Can Psychological Detachment, Emotions, and Health Make the Difference between Workaholism and Work Engagement?

Overlapping aspects between work addiction and work engagement make difficult distinguish the pathological forms of heavy work investment. Since workaholism and work engagement are responsible of different consequences on individual well-being, a source of distinction is searched among their relationships with affect, perceived health, and psychological detachment from work. Data were collected from 265 employees, through the administration of an online questionnaire containing scales of workaholism, work engagement, psychological detachment from work, positive and negative affect, and general health. Correlational analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted in order to study the relationships among the constructs investigated. Workaholism and work engagement shared two sub-dimensions, namely working excessively and absorption. Workaholism was positively related to negative affect and negatively related to perceived health and to psychological detachment. Work engagement was positively related to positive affect and to perceived health, but it was negatively related with psychological detachment. Although workaholism and work engagement show some common features, the outcomes they produce on employees’ life are quite different, especially in terms of personal well-being and feelings. However, both types of heavy work investors could have difficulty to stop thinking to job and to take rest from it. Similarities of workaholism and work engagement confound researchers and professionals’ comprehension of healthy conditions of intense investment in work. The current study reveals the importance to sharpen knowledge about pathological aspects of overwork, in order to prevent organizations from dangerously stimulating an addictive working style in their members.