Is Work Killing You?: A Doctor's Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress

by David Posen

From the bestselling author of The Little Book of Stress Relief comes the definitive guide to treating — and eliminating — excessive stress in the workplace. Dr. David Posen, a popular speaker and a leading expert on stress mastery, identifies the three biggest problems that contribute to burnout and low Volume, Velocity, and Abuse. He shares revealing anecdotes and offers clear descriptions of the biology of stress to illustrate how downsizing, economic uncertainty, and technology have made the workplace more toxic than ever. Most importantly, he offers practical advice and easy techniques for managing the harmful symptoms and side effects of stress.

Witty, engaging, and accessible, Is Work Killing You? touches on everything from meetings to tweeting, from fake work to face time, from deadlines to dead tired, and more. With this book, Dr. Posen gives us the tools to stop harming our most valuable resource — ourselves.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2013

Reviews

[أخضر أخضر · Rating 4 out of 5]

يناقش الكتاب الضغوط الواقعة على الموظفين والرؤساء في العمل، وكيف أنها تؤدي إلى توتر مخيف متزايد، ولذا فقد كان هذا الكتاب وصفة طبية لمعالجة التوتر الناتج من مقر العمل، ولو كنت من الأشخاص الذين يعملون أكثر من ٦٠ ساعة في الأسبوع، حاول تخصيص وقت لنفسك أكثر مارس به هواياتك المفضلة، وافصل عن العمل وتواجد مع عائلتك.

وحين امتلكنا التكنولوجيا أصبحنا أكثر ميلًا إلى استخدامها، ثم بدأت تطلعتنا تزداد في الردود السريع، مما زاد من توقعاتنا بحلول سريعة كردودنا، فتجد مديرك في العمل يطلب منك إنهاء تقرير كبير بوقتٍ قليل، في تجاهل لبشريتك، وكل شخص يعمل وفق وتيرته الخاصة ولذا عندما تجد على كاهلك الكثير من الأعمال تعلم قل لا.

الحقيقة أنصح الجميع بقراءة هذا الكتاب وبخاصة حديثي التخرج أو من بدأو بملاحظة ضغوط واقعة عليهم في مكان عملهم، وشخصيًا أضاف لي الكتاب الكثير فقد ساعدني على تقسيم وقتي، وجعلني أرى الصورة بشكلها الكبير الواضح. فقد كنت اتوقف كل فترة لأكتب ما جذبني وأرغب بتطبيقه مستقبلًا، فهو كتاب شيق جذاب سهل يمتزج مع العديد من الفروع الممتعة، وربما ترغب بالتهامه ولكن إن كنت من الأشخاص الذين يَملون بسرعة، ربما تتضايق من تكرار الكاتب لبعض الأفكار وطول الكتاب.

[George Poirier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great advice, delivered in a very readable style, but ultimately quite repetitive and therefore a bit of a slog in the latter third of the book. A bit tighter editing would jump this to a 4.

[José · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good and comprehensive guide on (1) why stress at work has reached untenable levels; (2) why stressed out workers are bad for business; (3) why being stressed is bad for you personally; and (4) what you can do about it.

My favorite chapters were 12-16, partly cause it spoke to a lot of things we know are true (e.g., meetings suck and we need _less_ of them), but mostly because he addresses each of the topics from a personal and a professional (as a doctor and a worker) perspective. There is a lot of advice there that I can run with (setting blackout email/slack hours, disabling notifications, taking frequent breaks during the day and longer vacations every once in a while).

The biggest “aha” for me was the part about setting boundaries and managing expectations with your clients/bosses (chapter 12). We think that we have to promise the world and be yes-people, but that often leads to missed deadlines and disappointment on both sides.

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on how individuals and the structures in which they work combine to increase stress. Solutions are practical, but depend on the individual and his or her work situation in terms of implementation.

[Fatima · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest I did not complet the book I have read two third of the book, as it made me feel more nervous the more I read the more nervous I get.

[Dalal Alkandari · Rating 3 out of 5]

للأسف الترجمه سيئة و الكتاب يحتوي على الكثير من التكرار و الاخطاء الاملائية/ التعبيريه/ الاعرابية بالرغم من روعه محتوى الكتاب
خذا الكتاب مني شهر كامل تقريبا بس عشان اتقبل قرائته بأخطاءه

[Sahar Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

لم اتوقع ان اندمج في الكتاب .. وان اجد اثار التوتر علي ..
امر محزن ان العالم وادارة الاعمال لا تركز سوى على ارباحها دون النظر الى انسانية العاملين،، رغم انها تكلف الشركات والحكومات فواتير باهضة بسبب غياب الموظفين وفواتير علاجهم بسبب اعتلال صحتهم وعدم انتاجيتهم وتشتتهم واحاراقهم النفسي ...
الكتاب جعلني انظر الى الصورة البانورامية لهذا العالم المتوتر

[Luke Southard · Rating 3 out of 5]

You might think this would be a critical takedown on our modern capitalist society, but you’d only PARTIALLY be right. It’s actually about dealing with the physiological and psychological ramifications of being ground down by short-sighted organizations.

