PRODUCTIVITY OR PATHOLOGY?

Since the late 1980s, there has been strong popular interest in the subject of working hours and in the so-called workaholic. There has been less interest in the academic literature on the subject of long working hours and the motivations of those who work beyond the limits of what is neces-sary. This study proposes a typology of those who put in excessive time and effort by introducing a second dimension: equity of perceived rewards. The new dimension points to another group alongside workaholics: overworkers. One hundred seventy-four managers and professionals with master of business administration degrees rated themselves on work and reward dimen-sions and provided data about work behaviors, rewards, attitudes, and job progression as part of a longitudinal study. Overworkers and workaholics were found to differ on a number of dimen-sions. Implications for these groups, including their potential roles in the context of bound-aryless careers, and for the organizations that employ them are discussed. The coming of a new millennium makes us think about the passing of time and, consequently, our use of it. When we examine our working lives in light of the past century’s inventions and increases in living standards, we should ask whether human patterns of work have taken advantage of these advance