Entrepreneurs: Are You Addicted To Work?

These days we see stories about being addicted to everything. Some addictions, such as alcohol and drug use are deadly serious and business owners must address them with care. For example, in 2014 an estimated 2 million Americans were dependent on prescription opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  "Every 19 minutes someone dies from accidental drug overdose," according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta. "Most of the time it is from prescription drugs."

But beyond these life- and career-threatening addictions lay the softer addictions. Shopping. Online gaming. Some require professional treatment, and others may simply be habits or tendencies that people refer to in joking as if they were a figure of speech, such as “I’m addicted to exercise.” Or “I’m addicted to chocolate, you know.”

However, many entrepreneurs have heard or have even stated, “You’re an entrepreneur? A senior executive? Then you’re probably addicted to work.”

Is an addiction to work really possible? And is it serious?

A set of researchers from the University of Bergin in Norway recently set out to determine how many people are genuinely and perhaps even dangerously addicted to work. They developed a Bergen Work Addiction Scale and tested 12,135 Norwegian employees from 25 different industries. The scale reflects the seven core elements of addiction: Salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, relapse and problems.

In fact, for those who are interested, you can take the Bergen Work Addiction Scale yourself to identify whether you are non-addicted, mildly addicted or a full-on workaholic.

The Bergen Scale uses seven basic criteria to identify work addiction by scoring responses to the statements on the scale of (1) Never, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, and (5) Always, as follows:

• You think of how you can free up more time to work.
• You spend much more time working than initially intended.
• You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and depression.
• You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
• You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
• You de-prioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and exercise because of your work.
• You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.

This test may be a useful measuring gauge to distinguish between enthusiasm for work and a negative addiction (particularly when smartphones and laptops make it all too easy to take work with you, wherever you go). The study suggests that if you respond with “often” or “always” to at least four of the seven items, you may be a bona fide workaholic. According to these criteria, of the 12,135 employees tested, 7.8% could be legitimately addicted to work.

Here’s another twist to the Norway study: researchers found a strong correlation between workaholism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). In their respondent base they found that 32.7% of workaholics also met the criteria for ADHD, compared with only 12.7% of non-workaholics.

As someone who is somewhat ADHD myself, the tendency makes perfect sense. Some entrepreneurs with ADHD tendencies may use work as a positive and constructive way to focus their excess energy. This is applicable to me and also to many of the high-performing entrepreneurs I have known. Richard Branson, for example, is a highly-accomplished entrepreneur who has acknowledged that his ability to be an inspiring and highly-energetic leader is actually enhanced by his struggles with ADHD. He has found a positive outlet for his creative energy, and I would wager that the same is true for a number of others as well.

Of course, as one of the study’s lead researchers, Cecilie Schou Andreassen has noted, ADHD could be a prescription for trouble in executives who allow their impulsive nature to lead them to take on too many responsibilities without thinking ahead, and they end up “biting off more than they can chew.”

Andreassen also hypothesizes that employees who struggle with ADHD may be working evenings and weekends to compensate for their shortcomings. They may feel they are able to get more accomplished when the office is quieter, after co-workers go home.

In my own opinion, the study is an interesting exercise for entrepreneurs. However it is important to recognize that not every tendency is a negative thing. Appropriate focus on family, exercise, and even recreational activities is paramount to long-term success, and we should strive to strike the right balance between work, family, health, spirituality, service and play.

But having high commitment, enthusiasm and the energy to achieve impossible goals, even when faced by extraordinary odds, is the hallmark of virtually every successful entrepreneur. I would encourage executives and founders to cherish their hard work characteristics and to manage their own balance with care. Take this test, and perhaps even re-take the assessment from time to time. Use the test and others like it as a tool, but not as a do-or-die measuring rod. Do not allow a wrongly-applied or negative label to negate your best entrepreneurial traits.