WORKAHOLICS: Living with Them, Working with Them

by Marilyn Machlowitz ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 1980

Nobody really seems to know what to-do about workaholics, and like Mortimer Feinberg in Corporate Bigamy (p. 43), management psychologist Marilyn Machlowitz doesn't seem entirely convinced that we should do anything. Yes, there is some familiar hand-wringing about the family that must always come second (though, redeemingly, the more ""involved and satisfied"" people are in their work, the more ""active they will be in other areas as well""). And there are, more surprisingly, quite a few specifics about workaholics' shortcomings on the job: enamored of control, they hate to delegate even the slightest detail; they expect coworkers to be as dedicated as they are; and they tend to place organizational interests after their own needs. But despite working long hours, despite their apparent inability to relax, most of the workaholics Machlowitz interviewed claimed to be blissfully happy exactly the way they are. And she takes their assertions at face value. That credulity apart, she seems not to have noticed the puzzling contradictions that her research turned up--such as the workaholics' emphatic disavowal of similar lifestyles for their offspring. As for the single chapter of advice to the ostensible audience of spouses and coworkers: don't even bother. Beleaguered helpmates are lamely advised to ""insist"" on vacations and to ""schedule"" themselves into the workaholic's day--a sure invitation to hurl the book against the nearest wall. Though it's not without its points, it has no point overall.

Pub Date: April 15, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Addison-Wesley

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION