Workaholism

It's an addiction, like any other. Only, instead of having an uncontrollable urge to consume a toxic chemical, it's an unhealthy urge to overwork. The key is that "unhealthy" definition and, well, urge. (Tell Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, that his hundreds of billions in wealth came from unhealthy habits and see what he says.)

A workaholic is an individual whose health plunges like the stock market in The Great Depression as a result of overworking. It's work for the sake of work. It’s not even fun work.

Managers often love workaholics. Who wouldn't want someone who works more hours than required and stays connected through whatever handheld device even when not at work? It seems great...except it's not. Workaholism is driven by compulsion and tension. A workaholic who works 12 hours a day may be half as productive as someone who works a standard 8-hour shift. He or she might not do anything worthwhile at all. But this person is hanging around, keeping the A/C blasting, the lights on, the coffee pot brewing, etc.

Believe it or not, there are support groups for this. Workaholics Anonymous is a real thing.

Workaholism is often confused with work engagement. Work-engaged people also tend to work a lot of hours. The difference is that they're productive, and they like it. The work is fulfilling. It's the Yin to workaholism's Yang.