Mismatch in working hours and workaholism in permanent waged workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Workaholism is a prevalent issue impacting employee well-being and productivity.
• Understanding the factors contributing to workaholism is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between working hours mismatch and workaholism.
• To analyze this association across different weekly working hour strata.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study using data from the 17th wave (2014) of the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study.
• Workaholism assessed using the Workaholism Analysis Questionnaire (n=3157).
• Multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounders, with stratification by weekly working hours (≤40, 41-59, ≥60 h).

Main Results:

• Workers reporting more hours than desired exhibited the highest frequency of workaholism.
• Significantly elevated odds ratios for workaholism were found in the 'working more hours than desired' group across all weekly working hour strata (≥40 h: 4.28, 41-59 h: 2.14, ≤60 h: 3.40).
• No significant relationship was found between working hours and workaholism when stratified by the mismatch itself.

Conclusions:

• A significant relationship exists between workers' perceived working hours mismatch and workaholism.
• Interventions addressing discrepancies between desired and actual working hours may help mitigate workaholism.