Perfectionism In The Workplace Is Not A Virtue

Perfectionism in the workplace is often considered a virtue. In fact, many people proudly mention this ability during job interviews. However, their attitude requires control over every detail, which is why this desire for skill is actually a mistake.

It is clear how this ability has more negative sides than positive when a perfectionist starts working. For example, they do not meet deadlines.

Studies « Work addiction: An organizational behavior as well as an addictive behavior?» considers perfectionism as a psychological addiction and says that the fear of failure places strict control, high demands and intolerance against mistakes. In today’s article you will learn the truth behind this trait.

Perfectionism in the workplace is not healthy

An important point is that perfectionists often end up with health problems. Anxiety and stress are often among them, but there is more:

• They cannot delegate their work to others. This entails a greater burden of responsibility that requires more of their time to complete the tasks.
• These types of people are unable to solve problems effectively due to the lack of mental clarity resulting from overload.
• They need to make a greater effort while interacting with others because their job occupies most of the time (typically for a perfectionist) and negatively affects social skills.
• These people are quite intolerant of mistakes and go through all the details over and over again to try to make it perfect (even if it is impossible).

Many other problems can stem from perfectionism. An example of this is congestion due to inability to delegate, which does not allow them to enjoy social interactions. This is just a small part of the reason why they end up being stressed and very anxious.

In addition to these feelings, let’s add how perfectionists can not enjoy their free time because work is always present in their minds. As a result, they may become impatient and irritable due to the remarkable lack of attention to their own needs.

Perfectionism in the workplace: Depression due to control

According to the article ” The pros and cons of perfectionism, according to research “, extreme perfectionism in the workplace can lead to indecision and rigid and controlling patterns of behavior, and can also lead to depression.

Although perfectionism in the workplace is often associated with ambitious people with a desire to achieve high goals, these people always believe that they need to work overtime. Thus, this is a rather harmful behavior.

Failure to tolerate only frustrates a perfectionist. In addition, they tend to seek approval from others, even though they are mostly subjective. For example:

Can you stop being a perfectionist?

Perhaps we have reached the most important point. Is it possible to curb perfectionism in the workplace and minimize its consequences? Yes, it is possible. To do so, you must seek help and, above all, be aware that it is not a virtue, but a mistake.

A perfectionist must seek professional advice as soon as they begin to cope with the consequences of being one. The advisor will develop an appropriate plan. For the most part, they will focus on feelings of inadequacy that may be the reason for this obsession. This is because a person who needs to have control and seek perfection usually has low self-esteem.

With help, perfectionists get tools to relax and reduce wear and tear and anxiety. Especially where this property manifests itself with more power. As you can see, a perfectionist can feel better with patience and hard work. Do you have to do with perfectionism in the workplace? How does it affect common sense?