Dying for a paycheck: how modern management harms employee health and company performance--and what we can do about it book cover

Dying for a paycheck

how modern management harms employee health and company performance--and what we can do about it

Jeffrey Pfeffer
3.72(585 Reviews)

Overview of Dying for a paycheck

Toxic workplaces kill 120,000 Americans yearly. Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer exposes how modern management literally costs lives while draining $300 billion from companies. Embraced by the American Heart Association's CEO Roundtable, this shocking wake-up call reveals why your job might be your deadliest relationship.

Key Themes in Dying for a paycheck

  • toxic management practices
  • workplace stress mortality
  • human sustainability
  • occupational health crisis
  • employee burnout epidemic

Quotes from Dying for a paycheck

  • The modern workplace has become a source of 'social pollution'.

  • What isn't measured doesn't improve.

  • The health impacts of toxic workplaces aren't just uncomfortable-they're lethal.

  • Being laid off increases mortality risk substantially.

Characters in Dying for a paycheck

  • Jeffrey PfefferAuthor and researcher of workplace health impacts
  • Joel GohResearcher who identified harmful work exposures
  • Stefanos ZeniosResearcher who identified harmful work exposures
  • Sir Michael MarmotEpidemiologist who studied health and human needs

About the Author

About the Author of Dying for a paycheck

Jeffrey Pfeffer, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor and leading organizational behavior expert, examines modern workplace hazards in Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance. A bestselling author and researcher, Pfeffer specializes in evidence-based management practices and corporate power dynamics. His analysis of toxic workplace cultures builds on decades of research documented in influential works like Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don’t and Leadership B.S., both summarized on this platform.

The Thomas D. Dee II Professor at Stanford since 1979, Pfeffer hosts the Pfeffer on Power podcast and writes for Fortune, blending academic rigor with practical insights from his studies of companies like Southwest Airlines and SAS Institute.

His controversial finding that harmful management practices cause approximately 120,000 preventable U.S. deaths annually has sparked global discussions about corporate responsibility. Used in MBA curricula and Fortune 500 executive training, Pfeffer’s work continues shaping debates about sustainable employment practices.

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117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
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108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

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"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

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