Braving the Workplace
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley March 5, 2025
Author Dr Beth Kaplan
Distributor: Amazon
ISBN: 978-1684816958
Publisher: Mango
Release Date: March 2025
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Belonging at the Breaking Point
Belonging, workplace and family are all areas that come under close observation and discussing in this ground breaking work from Dr Beth Kaplan, Braving The Workplace.
As a woman who landed the job she always desired, only to have to eventually walk away from it, a sad, distressed and unwell woman, she realised during her time of introspection, that there was a considerable amount of unpacking related to what had happened and why it had happened.
To this end she dug deep, both personally and professionally, spending time researching and therefore better understanding why the workplace of today is considered as ‘family, a place of belonging’, how this culture has evolved and how to understand and manage what can often become a toxic culture, leading to distress, illness and suicidal tendencies.
She considers the modern workplace has actively set about prompting the Company or Corporation as having ‘family’ values of belonging, support, kindness and caring, which they consider as ethical and also productive to a better work flow and bottom line. While this ideal or philosophy may in some instances work, more often than not there is a hybrid form of ‘belonging or family’ active in most workplaces which can be toxic.
It is a well-known fact that people do perform better when they feel their values, their ideas, thought and concerns are taken into consideration, that they are genuinely considered as part of a team, of belonging. This can only evolve if management on all levels understand their work colleagues and are prepared to put in the training required to achieve a positive workplace.
But what happens when these lofty ideas do not work, the workplace becomes fractured, the ‘family’ is as most families, not a cohesive whole. Kaplan looks at this from both a personal and professional perspective, having been there, done that and survived the ordeal.
Each section of Braving The Workplace tells it like it is in so many business, and then offers solutions, coping strategies and most importantly a series of probing questions designed to make you take a serious and honest look at who you are, what you wish to achieve, are you happy with your work/life balance and what are you prepared to give/do/sacrifice to make a significant and positive change.
She also sets out strategies for coping if you choose to stay in your current situation that allows you to still develop and prosper.
Braving the Workplace is a MUST READ for anyone who is an employee, manager, or employer as Kaplan speaks from the heart about modern workplace practices, change and the best way forward to a happier, far more productive future for everyone from both a Corporate or personal perspective.