Does Labour Day Celebrate Workaholics?

This Labour Day, we are pausing to talk about the people we rarely talk about.

You know them. We all do.
They are the first ones in the office and the last ones to leave. They carry a certain bag — that bag — everywhere they go, every single day. If you see a colleague with the same one, your first instinct is to assume they are together. They eat lunch at their desks, or they do not eat at all. They are in back to back meetings, yet somehow still responding to emails in between. They are brilliant, driven and always deliver. On the surface, everything looks like dedication. But look a little closer and you will begin to wonder — is this passion, or is this something else?

Meet Miriam.

From Monday to Friday, Miriam’s day begins before sunrise. By 5:30am, she is already checking emails, responding to overnight messages and updating her to do list. By the time she arrives at the office, she is not starting work. She is already deep in it.

Her day is a continuous cycle of meetings, deadlines and multitasking. Lunch happens at her desk, and she rarely remembers what she ate. Breaks feel like a waste of time so she skips them entirely. When colleagues step away to chat or breathe, Miriam stays behind, convinced that slowing down means falling behind.

After official hours, the work does not stop. She answers emails during dinner, joins late night calls and reviews reports long after everyone else has switched off. Sleep gets delayed because just one more task always feels necessary.

By Friday evening, while the rest of the world is exhaling, Miriam is already planning the next week. The weekend offers no real pause. Saturday mornings begin with the laptop open “just to catch up” and quickly turn into full working sessions. Personal plans are postponed or cancelled because something urgent always comes up. Sunday is spent preparing presentations, clearing emails and mentally rehearsing the week ahead.

By Monday, Miriam is already exhausted. But she keeps going.

Her family does not quite know what to make of her. Her friends have accepted that she is always busy and always needed. And somewhere in the middle of all that busyness, Miriam herself has gotten lost.

Miriam is a workaholic.

So, What Exactly Is Workaholism?

Psychologist Wayne Oates, who actually coined the term, described workaholism as a compulsion or an uncontrollable need to work incessantly. It goes far beyond commitment or a strong work ethic. Workaholism is an internal force that drives a person to keep working even when there is no real need to do so.

Unlike disciplined effort, which is guided by purpose and balance, workaholism is marked by an uncontrollable urge to stay busy, often at the expense of rest, relationships and personal wellbeing. In this state, work is no longer a responsibility or a means to an end. It becomes a constant, consuming necessity. The individual struggles to switch off, feels guilty when not working and measures their entire worth through productivity.

And here is what makes it even more complex in today’s world. Technology has dissolved the boundaries between work and life. Someone can be seated at a restaurant, projecting reports on a screen and attending a separate meeting on their phone at the same time. Time zones no longer limit global meetings. Alarms wake us up to action at any hour. The office is now everywhere. And for the workaholic, that is not a convenience. It is a trap.

Work Is Genuinely Good.

Let us be clear about something. Work is one of the most dignifying and meaningful aspects of human life. It gives us purpose, structure and a sense of contribution. It puts food on the table, builds communities, drives innovation and connects us to something larger than ourselves. There is beauty in showing up, in building something, in seeing the results of your effort come to life.

A strong work ethic is something to be celebrated. Passion for what you do is a gift. Dedication to excellence is admirable. Labour Day exists precisely to honour the dignity and value of work and the people who show up to do it every day.

But there is a line. And workaholism crosses it.

The Adverse Effects Nobody Is Talking About
Behind all that compulsion, all that incessant productivity, something is quietly breaking down. Medical News Today identifies several root causes of workaholism including toxic work cultures, fear of failure, deep seated anxiety and the use of work as a coping mechanism to avoid painful emotions or circumstances that need to be addressed.
The National Institute of Health goes further, listing the adverse effects of workaholism as burnout, chronic stress, severe anxiety, depression and physical ailments such as hypertension and fatigue. Beyond the body, workaholism damages personal relationships through work and family conflict. And perhaps most ironically, it often reduces overall productivity despite the increased hours. The very thing the workaholic is sacrificing everything for begins to suffer because they do.
The colleague we applaud for always saying yes, for staying late, for answering every call and attending every meeting — they may be carrying something far heavier than a full workload. They may be running from something that needs to be faced.

A Labour Day Question Worth Sitting With

On this Labour Day, as we celebrate the dignity of work, let us also create space for an honest conversation.

Look around your office. Look at your team. Look in the mirror. Who among us has confused busyness with purpose? Who has made work an escape rather than a contribution? Who is quietly burning out behind a reputation for being indispensable?

Does Labour Day celebrate workaholics?

If it does, then let us use this day to begin a different kind of celebration. One that honours not just the work people produce, but the people behind the work. One that starts conversations about healthy working, sustainable pace and the courage it takes to rest without guilt.

Because the most productive thing any of us can do is remain whole.

Happy Labour Day. Work well. Live fully.

References:

Wayne Oates, Psychologist

Medical News Today

National Institute of Health.