Approximately 20 per cent of the population can be identified as being highly sensitive people (HSPs) who have different needs or goals, feel differently and require different treatment.
Making work work for the highly sensitive person is aimed at those HSPs in order to provide them with strategies to manage their work environment so that it’s emotionally gratifying, financially rewarding and vocationally satisfying. The core message is that this group of people is exceptionally creative and talented, yet they need to learn how to use their sensitivity in a positive manner in the workplace.
The author utilised hundreds of interviews with HSPs to identify the main problems they need to overcome including feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of work, lacking confidence and feelings of inadequacy within the work environment. Jaeger identifies three states of work: drudgery, craft and calling whereby HSPs are able to move from ‘just a job’ to a state of comfort and happiness. The book teaches tolerance, self-awareness and how people can use apparent weaknesses to improve themselves and develop successful career and happy personal lives.
Whether there’s merit in the theories contained within the book is for each reader to decide.