Annika Frach

Working hard is perceived as a valued behavior. However, working hard may develop into workaholism, which is a syndrome that is associated with many negative mental and physical problems that are known to undermine performance and well-being in the workplace. The topic has stimulated many publications on its prevalence, personality predictors, and cultural invariance. Unfortunately, concomitant with the number of publications, the number of workaholism measures has increased dramatically, limiting between-study comparison. Therefore, this study aims to provide a much-needed update and proposal on the conceptualization and operationalization of workaholism. For the operationalization of workaholism, we systematically searched for all published workaholism measures and their items. We processed identified items using an R-coded algorithm to select a representative item subset that considered semantics and item quality. In a cross-sectional online study, we administered the selected items to a sample of 461 participants. We used a second algorithm to select items with good convergent and discriminant validity. A factor analysis on this subset yielded a three-factor solution consisting of Work-Life Tension, Work Overinvestment, and  Work Overdependency. Lastly, we used a greedy search algorithm, semantic overlap, and item correlations to select the five least tautological items for each factor. Together, the five items from each factor form a new Core Workaholism Scale. In the discussion, we reflect on the data-driven objective approach, how our three dimensions connect to previous theories, and how to use the Core Workaholism Scale in organizational and clinical research.