Literature Review and Report (The Woolworths Management Success Story) Essay

Literature Review and Report (The Woolworths Management Success Story) - Essay Example This literature review analyzes the problems associated with overworking employees and provides alternative solutions. When employees work beyond a normal 40 hour week people sometimes develop an addiction to work. These types of employees are workaholics. According to a study performed at the University of North Carolina about one-fourth of the American workforce suffers from â€Å"workaholism† which is defined as a compulsive need to work at the expense of everything else in one’s life (All the Work and no Play Makes Your AP Staff Less Productive, 2008). When people put in extra hours at work it does not necessarily mean they are being more productive. These workers are typically exhausted from the excessive work load. They become more inefficient as a consequence and it takes them longer to accomplish tasks. Giving your employees excessive work tasks is not a sound business strategy and is actually counterproductive. In the United States businesses lost nearly $150 billion last year due to overworking their employees (All the Work and no Play Makes Your AP Staff Less Productive, 200 8). Overworking employees is detrimental to both the company and to the health of the employees. Overworked employees developed health issues such as panic attacks, headaches, tiredness, fatigue, sleeping disorders, irritability, and chronic stress among others. These health issues many times cause employees to lose work days due to sickness. When employees are overworked they lose motivation in the workplace and their job performance suffers. Overworking create a hostile business environment in which the employees feel consumed by the long hours they have to put in everyday. Employees that suffer from work related stress are susceptible to weight loss and to developing bad habits such as caffeine and nicotine addiction (News from Personnel Today, 2009). These addictions cause the employees to take extra