Managing Relationships

We all can identify people who work hard. We may loosely use the term “workaholic” to describe such people. But there's a difference between people who work long hours and those who let work seriously interfere with—or even destroy—their personal life. How can you know if one of your family members in the business has stepped over that fine line where work becomes a compulsion, even an addiction? And what can you do about it?

One symptom of a workaholic is a lack of boundaries between work and home. Family business people can easily fall into that trap, because meals and family gatherings can readily turn into business meetings. Workaholics are often emotionally unavailable to their families and frequently display unpredictable mood swings. They tend to be poor delegators and perfectionists, never satisfied with their own or anyone else's work. A sure sign of workaholisim is the family's capacity to discuss the matter. A healthy family is capable of talking rationally about touchy topics. A family impaired by a compulsive person will be too entrenched in denial even to consider the possibility.

Already a subscriber? Sign In

About the Author(s)

Related Articles

KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY

The Family Business newsletter. Weekly insight for family business leaders and owners to improve their family dynamics and their businesses.