But here’s the thing: A lot of these books are… we’ll say on the side of the worker but so much so that the contents are unrealistic. Like when they say “tired because your corporate overlords are overworking you to the point of exhaustion? Take a nap! I mean, if you can’t sleep during the night because of work stress, try sleeping during the day - you know, during the time when those same corporate overlords responsible for your stress are actively watching you!”

That kind of stuff.

This book is a man waving his arms like crazy for the attention of those corporate overlords and saying “if you want greater levels of productivity, quality, and, over time, money, HERE’S how you do it.”

And if that feels a little red-flaggy for you, the compromises he proposes are actually pretty okay. Good for the worker, good for the overlord. At no point does he give an inch - not a single, solitary inch (or whatever they use in Canada) - to workers who don’t want to work hard. He actually calls them out with regularity.

So, all told, it’s a solid middle of the road book that workers and managers should read and take stuff from. It’s an excellent first step.

[Sara Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of great ideas and explains things in a manner that is easy to relate to. My only feedback is it does not really help address how to confront senior management if they are the bullies. It would be nice to have some ideas including a self exam check list to give to senior management to become self aware. Most times, employees leave because it is senior management that isnt getting it and so there is no where to go but to leave. It be nice to try to explain it to them in terms of balance sheet/income statement and hitting the bottom line.

[Weekend Reader_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really 3.5

It provides really good cases to consider but I thought would be written in a way if you are mid manager or front line you would find ways to make adjustments. However, Posen wrote it as facts but only provided one chapter to make actionable change. The overall fact is the work environment is a complicated issue so it makes. Take advantage of the diagrams, additional reading, and stress model. This book is definitely a compliment to other works on work environment stress and not a standalone.

[Alex Gustafson · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you picked up the book the answer is probably "Yes." Whether or not this book will help you depends a lot on what really makes your job a stressful environment for you. Dr. Posen does a good job of leveling the blame for worker stress partly on workers and partly on employers, then recommends a good regimen of prevention. Interesting read, not information that I found exactly helpful in my situation, but it's okay. Very catchy title and free at the library.

[Sandy Sopko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of similarities, apparently, between work culture in Canada (of which Dr. Posen writes) and the U.S. -- too bad. Reading this book was affirming. It gave me permission to feel what I feel. I was hoping for more strategies for coping and solutions to end the toxic workplace experience. As Dr. Posen points out, however, much of that depends on leadership. Because of the current economic climate and high unemployment, workers are at the mercies of their overlords. I took notes.

[Paul Arthur Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and helpful

This book says what I have been thinking and feeling for years. I am not lazy nor crazy! The corporate systems we all work in are psychotic entities and like cigarettes, should have a warning label in the employee handbook. WILL BE DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR HEALTH.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book. Made me feel more normal in the struggle I am going through. My 3 star review may be unfair & more a reflection of my conclusion of the book which is on point w/ my reality - that it comes to deciding to "suck it up" & live w/ it (while receiving a consist paycheck) ....or jumping off into who-knows-where w/out a parachute...

[Noma Bruton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Posen does an excellent job of summarizing the causes of stress in the workplace and building a business case to fix the problem. Though some of his suggestions are "easier said than done", it doesn't make them wrong.

[HadiDee · Rating 5 out of 5]

if I wanted to write a book about modern day work, then this might well be it. Anecdotes, backed up by research and a damning of current work practices and trends. I would have liked the issues of bullying/abuse at work could have been delved into a little more.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective and information about the state of current day corporate America and the impact on today's workforce. Thought provoking.

[elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughtful and thought provoking. The appendices nicely summarize the main takeaway points of each chapter.

[Mrsculpepper · Rating 2 out of 5]

not reaaly applicable to your average retail worker.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful book when it comes to ideas about how to stay balanced and understand the underlying causes of stress and what you can do about it.

[Jack Oughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was absolutely nothing here that I found new or controversial but I immensely enjoyed the way that David presented the information. He is fighting the good fight for modern workplace health.

[Luigi Benetton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posen tackles workplace issues from many angles. They don’t all apply to everybody but everybody will find an angle they have lived.

[Onur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dr. David Posen'ın iş yaşantısındaki STRES'e dair yazdığı (biraz fazla) kapsamlı bir kitap. Stresin olumlu yönleri, olumsuz etkileri, dizginlemek ve kontrol etmek için metodlar yer alıyor. Posen'ın danışanlarının sorunları ve kendi hayatından örneklerin yer aldığı kitapta pratiğe yönelik bir çok çözüm önerisi de var.

Yerkes-Dodson Kanunu der ki; "Maksimum potansiyel elde etmeyi umuyorsanız stresiniz belli bir noktaya yükselmelidir.".

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