Nature, Predictors, and Outcomes of Workers’ Longitudinal Workaholism Profiles

Abstract

This research relies on a combination of variable- and person-centered approaches to help improve our understanding of the dimensionality of the workaholism construct. Our results showed that employees’ workaholism ratings simultaneously reflected a global overarching construct co-existing with four specific dimensions (behavioral, motivational, emotional, and cognitive workaholism) among a sample of 432 workers who completed a questionnaire twice over a three-month period. We also examined the profiles taken by workaholism dimensions, and documented their stability over time as well as the associations between these profiles and theoretically-relevant predictors and outcomes. Furthermore, we examined whether these associations differ as a function of working remotely or onsite. Four profiles were identified and found to be highly stable over time: Unplugged, Plugged In, Moderately Unplugged with Externalized Workaholism, and Moderately Unplugged with Cognitive Workaholism. Personal life orientation, telepressure, and interpersonal norms regarding work-related messages were related to the likelihood of profile membership. Remote working also reinforced the positive effects of personal life orientation and the negative effects of interpersonal norms regarding work-related messages. Finally, employees’ work-to-family guilt, job satisfaction, family satisfaction, and life satisfaction also differed as a function of their profile.