University of Hawai'i University Relations Media & Publications Honolulu, HI 96822	(808) 956-8856 Telephone (808) 956-3441 Facsimile ur@hawaii.edu E-Mail
Contact: Kim Fujiuchi, 956-5104	Air Date: May 22, 1998

Workaholics in a family business   A growing business can often hide a workaholic's self-destructive habits. Fact is, extreme overworkers never really enjoy the fruits of their labor because they can never stop chasing their entrepreneurial dreams. This high-achiever must determine whether behavior once attributed to healthy ambition is actually producing a ruinous lifestyle. Kim Fujiuchi of the UH's Family Business Center offers some tips for these workaholics: First, examine your leadership style and work patterns. Certain practices may suggest that someone has a work obsession. Next, look for warning signs in the family. Children acquire many of the attitudes and habits of their parents. If you struggle with excessive drive, so may family members. Finally, consider symptoms and effects of overwork within the organization. Compulsive overworkers also implant their style in the attitudes and behaviors of subordinates. Symptoms include high absenteeism, health costs and diminished creativity. This is the University Report, I'm Tracy Orillo Donovan.

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