Customer Reviews

Work Abuse: How to Recognize It and Survive It

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wyatt and Hare are doing for work abuse what Anita Hill did for sexual abuse. After suffering four years of chronic scapegoating and three years of subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder, "Work Abuse" finally afforded me the luxury of crying from relief. Though my professional career is over now, I can take deep comfort in knowing that what happened to me was very real and very much denied by everyone concerned. Americans are indeed being brutalized in the workforce; we blame ourselves. But this abuse can be recognized and dealt with, thereby sparing careers, lives, families, and even the abusive institutions and organizations that traumatize us. We owe much gratitude to Judith Wyatt and Chauncey Hare for their profound introduction to the dialogue on this issue of work abuse. Let the healing begin.

Work Abuse is the book those of us toiling in abusiveworkplaces havebeen looking for. In clear concise language, the book offers real and positive means to survive while working to reduce abuse in workplaces. It is an essential tool kit for Union leaders and others who have seen the devastation of work abuse. The solutions offered do not cause further harm to the individuals caught up in this situation. I have used the methods in the book and have provided it to many others. The universal response is delight at finally finding a way to survive and grow despite an abusive work situation. I recommend it highly.

I am reading, for the second time, WORK ABUSE - HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND SURVIVE IT by Judith Wyatt and Chauncey Hare. Work abuse is a very unpopular subject and is at least equally as widespread as is spousal abuse and/or child abuse. It is the best hidden of any abuse inflicted by one person upon another. Work abuse replicates child abuse in that the abused is scapegoated, trapped and alone without help from either inside or outside the system. Work stress is simply a euphemism for "work abuse," that hampers job quality and production as well as cripples, disables, and destroys the quality of life for millions every day and has been rampant in our society for many years.
Work abuse disempowers, dehumanizes and destroys self-esteem through systematic denial that the abuse is happening. More often than not, work abuse affects an entire organization. Society as a whole tends to reinforce work abuse and place the blame on the traumatized victims. Human resource offices (another euphemism for personnel offices) seem likely places for victims to find support. Human resource departments strictly protect the organization.
Millions of people enter the workplace every Monday saying, "is it Friday yet;" on Friday, millions more say, "thank God it's Friday." Others frequently sigh and struggle just to get inside the buildings and refer to their situations as "burn-out" and "work stress," when realistically for most of those people, the true problem is an abusive work environment.
This book explains how and why work abuse happens. It offers an understandable plan for healing, and includes in-depth case studies, exercises, and worksheets to guide the reader. This book is a must read for everyone who is now employed, has been employed, or ever plans to be employed.

Flora Stringer
fnstringer@kricket.net

This book was a life-saver for me as I worked through issues of bullying in my workplace. I would recommend it to anyone who has been bullied (or currently being bullied) at work.
Judith and Chauncey offer an excellent understanding of the "workplace reality" and why you have been chosen to "not fit" based on that "reality". This book is an excellent tool to walk you through the "craziness" of workplace abuse and into healing.

I can't say I am totally objective at this point, as I have met the author, and found him to be all he claims and more.

Let's go back to before I met him:

I read this book about 5-6 years ago for the first time. I also read, "Mobbing", The Bully at Work", and others, which are all good. This, by far, I found, was the most comprehensive, and, it had the most non-violent ways to deal with the "work abuse". I have been in an abusive work environment most of the 35+ years with my company. I cannot leave at this point. I am too close to retirement, and, I was a single parent most of those years.

I have learned from the book that one can take a non-violent, and pro-active approach to their work lives. (ie: I do not fight the system, and I work on my personal talents, developing a skillset, in lieu of suing, which would be fruitless and taxing).

At first, I didn't get that message exactly. It helped to talk all this through with others. But, I do know that this book rang true when I first read it, and I think, with the next successive reads, I learned more and more.

This is a comprehensive text; no fluff here. I keep it in my arsenal, and I refer back to it often.

I am on my third copy of this, and I bought the third one here used and in great condition.

Trust this author. When he writes about "systems", pay attention; it is a very important way to view one cause of the problem in workplaces.

No need to rush through this book. It is to be grasped. Bring it in to a discussion group, or share it with a therapist. Reflect on the ocncepts of this book often.

Personally, it has made my work life, and as a result -- my home life -- bearable.

I was the victim of work abuse to the magnitude of it being actual physical "torture"--my trauma psychologist calls it...I looked all over the inernet/libraries etc to find a book that could help me relate to my experiences that led to my being emotionally disabled with PTSD and as a result of the abuse I am physically disabled now and am in a wheelchair due to the abuse to my spine & nerves to feet/legs.

I first found Chauncey's webpage & ordered the book. Though Chauncey himself & I often made contact regarding both of our work abuse experiences, after much time, Hare actually treated me much as the shunned "scapegoat" he discusses with much detail in his book.

