Book Description
Help. . . . Cubicle Life Is Killing Me!
Leaving no stone unturned, no ergonomic chair unadjusted, and no leftovers in the communal fridge uneaten, this hilarious guide to cubicle life will be the salvation for the more than forty million Americans stuck in cubicles. By turns uproariously funny and enormously useful, each chapter tackles a different area of cubicle life and includes a “cube tip,” a quiz, illustrations, and examples that will have you laughing out loud. Discover
• how not to disturb colleagues with unwanted sounds and smells, such as the crunch-crunch of your sour-cream-and-onion chips and the unmistakable odor of your spicy Thai shrimp
• how to knock when visiting other cubicles and how to devise politically correct ways of saying “Do not disturb”
• the do’s and definite don’ts of cubicle decoration
• how to set up a security system that will rebuff potential thieves
The Cubicle Survival Guide could very well change your life and set you climbing the corporate ladder to success!*
* Results not guaranteed. Pay raises and promotions are up to your boss, but using this book
couldn’t hurt.
Praise for The Cubicle Survival Guide:
“A spiritual air conditioner for the cubicled soul.”
— Turk Regan, author of Pimp My Cubicle: Take Your Workspace from Boring to Bling!
"James Thompson’s The Cubicle Survival Guide offers the rare, and definitely appreciated, combination of laugh-out-loud humor and sound advice for surviving the jungle that is Corporate America. On some days, there’s nothing more motivating to fresh air-starved cube dwellers than a book that will simply crack them up. This is that book.”
— Alexandra Levit, Author,
They Don’t Teach Corporate in College
"If you must work (and I don't recommend it), The Cubicle Survival Guide provides a wonderful way to slack off and stay entertained. You can easily kill two weeks with this book."
— Josh Aiello, Author,
60 People to Avoid at the Water Cooler
“Thompson provides a humorous yet thought-provoking look at what employees in today's large organizations must deal with besides their jobs.”
— Malcolm O. Munro, Author,
From Cave to Cubicle
Customer Reviews:
If you like this book you are a nerd, the kind that wears dockers up to your navel and plays D&D until you're well into your 70s.......2007-07-13
I fail to see the humor in this book. I work in an office and I find the book to be perpetuating the same sort of eerily conformist corporate culture that the book jacket claims the book will lampoon. This book is for robots who have given up their humanity and want to pretend to laugh at their own misfortune. It's less "Office Space" and more "Human Resources Instructional Video: Now in Book Form!" Still waiting for the punch line...
An amusing idea that couldn't sustain an entire book.......2007-06-21
This book is like a good SNL skit idea turned into a bad movie. It makes long-winded, ironically intended observations about cubicle life that often left me yawning. If you have never worked before, it might be slightly useful to you. Otherwise, I'd say its practical advice is obvious. And its humor is luke-warm.
good humor.......2007-04-24
Fun book to read, although I was lost towards the last chapters especially when locking things done in your cube, using "Caution - Yellow Police Tape". It would attrack more looks to your area, which counterpoints his claims. Anyway, if someone at your office is out to get you, they will get you. So be aware of your surroundings, and be a good corporate citizend. That is all. And yes, I definitely recommend a Rear View mirror. I have one from a co-worker which was his car's sideview mirror, and it does say "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear". Good book, Mr. Thompson!
Fun book about an unfun place.......2007-03-31
What a fun read! I really enjoyed Thompson's take on life in an office. It's a hoot, but the humor couches some actual-factual advice that readers can truly use. If you've ever worked in an office, there will be more than one passage you wish your current or former co-workers would read and take to heart.
show u care!.......2007-03-27
This was a really funny book that anyone can appreciate. Filled with great "survival" advice, I think it would be a great "cube farm initiation 101" gift for the college graduate entering the corporate world!
Book Description
Shows lawyers how to manage their practices in a more business-like manner. It explains how to determine both personal and law firm goals.
Book Description
Between dealing with difficult people and navigating through unexpected and complicated situations, the typical day at the office involves making countless choices on how to engage with others. To succeed in the long run, good work relationships must be carefully developed and maintained.
A Survival Guide for Working with Humans presents real-life scenarios of specific work relationship problems, along with interactive quizzes, and answers on how to solve each of the problems. The book shows readers how to:
* Deal with ethical dilemmas in the workplace * Resolve everyday conflicts * Know when to speak up, when not to, and what to say * Make a graceful retreat from an unwinnable confrontation
A snappy, conversational style combines with dozens of practical tools and examples to make a fascinating, essential book.
