The positive wellbeing aspects of workaholism in cross cultural perspective : The chocoholism metaphor

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer a counter‐intuitive conceptual framework to the study and the management of workaholism. The paper proposes that the phenomenon can be constructive, generating welcoming outcomes for individuals, organizations and societies. Design/methodology/approach – A set of propositions about workaholism and its management under various contexts is presented and discussed. Findings – Workaholics should not be labeled as problematic addicts. Workaholism should not be automatically taken as negative and be suppressed. If the culture is positive towards workaholism, offer alternatives. Research limitations/implications – The framework has a number of practical implications such as reconsidering the negative stigmatization of workaholic employees . Practical implications – The framework should be useful for managers in dealing with workaholics at work. Originality/value – The paper develops a framework that enables “out of the box” thinking of workaholism.