I really couldn't connect with this book. Period. Though they used case study examples it was hard for me to empathize when none of the victims/survivors were mentioned in the book as having been physically abused; and yet Hare told me that one really had been physically abused but Hare & wife, Wyatt, chose to not mention these dtails of that one case because as Hare explained to me,"No one would believe" the worker could have been physicaly assaulted in the curent American "workplace." Excuse me?

What is the point of writing this kind of book, Hare, if you mislead the audience right away; just so people might "believe" your book? Mr. Hare?

If you can't write the truth; what's the point?

This was the worst book I have read in years....totally unauthentic, lame, tiring, uninspired...Hare should pay us to read his book.

I read this book. I cannot put any stock into anything Hare writes or says is true. He admittedly lied about at least one of his case studies -- his reason was because his readers [publishers {$$$$}] wouldn't have believed the real version. Read something that really deals with abuse (including work abuse); read Judith Herman's "Trauma & Recovery" instead of this lame rhetoric.

Hare claims he & wifey Wyatt made no money off this novel yet I find it hard to believe considering he was so worried/anxious/scared of not getting this garbage published. Why write if you can't report the truth?

Hare, himself, was an abuser toward me. [He knows why, too.] Plus, he illegally through his pal Tim Field stole an article [a positive one, no less] I'd written--about Hare & his experience with work abuse victims. Now, I know he truly is not for those most abused--physically tortured, that is, true work abused victims.

Hare? He's just trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the working public, Hare says 99% of workers are in abusive work situations. Maybe true; yet Hare's solution for the 99% who depend on this book for some assistance with their plights of abuse [though he cares not at all for work abuse/physically tortured victimd--appalling!] is essentially "learn to deal with it", "make the boss look good" & by all means: "don't make the boss mad." And second either try to circumvent the boss in an attempt to make your work place in the 1% of good work environments--YEAH, like that can be done by a peon worker with antagonistic, bully bosses. And if all else fails? Hare's advise is to -- get this: FIND ANOTHER JOB or WORK FOR ONESELF. Yes, a whole nation of sole proprietorships. The great American solution for dealing with work abuse!! Since Hare works home-alone [maybe he could make a movie about that], & is one of the lucky few who can he's deluded enough with zen to think we all can. Then it would we anarchy and we'd all die!

WOW!!!! Is that all there is to solving the work abuse dilemma? I could saved myself $25 on this ream of fish-wrap.

After I told him my case, which involved physical torture, he acted empathic when I contacted his website. Then he led me to believe for over a year he was on my side in my attempt at recovery with a pathetic social worker who I finally had sanctioned for her own "medical abuse" of me.

Sorry...I just can't buy into Hare/Wyatt theory/conclusions that many, as shorn lost lambs to slaughter seem to have done.

True, Work abuse is sad, misunderstood major problem. However, I don't believe the Hare/Wyatt dynamic duo are the ones to be writing about such an issue. Clearly they wasted ill-spent government-sponsor funds.

Right there, government funds tells me this book is not to be trusted. Hare is not to be trusted, either. Based on his grubby other photo books; he's not with the times at all. His work is archaic to say the least.

He mentions nothing of the real work abuse issue--that of those in especially the African & Mid-East nations where real work abuse occurs--routinely and severely. Human rights are not discussed in this piece of fluff (content) that is so parched in verbiage it took me over a year to finish.

There needs to be more expert writers in the work abuse field. The Hare/Wyatt crew appoint themselves as THE "Work Abuse" experts. This self-serving bias makes the work all the more distrustful and again self-gratifying.

When I bought the book I saw the Webpage, too. I was gonna call them for an appointment because of my own abuse at work that happened to also be of a physical and sexual abuse situation. After I read some of these reviews, I too, am in agreement with conclusions such as the whole 99% work-places "sukk" and only the lucky few like Hare and Wyatt get to work solo.

I'd read the article, I think {?} that one of these had written in review. Too bad Hare in another form of abusiveness preys on the opressed--just like he harrangues about in "Work Abuse."

"Work Abuse" is a sub-standard tripe but I give it a two; just in case the Hare/Wyatt crack counselors are "for real." I truly have my doubts.

I definitely know that this book of the Hare/Wyatt crusade is not geared toward the worst abused of the world & of those out there in North America.

Seriously--this book is really only geared for as trauma shrinks nowadays call: "The Worried Well." Guess it is easier for the Hare/Wyatt super-experts (of work abuse, minor) to only counsel or "coach" the least abused, than to tackle the real problems of the secret they failed to discover while spending tax dollars with their "reseerch" on work abuse--that is those who are physically & sexually abused by brutal anti-social bosses.

"2 stars for effort--not results/theories or conclusions"

yjpups@msn.com