Customer Reviews:
Applicable.......2007-03-09
If youhave to deal with any of these type people you need to read this book
A Waste of Money.......2007-02-06
This book has very simplistic ideas and lacks the constructive solutions that I hoped to learn. For example, her advice for dealing with people prone to explosive temper is "If you stay around someone and feel you are walking on eggshells, find ways to handle the eggs--and that person--more gently so the shells don't break." Reading her advice made me wonder what kind of education and experience she has that qualifies her to write such a book. Interestingly enough, there's very little information about that in her bio. It looks like her Ph.D is in journalism or English. I would love to send this book back and get my money back. I would probably spend it better on a book written by an educated, credentialed, psychologist who understands the difference between constructively handling people with behavior problems versus enabling them to continue to abuse others and make work life hades.
The Rodney King guide to the Workplace.......2006-09-04
This book is really great; I call it the Rodney King guide to the workplace because it really is about "Can't we all just get along?" And, if we can't....then it gives you the guidelines to follow to see heads roll, or sometimes, how to choose to lose your own head on the chopping block.
I like that it doesn't give a "pat" answer, but provides several best/worse case scenarios & allows you to think the problem out, hopefully BEFORE you encounter it. If you are in the middle of dealing with one of these treasured co-workers, then this guide will be very helpful in giving you strategy for dealing with the problem in a real life way.
Loved it!
Helpful for Anyone who Works with Humans.......2006-09-03
This book provides some very useful information that will assist any manager in helping their staff members to work better with each other. It is clearly and thoughtfully written. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with Humans!
Definitely good book........2005-05-28
I like the stories in the book. Those are prime examples of people I saw and I'm seeing every day. The book is excellent for understanding different people and different situations in which you might interact with them. Obviously the book is written by someone who understands people's mind.
Book Description
Diffuse conflict, avoid negativity, and create a productive workplace
In The Office Survival Guide, clinical psychologist and executive coach Marilyn Puder-York offers practical solutions to the common problems that can ruin a career or simply make office life miserable. This book includes examples from real-life offices thatyou can adapt to your situation, and shows you how to "manage up" to problematic supervisors, "manage down" to difficult subordinates, and "manage across" to troublesome peers. In no time at all, you'll be better able to deal with
* Office politics * Crisis-management situations * Passive-aggressive colleagues * Corporate restructures * Mixed signals from superiors * New technologies in the office
"Every employee wants to know what are the secrets to getting ahead. Marilyn Puder-York nails it with practical, how-to tips, ideas and solutions. This should be a MUST read whether you are 26 or 46."--Cathleen Black, president of Hearst Magazines
"A real find!! Sound and powerful advice for surviving office difficulties."--Maggie Gagliardi, Senior Vice President, Human Resources American Express Company
"Marilyn Puder-York has made an extremely positive impact on our ability to retain talented people in our organization."--Douglas Stern, President/CEO, United Media
Customer Reviews:
Reads like a novel, but works like a reference manual........2006-03-10
Well done! This book is filled with useful suggestions that can be applied immediately. The author's experience rings through with examples the reader can grasp on first pass. The material renders a pleasant read from cover to cover but is also modular enough that you can flip to an isolated topic and gain contextual appreciation straight away. This is one book which won't be allowed to gather dust on my shelf!
She nails it.......2006-03-06
This isn't just about the "other" people in business that you & I need to get along with. It's also about "us," why we respond as we do to particular other personalities and situations, plus practical guidelines to increase the chances of success. An easy & engaging read. Don't keep this book on your shelf: buy it, read it, and keep it under your pillow.
Extremely Helpful Information.......2006-03-02
This book gives excellent advice about dealing with difficult situations that occur in office. The information that I gained by reading this book I am sure will help me come out on the winning side of negotiations in the future where I've come up short in the past. I've gained a better understanding as to how to maintain a sense of balance and get my point across without creating greater tension in the process. This book couldn't have come along at a better time. Thank you Dr. Puder-York for sharing this insightful information.
Must read.......2006-02-20
The insight in this book is incomparable. Dr Puder York does an amazing job of discussing situations that happen in the real world and she actually coaches you through it. Her advice is a must read. I think that I have strong people skills, yet, there was a lot in this book that took what I know to the next level.
