Moncton Forum

OTTAWA - Pity the Canadian workaholic. Not only do they work longer hours, but they don't enjoy their jobs any more than their "non-workaholic" counterparts, and often don't earn any more money for their efforts.

In fact, the study suggested, many so-called workaholics put in the long hours simply as a result of poor time management skills.

Those are the findings of a study released Tuesday by Statistics Canada in the May online edition of Canadian Social Trends. It found that one out of every three Canadians aged 19 to 64 identifies themselves as a workaholic - a proportion that has not changed in 15 years - and these individuals are much more likely to be dissatisfied with the balance between their work and family time than other workers.

About 39 per cent of self-identified workaholics reported that they usually worked 50 or more hours per week, twice the proportion of only 20 per cent among non-workaholics, the report said.

"On the other hand, 65 per cent of workaholics worried that they do not spend enough time with family and friends, a much higher proportion than the 45 per cent of non-workaholics who reported doing so," the survey showed. "They were also more likely to report that the general state of their health was fair or poor, and that they had trouble sleeping."

And they did not enjoy their jobs more than other workers, Statistics Canada said. On a 10-point scale, both groups reported an average satisfaction score of 7.4 with their work.

"Similarly, there was no difference in terms of satisfaction with their financial situation, suggesting that people who consider themselves workaholics are driven to work as they do by reasons other than the need to earn more income," the report said.

The study found that a higher proportion of self-identified workaholics appeared to recognize that they have a problem using their time effectively. They were more likely than non-workaholics to feel rushed, trapped in a daily routine, and unable to accomplish what they set out to do at the beginning of the day, the agency reported.

"Over one-half (56 per cent) felt they simply did not have time for fun, much higher than the one-third (34 per cent) of non-workaholics who felt that way," the report said.

While the survey found no significant difference between self-identified workaholics and non-workaholics in terms of their personal income, education, marital status, family structure, or place of residence, compared with non-workaholics, workaholics were more likely to be in management jobs and less likely to be professionals.

"It is possible that professionals accept that working longer hours are an integral part of their professional role," the study noted.

The Statistics Canada report follows on the heels of a similar survey from Desjardins Financial Security, which showed that bragging rights about being a workaholic may be coming to an end and being replaced by a focus on the family. The Desjardins study found that only 22 per cent of Canadians now consider themselves to be a workaholic, and when asked about the values most important to Canadians, 54 per cent listed family while work was only listed by 10 per cent.

However, "Canadians are not convinced that the priority they are placing on family is being fully supported by their workplaces," the Desjardins study suggested.

The Statistics Canada study used data from the 2005 General Social Survey to examine whether quality of life is different for workers who describe themselves as workaholics than for those who do not self-identify as workaholics.