Eda Kalkay had everything she needed to walk down the aisle. Dress, veil, flowers -- and her BlackBerry? Eda is such a workaholic that she worked on her wedding day, and tried to tuck her smartphone into her dress.
"My wedding planner removed it," said Eda. "I'm glad he did, but I probably would have been more secure with it with me."
Eda characterizes herself as an "engaged workaholic." That's a new term for people who work long hours, not because they're driven by unhealthy compulsion, but because they love their jobs and want to stay ahead.
"The economy today is really adding an entirely new level of pressure to the workforce," said Eda.
Are you a workaholic? Researchers developed a quiz to help you figure it out.
How often do you:
- Hear others tell you to cut down on work?
- Become stressed if you aren't working?
- Think of how you can free up more time to work?
- Spend less time enjoying leisure activities because of work?
If you answered "often" to many of these questions, you could be a workaholic.
But psychologists also blame the economy.
"There's this perception that if I lose my job I'm never going to get a job again that makes people more of a workaholic," said psychologist Elizabeth Lombardo.
But some experts say the constant connectivity of smartphones is causing more people to work around the clock.
"I think it's more like work-life integration, because the two bleed into each other," said employment consultant Ron Ashkenas.
Lombardo says however you juggle this new working world, you should make time to fully focus on what's important to you outside of the office.
"We're constantly multi-tasking and we think that's OK," said Lombardo. "The problem is is it takes us away from truly enjoying those experiences that we're having like getting married."
Experts say if you want to cut back on working after-hours, set limits for yourself. Some companies have recognized the extra stress that being constantly connected can create, and they are now enforcing going "unplugged" on certain nights and during vacations.