Office Survival Guide -- Very, Very Helpful Advice.......2006-01-10
This book is filled with the kind of insights and advice that anyone who is trying to thrive -- not just survive -- in a 21st-century office environment can begin putting to use immediately. The suggestions and ideas contained within are real-world, nuts-and-bolts tools that help avoid problems, resolve issues, and build the kind of consensus that will allow you and your whole team to move forward. Today, more than ever, interpersonal skills are an essential component of business success. Without them, your career can be over before it begins. Ironically, however, we all seem to get less training and less preparation in this vital area than ever before. This book can help close that gap. Put it on the bookshelf where you keep the essential volumes that you come back to over and over again.
Book Description
The contributors share time-tested advice on approaches, methods, systems, and perspectives that have resulted in thriving solo and small firm law practices in the real world. This book contains proven solutions for problems and issues that, sooner or later, every practitioner will have to face.
Book Description
Being saddled with a terrible supervisor can turn even the best job into a nightmare. Unfortunately, not every boss is the great symbol of managerial perfection one would hope for. In fact, more people than not consider themselves stuck with a "bad boss." But short of remaining miserable or quitting a job, what can be done about it? "A Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses" provides readers with savvy, practical advice for coping with managers and supervisors who are mean, incompetent, unethical, and worse. The book includes powerful strategies for not only working with -- but thriving under -- such bad boss types as: * The Great Betrayers -- how to defend yourself against a corporate backstabber * The Know-Nothing Bosses -- what to do when a boss is clueless * The Bad Communicators -- how to respond when a boss is consistently unclear Whether a boss is high-strung, incompetent, or a power-mad tyrant, this book has the solution.
Customer Reviews:
A Survival Guide for Working With Bad Bosses: Dealing With Bullies, Idiots, Back-stabbers, And Other Managers from Hell.......2007-07-15
If you've ever had a job, you've likely come across a bad boss. Bad bosses come in all types from the no-boss and the party planner through the scatterboss and the promises, promises boss to the overloader and the control freak. A Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses describes mangers from hell complete with stories of real life versions of these monsters. Each section also includes a What Should the Employee Do section which outlines a number of possible solutions to the problem. A summary called Today's Take-Aways end each section.
A Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses is an excellent resource for employees stuck in a difficult situation. Not only does the book remind the reader that he or she is not the only one to have such circumstances but also gives them options which are often difficult to think of when stuck in the middle of a problem. Bosses may also want to read this book as often bad bosses don't even realize their problematic behaviour.
Survival at the office.......2007-04-02
It is a great feeling to know that you are not alone in the jungles of the workplace. Especially when the advice comes from an expert...You learn not to kill the "bad bosses" and how to deal with the problem zone with kindness without burning your fingers. Yet, I still hope someday any kind of pills will be discovered to terminate such "bad bosses" and we will live happily ever after.
Don't buy bad workplace advice!.......2007-02-05
I used the advice in this book to deal with a bad boss and the toxic work environment that was created. In compliance with Amazon's review policy I won't reveal it here. In my case the end result is hostility, harassment, and retaliation. What Scott apparently forgets is that these "bad bosses" will regard ANY challenge (even those advocated in her book) as a personal threat and will use the assets at his disposal (i.e., company assets, discipline process) for retribution AGAINST the assertive employee. And since he IS the boss, he has the full backing of the company, regardless of legality, ethics, or motives. These tactics may work with rational, well adjusted supervisors in employee-focused companies, but in my experience pathological bosses are the rule and not the exception.
Do yourself a favor. If you have a bad boss, find a better job and DON'T buy this book or use the advice contained therein.
Unhelpful.......2006-09-17
I thought this book was filled with cliches and did not find it helpful.
Keep looking this one falls short.......2006-03-26
I was rather disapointed in this book. It appears that Ms. Graham Scott's prefered method of dealing with bad bosses is just to put up with them and keep things as status quo hoping it will all work out in the end. Pretty lame advise in my opinion. I am looking for a book that actually helps me solve problems not just put up with them.
Book Description
A hands-on working manual that's easy to follow and understand. Similar to the original edition, the manual identifies 24 basic tasks related to relocating an office and plots them on a Relocation Project Schedule with recommended start and finish dates for each task. 22 chapters explain in detail what, when and how things happen. Flow charts, diagrams and forms help the user develop individualized Relocation Project Schedules and provides a way to keep track and monitor relocaiton projects. The 2nd edition contains updated information on telecommunications, voice and data cabling and general industry trends.
