There's usually one or two in every office. And the word "jerk" or "idiot" doesn't suffice. No, this type of person has a very specific attitude that evokes such dislike, disdain and meanness that he or she brings the place down. This person is nasty and cruel in a way that jerk doesn't connote.
No, the word for them starts with an "a" and ends with, well, you know, and now someone with a Ph.D. has actually studied these folks in the workplace. Robert Sutton, a professor at Stanford University and co-director of the Center for Work, Technology, and Organization there, looks at how to identify and cope with them in his new book The No A------- Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't.
Sutton: My background is as a field researcher within organizations, and every company I talk to, whenever they talk about people that are demeaning and de-energizing, they use the word a-------. It has an entirely different emotional reaction than jerk or idiot.
Let me come completely clean: I want a book title that people will remember. But it's got emotional authenticity to it.
This is a serious topic though. How do these people hurt the workplace?
When people have abusive and demeaning bosses, they quit at a higher rate and they're less committed to their jobs if they stay. There's also the issue of personal stress, which leads to higher health care costs
2007-02-26
20:27:41
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5 answers
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asked by
marnefirstinfantry
5