WHEN DEDICATION BECOMES OBSESSION: INVESTIGATING WORKAHOLISM AMID EMBEDDED EMPLOYEES IN PAKISTAN’S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Samrah Shariq; Danish Ahmed Siddiqui; Salman Hameed

Samrah Shariq Assistant Professor, College of Business Management, IOBM, Karachi, Pakistan
Danish Ahmed Siddiqui Associate Professor, Karachi University Business School, University of Karachi, Pakistan
Salman Hameed Senior Lecturer, Bahira Business School, Bahria University, Karachi Campus, Karachi, Pakistan

Keywords: Job Embeddedness, Organizational Embeddedness, Workaholism, Social Identity Theory, Employee Engagement, Community Embeddedness

Abstract

The study aims to examine whether organizational embeddedness contributes to workaholism among employees in Pakistan’s manufacturing sector. While embeddedness enhances retention, commitment, and productivity, its impact on employee well-being remains a concern. Strong workplace attachment can lead to excessive work involvement, blurring boundaries between professional and personal life, ultimately fostering workaholism. To explore relationship, data was collected from 411 employees in the manufacturing organizations in Karachi, Pakistan, using an adopted questionnaire & convenience sampling. The findings indicate that while embeddedness strengthens organizational ties, it also has unintended consequences. The higher level of embeddedness is positively associated with workaholism, suggesting that deeply embedded that employees are likely to overwork, prioritize their jobs over their personal lives and struggle with work-life balance. The results of study have important implications for organizations & managers. To counteract this, organizations should execute plans that balance embeddedness with employees’ well-being. Promoting work-life balance, encouraging flexible work arrangements, and setting clear after-hours work boundaries can help prevent workaholism. By adopting a holistic and positive approach, managers can leverage the benefits of embeddedness while ensuring a healthier, more sustainable workforce for desired outcomes.