David Posen MD - Is Work Killing You?: A Doctors Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress

PRAISE FOR DAVID POSEN AND THE LITTLE BOOK OF STRESS RELIEF :

Its amazing that such a little book can deliver such a huge impact! This is not just a stress guide its a life-skills manual, filled with stories, warmth, and humour. Superb!

Rita Emmett, author of The Procrastinators Handbook
and The Procrastinating Child

No matter how good you are at dealing with stress, I strongly recommend to you Dr. Posens The Little Book of Stress Relief . It provides an excellent framework for stress management and is filled with great tips and insights. And its fun to read! I plan to keep it handy, so I can re-read sections as the need arises.

Peter G. Hanson, MD, author of The Joy of Stress

PRAISE FOR DAVID POSEN AND Staying Afloat When the Water Gets Rough :

David Posen has done it again! His survival guide for changing times is down to earth, reassuring, and fun to read.

Jack Canfield, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul

David Posen is a very good advisor to anyone in transition. I recommend Staying Afloat When the Water Gets Rough to anyone whos trying to make it through a bad stretch of white water.

William Bridges, author of Transitions and Jobshift

PRAISE FOR DAVID POSEN AND Always Change a Losing Game :

This book makes change seem fun rather than a chore. Dr. Posen shows you how to turn dreams into reality. Begin reading any page, youll not want to put this wonderful book down.

Christine A. Padesky, Ph.D., Director of The Center for Cognitive Therapy
and co-author of Mind Over Mood

For a change: a practical book full of the clinical wisdom of an experienced physician.

Dr. Stanley E. Greben, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry,
University of Toronto

This book is perceptive, instructive, productive, and written in an entertaining fashion. It is a valuable addition to any growing persons library.

Dr. Ron Taylor, Toronto Blue Jays team physician and
former major league baseball player

Also by David Posen, MD

Always Change a Losing Game

Staying Afloat When the Water Gets Rough

The Little Book of Stress Relief

Is Work Killing You?

A Doctors Prescription
for Treating Workplace Stress

David Posen, MD

Copyright 2013 David Posen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Distribution of this electronic edition via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal. Please do not participate in electronic piracy of copyrighted material; purchase only authorized electronic editions. We appreciate your support of the authors rights.

This edition published in 2013 by
House of Anansi Press Inc.
110 Spadina Avenue, Suite 801
Toronto, ON, M5V 2K4
Tel. 416-363-4343
Fax 416-363-1017
www.houseofanansi.com

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Posen, David B
Is work killing you? [electronic resource] : a doctors prescription for
treating workplace stress / David Posen.

Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-77089-276-7

1. Job stress. 2. Job stress--Treatment. 3. Stress management. I. Title.

RC963.48.P68 2013 616.9803 C2012-905953-6

Cover design: Marijke Friesen

Cover illustration: Kagan McLeod

We acknowledge for their financial support of our publishing program the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund.

To my maternal aunt, Freda Manson Bacher,
and my paternal uncle, Aaron Posen, whose unending
love and support will stay with me forever

CONTENTS

Preface: Why I Wrote This Book

INTRODUCTION: WORKPLACE STRESS SETTING THE CONTEXT

Defining the Problem

What Is Stress and How Do You Know When You Have It?

Why Should You Care? Why Is This Important?

The Futility of It All: When Good Stress Becomes Bad Stress

Six Degrees of Stress: Everyones a Victim

Sources of Stress: The Big Three

SECTION 1

VOLUME: THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO OVERLOAD AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT

CHAPTER 1 What Tips Us Over: The Causes of Overload

CHAPTER 2 Too Few Hands to Share the Load

CHAPTER 3 The Elephant in the Room: The Conspiracy of Silence

CHAPTER 4 Belief Systems and Changing the Corporate Zeitgeist

CHAPTER The Fallacy of Face Time: Performance Measurement Has to Change

Chapter 6 The Lunacy of Long Hours and the Need to Work Fresh

Chapter 7 The Slippery Slope to Burnout

CHAPTER Wheres Your Sweet Spot? The Zone for Optimal Performance

CHAPTER Fake Work and Spinning Wheels; Prioritizing and Letting Stuff Go

CHAPTER Slicing Up the Corporate Pie; Restoring the Basic Bargain

SECTION 2

VELOCITY: HOW TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD OF WORK WHEN THE PACE IS FASTER THAN EVER

CHAPTER Unrealistic Expectations: The Mind Trap That Fuels
the Treadmill

CHAPTER Realistic Expectations: Training Your Clients and Customers

CHAPTER The Myth of Multi-tasking; Single-tasking and Focus

CHAPTER Timeouts: The Pause That Refreshes

CHAPTER Overuse and Misuse of Technology and How to Tame It

CHAPTER Meetings; The Need for a New Meetings Manifesto

CHAPTER Bureaucracy and Red Tape: Bumps on the Road to Productivity

CHAPTER The Work-Life Interface: Balance or Blending?

CHAPTER Health Habits and the Staggering Cost of Self-Neglect

SECTION 3

ABUSE: WHAT TO DO WHEN THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH ARE YOUR BIGGEST SOURCE OF STRESS

CHAPTER Identifying and Dealing with Problem People

CHAPTER People Dont Leave Jobs, They Leave Bosses

CHAPTER The Games People Play: Office Politics

CHAPTER The Keys to Employee Engagement and Stress Reduction1

Chapter 24 The Obsession With Numbers

CHAPTER Does It All Have to Be About Money? Must the Rich be
Filthy Rich?

CONCLUSION: PREVENTION

Pay Now or Pay Later: Prevention Is the Best (and Cheapest) Cure

What Companies Can Do to Decrease Workplace Stress

What Managers and Leaders Can Do

Throttling Back to Move Ahead: Its Time to Recalibrate

Who Will Lead the Charge for Change? Who Will Bell the Cat?

Wrapping Up and Moving Forward

Acknowledgements

Appendices

Resources 1

Illustration Credits

Index

PREFACE

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

It happened again today. A patient sat down for his first appointment and told me a story of workplace stress that made me want to jump out of my chair, call his employer, and yell, Stop killing this man!

Joe was a smart, no-nonsense, down-to-earth guy with a warm smile and an easy laugh, but when he began to talk about his job, he became animated and upset. His knee started bouncing, his brow was furrowed, and the words poured out of him. As a physician who has done stress counselling for thirty years, it was a scene Ive watched for decades: agitated or depressed patients who finally get to tell their story at their own pace to a therapist who is eager to listen and help. At times Joes voice would rise with indignation and amazement at some of the ridiculous things going on in his company. More than once he said, They just dont get it!