Workaholism can be characterized as an obsessive need to work, especially for long hours. It has been linked with several detrimental outcomes for employees, including increased stress, increased physical and mental problems, and almost paradoxically, worse performance at work. To continue exploring the ramifications of workaholism, researchers (Knoll et al., 2025) considered the link between workaholism and staying silent about problems at work.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
Across two multi-wave studies, researchers collected data from 444 employees. In the first wave, they measured workaholism and the extent to which employees view their workplace as a self-interested climate. In the second wave, researchers measured moral disengagement, which occurs when people find a way to engage in misbehavior without feeling bad about it. Finally, in the third wave, researchers measured the extent to which employees remained silent (or spoke up) about moral issues at work.
Overall, the studies showed that workaholism can lead to moral disengagement, which can then lead to employees staying silent about moral issues at work as well as decreased intention to stay silent. This is especially true when employees view the working environment as a self-serving climate.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Workaholism, and its detrimental outcomes, can plague organizations in a variety of ways. To apply the results of this study, organizations should consider doing the following:
- Pay attention to employees who ruminate on work excessively or get anxious when not working. These employees are especially susceptible to workaholism and moral disengagement.
- Incentivize and reward effective work, rather than just compulsive work or “working for the sake of working.”
- Structure work to reduce the need for excessive hours and prioritize work-life balance.
- Promote practices and organizational climates that encourage moral voice and decrease the attitude of self-service.
Knoll, M., Fida, R., Marzocchi, I., Searle, R. H., Connelly, C. E., & Ronchetti, M. (2025). Quiet workaholics? The link between workaholism and employee silence and moral voice as explained by the social-cognitive theory of morality. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 46, 745-764.
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