Introduction: South Africa reports the fourth-highest rate of employees working over 50 hours weekly globally (18.1%), with workers averaging 2,209 hours annually. This overwork culture significantly impacts employee well-being, contributing to the country's lowest World Happiness Index score of 4.72.


Purpose: This study aimed to identify organizational factors and individual behaviors that contribute to overwork culture in South African organizations, examining the interplay between personal characteristics, managerial practices, and organizational structures.


Method: A mixed-methods approach was employed using explanatory sequential design. Phase one involved an online survey (n=100) incorporating Andreassen and Pallesen's overwork climate scale. Phase two comprised semi-structured interviews with 13 participants selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis utilized thematic coding and hermeneutic phenomenological interpretation.


Results: Three key factor categories emerged: personal factors (perfectionism, guilt, high conscientiousness, inability to set boundaries), organizational factors (poor people management skills, inadequate team structures, unrealistic deadlines, lack of appreciation), and industry factors (client demands, gender dynamics, generational differences). Findings revealed that 79% of respondents worked beyond contractual hours, with 97% experiencing job-related stress. Participants demonstrated workaholic characteristics with high work involvement but low work enjoyment, consistent with Spence and Robbins' workaholic triad model. Female participants reported additional pressure to prove themselves in male-dominated environments, while millennial managers experienced dual stressors as both subordinates and team leaders.


Conclusions: Overwork culture results from complex interactions between individual personality traits and organizational demands rather than isolated factors. Organizations promoting work-life balance through awareness campaigns alone fail to address systemic issues. Recommendations include implementing structural changes such as meeting-free periods, mandatory time-off policies, improved manager training, and establishing healthy client boundaries to create sustainable work environments.