Work. It’s a fact of life. Between the twin pillars of birth and death, most of us work. According to a 2018 report by the US Bureau of Labor Statis- tics, the average man worked 40.8 hours per week in paid employment, while the average woman worked 36.2 hours per week. The experiments I’ll describe in this book uncover unexpected truths about subtle cues in our environments, our teams, and our personal habits. The vast majority of these discoveries are related to the space we work in, some are in our mindset, and some are powerful cues that were hitherto ignored or unknown. Many are truly surprising, and some even challenge our beliefs to the point of saying: “Come on, that can’t be true.” However, the scientific proof in these cases is inescapable.You might ask: “Another self-help book on success in one’s work and career? Really?” Well, not really. The vast majority of books ...
“In Whatever Works, psychologist Thalma Lobel shares the surprising and unexpected ways small tweaks can have a big impact on our performance and success at work as well as our general job satisfaction. From mind hacks for increasing concentration to tricks for boosting creativity, there is a lot here for employers and employees alike. The great watercooler talking points alone are worth their weight in office cred. Fun, practical, and important!”—Guy Winch, author of Emotional First Aid and three-time TED Talk speaker
“Simple, accessible, profound. This book will help you introduce small changes to your environment that can make a big difference in your life. Thalma Lobel provides a blueprint for increasing levels of happiness and health, as well as success.”—Tal Ben Shahar, New York Times bestselling author of Happier
“Whatever Works challenges the notion that ‘anything works.’ It presents a wonderful opportunity of using a growing body of research in an effort to improve life and work in simple but very effective ways.”—Efrat Dagan, head of talent at Next Insurance and former head of talent at both Google and Lyft
“Professor Lobel has written a quite unputdownable, highly accessible, and personal book. The range of topics covered is very wide and she weaves together studies from many different areas of psychology. Most important, the book is strongly evidence-based, which reflects her wide and critical reading. The book rejoices in counterintuitive findings and certainly leads you to rethink many of the things you experience in the workplace. This will definitely be a bestseller!”—Adrian Furnham, author of 50 Psychology Ideas You Really Need to Know and professor of psychology at University College London
"Lobel has written a comprehensive yet never exhaustive account of the qualities that define a forward-thinking and moving office environment, but she's also laid a roadmap you can adopt for many situations in life. "Whatever Works" is a fantastic sophomore effort for this writer and intellect. It will likely make a positive impression on many readers"-Jason Hillenburg
"Very useful book about how little things impact our working environment. Read it and transform your professional life." -Alia Obaid Brumat, bookseller