[BOOK REVIEW] The No Assholes Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t

We all know bullying behavior in the workplace kills morale and productivity.  It’s like a snowball building … it’s never one huge act but a series of small, demeaning acts which begin to permeate throughout the entire company culture.  It affects not only morale, but staff turnover, communication, employee self-esteem and even health.  The true cost (Total Cost of Assholes or TCA) is not just the salary of the Asshole but the impact of all of these interactions.

These negative interactions have an impact five times greater than positive interactions.

While this book is written to be used by managers, the concepts neatly apply to every area of your life.  And while everyone can have a bad day, the difference is in those people who seem to have a bad day every day – and negatively impact others in the workplace.

(And I apologize in advance if you are offended by cuss words … if the word “asshole” offends you then you definitely do NOT want to read this book because it is repeated throughout).

Society seems to think that if you’re a big winner, you can get away with being a big asshole.  But it doesn’t have to be that way (and shouldn’t).

It’s even more prevalent when you can determine who will be treated poorly.  The difference between how a person treats those they perceive powerless (subordinates, coworkers) versus those they perceive as more powerful (bosses) is the best measure of human character.

And while a certain amount of well-managed conflict can be productive in the workplace, there is a difference between productive conflict and that imposed by assholes.  The book provides suggestions on how to reform those that you can, or expel those who can’t or won’t change their ways and how to limit the damage they can cause.  This book gives you some specific steps you can take to protect yourself and your workplace.