3 Ways Being a Workaholic Impacts Your Family

Before we dive into this, I want to clarify that work is a good thing. We see it given from the LORD in the Garden of Eden when the world was still in a perfect state of being. Work did not become painful or problematic until sin burst onto the scene. When a sinful man approaches work, as with anything he approaches, he has the potential to make a mess of it. Let’s look at three ways being a workaholic impacts your family.

1. You are not present.

Workaholics have difficulty disconnecting from their job. They work longer hours to get ahead and end up missing significant time at home. They can sometimes even wear this “commitment to the job” as a badge of honor. Workaholics miss family milestones at home, giving up important events to work. Some professional athletes have missed their kid’s birth to be at a game and have been praised for it. Foolishness.

Even when workaholics are physically home, they’re not present because their mind is still focused on work. Talking to a workaholic has been compared to talking to a zombie. They are never present for anyone at home because they never truly leave the office.

2. You make work-life the center of everything.

Because everything is always about the job, the family of a workaholic is forced to adapt. The wife and kids learn that their role in life is to support the workaholic so he can work. Everything is put on hold to accommodate the work schedule. Vacations get moved, promised outings rescheduled. When challenged, the workaholic will declare in defense, “My job is what pays for the house we live in, the food we eat, and all the stuff we do.” The rest of the family quickly picks up on what true priorities are because there is never a time when work doesn’t come first. As we know, valuable family time is crucial. Nothing is sacred. The actions of a workaholic demonstrate, “Yeah, God/spouse/kids are cool and all, but I’ve given my life to my job.” And the rest of the family recognizes it.

3. Workaholics eventually break their families apart.

Disregard for homelife and the deepest needs of his family eventually cause rips at the seams. Dr. Bryan E. Robinson conducted a study on workaholics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His research found that the divorce rate among workaholics is 40% higher than the rest of the population. Add that to what you already know about the divorce rate in America, and you all but hit a complete failure rate in the marriage category.

Again, work is important.

Do your best at your job, but don’t let it have the best of you. Don’t be a workaholic. If you think working all the time is a sacrifice you make for the sake of your family’s benefit, you’re wrong. It’s inconsiderate at best and neglect at worst. Your wife would rather have you as a husband than a nicer house. Your kids would rather have you as a father than a nice vacation in the summer. Give your heart to the LORD and your family, not your job.