Why You Dread Work: What’s Going Wrong in Your Workplace and How to Fix It

Why You Dread Work by Helen Holmes marks the launch of London Publishing Partnership’s Perspectives on Business series, edited by Diane Coyle.

The book was published on 14 September 2021 as a paperback, priced at £12.99. You can order a copy by clicking the “Buy book” button above.

About the book

Ever felt that lurking sense of Sunday night dread?

It’s not just you.

In this warm and empathetic guide to the modern workplace, Helen Holmes tackles precisely what’s going wrong in your workplace – and how you can improve your working week. Drawing upon expert research and employee interviews, she answers questions such as:

• Why does that difficult colleague refuse to take ownership of anything?
• What can I do about the constant data overload of email and meetings?
• Why am I still not being paid fairly?

Holmes proposes that fear, a lack of focus, and a lack of fairness are at the core of workplace challenges, and outlines how goodwill, purpose and trust can overcome them.

Written for you as an employee, this book offers empathy and pragmatism for anyone who’s ever contemplated quitting their job and running for the hills. Instead, Holmes gives inspiring case studies and practical tips for crafting a better working week, one step at a time.

Praise for Why You Dread Work

“What a novel and entertaining book this is! It is very well written and answers the question so many people ask about ‘why you dread work’, and more importantly, what you can do about it. It is a ‘must read’ for those looking to get greater satisfaction from work and for employers interested in workplace wellbeing.” — Professor Sir Cary Cooper, 50th Anniversary Professor of Organizational Psychology & Health, ALLIANCE Manchester Business School

“A delightful, engaging and well-researched look at why too many people dread their jobs and what to do about it. Packed with wisdom, this book offers practical advice for making work better.” — Professor Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School; author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth (Wiley, 2019)

“A vital guide to help you and your colleagues work better.” — Rory Sutherland, vice chairman of Ogilvy UK and author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense (WH Allen, 2019)

“Why You Dread Work is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Containing great research to back up its key points, it provides chilling insights into the damage organizations can do. It will make workers realize they are not alone and is a must read for managers if they want to avoid the pitfalls Holmes identifies!” — Dr Kay Maddox-Daines, Head of School for People Management at Arden University

About the author

As a product management specialist and author, Helen Holmes has spent twenty years combining a career in technology with writing and journalism. Her five previous fiction books (Oxford University Press and others) have been translated into six languages. A 2015 Timewise Power List winner, Holmes illustrates a Forbes column on fintech and is a regular contributor to successful satirical news site The Daily Mash. Her articles, along with sketches for TV show The Mash Report, have been viewed, commented on or shared online more than 7.6 million times.