**A practical and hilarious guide to getting difficult people off your
back, for anyone pulling their hair out over an irritating colleague
who's not technically breaking any rules
**
From open floor plans and Zoom calls to Slack channels, the workplace
has changed a lot over the years. But there's one thing that never
changes: you'll always encounter jerks. Jerks at Work is the
definitive guide to dealing with--and ultimately breaking free from--the
overbearing bosses, irritating coworkers, and all-around difficult
people who make work and life miserable.
Social psychologist Tessa West has spent years leveraging science to
help people solve interpersonal conflicts in the workplace. What she
discovered is that most of our go-to tactics don't work because they
fail to address the specific motivations that drive bad behavior. In
this book, she takes you on a rollicking deep dive of the seven jerks
you're most likely to encounter at the office, drawing on decades of
original research to expose their inner workings and weak points--and
ultimately deliver an effective game plan for stopping each type before
they take you down with them.
Jerks at Work is packed with everyday examples and clever strategies,
such as how to:
- Stop a Bulldozer from gaining influence by making sure they're not
the first to speak up in meetings
- Report a Kiss Up/Kick Downer to a manager who idolizes them
without looking like the bad guy
- Protect your high-achieving team from Free Riders without stifling
collaboration
- Use a Gaslighter's tactics to beat them at their own game
For anyone who's said "I can't stand that jerk!" more times than they'd
like to admit, Jerks at Work is the ultimate playbook you wish you
didn't need but will always turn to.
