus amongst scholars and researchers that workaholism is a negative psychological state akin to an addiction (Schaufeli et al, 2006). In fact, there is some empirical evidence of the association of workaholism and poorer psycho-physical well-being and quality of life (Porter, 2001; Bakker et al., 2009). This study aimed to increase the understanding of the workaholism construct and its relationship with some job dimensions and well-being outcomes, using the job demands-resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) as a framework. Specifically, it was hypothesized that 1) workaholism mediates the relationship between job demands and exhaustion, and that 2) job resources moderate the relationship between job demands and workaholism. The study involved a convenience sample of 617 Italian workers from different occupational sectors. They filled out one self-report questionnaire consisted in different measures: workload, 4 items; mental demands, 4 items; emotional demands, 3 items; colleagues support, 4 items; opportunities for professional development, 4 items; job security, 3 items; workaholism, 7 items; work-family conflict, 5 items; exhaustion, 8 items; intention to change job, 3 items. Data analysis was conducted with Pasw Statistic 18 (descriptive analysis) and Mplus5 (SEM & MSEM; Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2007). The SEM analysis revealed a mediation role of workaholism between job demands on the one hand, and work-family conflict and exhaustion on the other. In turn, exhaustion showed a positive impact on the intention to change job. Moreover, the MSEM analysis showed that job resources (mainly opportunities for professional development and job security) moderated the relationship between job demands and workaholism. The results indicate that more job demands increased workaholism, whereas job resources attenuated the impact of job demands on workaholism. Therefore, findings underlines the importance to take into account the role of job context on determining workaholic behaviors and, consequently, poor well-being. Future longitudinal design should replicate the cross-sectional findings of this study, as it is not possible to demonstrate the temporal order and causality of relationships. Moreover, this study includes only negative outcomes; it should be integrated, respecting the call for positive psychology (Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008; Schaufeli et al., 2009).
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