Publisher's Synopsis
The term 'Dicks', is one that many people recognise to describe people who have a negative effect on them at work (of all genders). This isn't a book full of bad language!
At its core, this book is about work, why we do it, and how it affects our lives beyond just a pay check.Work should at the very least be neutral-ideally, it should be something that adds to, rather than drains, our happiness. But too often, toxic colleagues or bad workplace dynamics leave us stressed, unhappy, and sometimes even unaware of how much we've changed because of them. The reality? Work isn't a life sentence, and you don't have to just "put up with it." Identifying the people who impact your work life negatively is the first step-but understanding yourself and how you've changed over time is just as important. Without that self-awareness, even a job change might not fix the problem. The book starts with The Toothache Story as a metaphor-just like ignoring a toothache leads to a full-blown infection, ignoring workplace issues (especially difficult people) only makes things worse. If you don't address them early, they can shape your mindset, your self-esteem, and even how you behave at home and in your personal life.
The book isn't about quitting your job-it's about regaining control. Work takes up too much of life to be miserable. While you don't have to love your job, you shouldn't hate it either. Many people stay in unhappy situations because they believe they have no other options, but that's rarely true. The book also encourages you to review your work situation annually, the same way you would your household bills, mobile phone contract, broadband or TV contract. After all its your work that pays for all this, so why not review that at the same time and ensure its doing what you want it to do for you and the lifestyle you want.
By working through this book, someone can get clarity on where they stand, what they want, what's realistic, and what steps they can take to change their situation. It won't magically fix things for them-they'll need to take action-but it will help them understand their options and provide a framework for dealing with workplace 'Dicks' in a way that works for them. Investing in yourself, to protect and to a degree 'futureproofing' yourself is another topic covered within the book. Its amazing that people won't think twice about spending £/$30 on a take away a month (or on 'posh' coffees), yet won't spend £/$15 on a book or course to develop themselves! Some people won't agree with the approach, and that's fine. This isn't about providing one universal solution-it's about providing the tools to be able to question a situation and take meaningful steps toward change.
Most importantly, people need to go into this with the mindset that things can improve. Change starts with recognising that there is a choice. The title will resonate with many people, yet the book has been written not only for those individuals who are directly impacted, it's also written for people indirectly impacted as it allows them to understand/support those close to them. (This could be a friend/partner/acquaintance/friend of a friend, etc.) It's also a useful guide for people starting out in their careers on managing expectations, and what to expect/how to deal with certain scenarios.
