Working with You is Killing Me

People at work too often get emotionally hooked into tolerating and taking care of co-workers who are unproductive, annoying, needy, or destructive. Break free of such energy drains with the strategies offered by these two authors, who are both passionate and full of energizing ideas. They suggest stress management to help restore composure and balance but also ask you to carry out remedies such as documenting misbehavior and insisting that policies be enforced to correct problems. Take control of your work life by studying your company's ground rules, taking action when possible, and managing your co-dependent tendencies when they're provoked. Includes printable assessment tools for yourself and your company. A timely and well-written survival lesson. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

December 19, 2005
For anyone trapped in an energy-zapping relationship with a co-worker, boss or subordinate, Crowley and Elster offer an exit strategy—a highly practical and easily implemented guide to making the situation workable. Looking at the workplace from every employee's perspective, Crowley, a Harvard-trained psychotherapist, and Elster, an entrepreneurial consultant, have created a book as valuable to readers on the top rungs of the corporate ladder as it is to those near the bottom. Readers in the throes of a work crisis can find a relevant case study to lead them to relief from any situation. Whether the problem's a charming and demanding boss, dealing with a saboteur or addressing one's own inclination to play the office martyr, the authors offer frameworks for breaking down the conflict and achieving détente. They even detail the inevitable verbal confrontation. Supervisors are provided suggestions for "parenting" employees who chronically underachieve or disappoint to help them live up to expectation, or at least their job descriptions. This empowering book delivers a sense of control over nasty workplace situations. It may also offer the answer to high job turnover.