The Culture of Workaholism
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More work, less vacation leaves workers grumpy
BY GARY SOULSMAN GANNETT NEWS SERVICE
As a workplace coach, Mary Helms has often talked to executives afraid of vacationing for more than a long weekend.
"Somehow, workers are afraid, if they're not productive 100 percent of the time, their success will disappear," said Helms, based in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
In the United States, there is no law giving people the right to paid vacation, and an increasing number of people report feeling unable to get away. A May survey of 2,000 adults by the online-travel company Expedia.com found that at least 30 percent of workers will give vacation days back to the company.
"We seem to have a workaholic culture right now," said Mary Graham, a spokeswoman with the National Mental Health Association. "We're working long days, taking work home and keeping the cell phone on 24/7."
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How to Be Happy Practicing Law
- From The Young Lawyers January 2001, By Peter H. Berge
Lawyers rank at the top, or near the top, of all occupations for depression and chemical abuse. Yet most students come to law school with enthusiasm and high expectations and hopes for a bright future. What goes wrong? Some would say the practice has changed: civility is missing, professionalism has gone by the wayside, the bottom line is all that matters, there are more lawyers chasing fewer dollars. This is a weak explanation: the "golden days" of the past frankly weren't that golden. Firms were built to make money, and there never was a time when a lawyer was not expected to make money for the firm. If there is more attention to the bottom line in law firms today, it is not the new lawyers who are forcing that issue but the more established lawyers who are setting policies.
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