Customer Reviews:
A Successful Survivor.......2001-10-19
I was given the responsibility for moving our corporate office. At first I thought it was going to be easy, but was soon overwhelmed and did not know what to do next! After reading The Survival Guide, I was able to develop a complete and very detailed project schedule listing everything that had to get done, when it should be done and who was supposed to do it. Just like the book said! The flow charts were especially helpful in getting an overview of the more complex parts of the move and the chapter material included great information on dealing with vendors. I have received many compliments on how smoothly our move went and how well everything was planned. I know it would not have happened if I had not used The Survival Guide!"
Book Description
In the corporate environment where conspiracy rules, this guide exposes the power games played in the workplace and reveals strategies for not only surviving office politics but thriving. In East Asia, the rat is considered a symbol of resourcefulness, good luck, and wealth, making it an appropriate symbol for those people who have mastered the use of office politics for their own gain. With the rat as a guide, lessons inspire office workers to maneuver the proverbial workplace sewer. Witty, no-holds-barred writing makes this book entertaining and educational for employers and employees alike.
Customer Reviews:
Dead-serious anthropology and sociology masquerading as humor.......2006-09-10
The Way of the Rat is probably the best book on office politics I've ever read. The author, who toiled in the corporate and consulting vineyards for years, writes pungent and mordant observations on the way modern corporations really work. Part satire, part out-and-out parody, and even so, simultaneously a dead-serious work of corporate anthropology and sociology that is more than the sum of its parts.
However: to understand the cultural anthropology of the modern office, you need to understand anthropology in general, preferably with a smattering of evolutionary psychology thrown into the mix. Human beings have built and designed some wonderful things, ranging from flint arrowheads to Michelangelo's David to the Brooklyn Bridge to particle accelerators, but we're still giant hairless apes with swollen forebrains, and despite our carefully constructed facades, that's still how we act much of the time.
And you'll never see better examples of primate dominance hierarchies than you'll find in most "modern" offices.
Thus, I also recommend:
The Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal
(Good general introduction to practical anthropology)
Author: Desmond Morris
ISBN: 0385334303
The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are
(Good general introduction to evolutionary psychology)
Author: Steven Pinker
ISBN: 0679763996
And for more general background:
Office Space
(Motion picture, 1999; director, Mike Judge)
Time allowing, it's also not a bad idea to brush up on your Von Clausewitz, Machiavelli and Sun Tzu. A little dose of Hobbes and Kant wouldn't hurt either.
All Bark, No Bite.......2006-03-23
This books gets by on cheap shock value. It's full of evil sounding phrases but short on actual instruction.
For example he says "Humiliate and offend in order to achieve your personal aims."
How? The book doesn't say.
Another example, "Blacken your opponent by turning them into the villain while playing the innocent yourself."
Sounds great. Now, how do I accomplish this? Again, the book doesn't say.
It was chapter after chapter of this frustration. He offers no steps on how to carry out a single one of these plans.
He could just have easily have written "Overthrow the government, install a puppet regime, and proceed to rule with an iron fist."
I read it carefully cover to cover, and found nothing I could use. A wasted evening.
Review of The Way of the Rat.......2006-03-02
Schrijvers writes an unflinching, unapologetic, and arguably bleak portrayal of corporate life. What makes Schrijvers book so compelling is that readers, or at least readers with morals and values, should find themselves aghast at what on the surface reads to be an endorsement of abhorrent behavior in the workplace. Even more so if there is a hint of familiarity with which the reader identifies.
At times Schrijver's suggestions seem so outlandish that the reader should find themselves wondering if he could possibly be serious. To further confuse the reader, though written as a how-to manual, Schrijver clearly states that the book should be taken in jest. In the end a reader is left wondering if Schrijver is endorsing "rat" behavior or condemning it? More importantly, a reader should come away asking themselves, have I been a rat and is this really what I want to be?
Schrijver essentially asserts, by way of his "verminicity" test where one has no choice but to be a rat, that anyone working in an office environment has been subjected to and has likely themselves used rat tactics. For those who reject this label, Schrijver categorizes this group as "stupid rats". In other words, you're a rat whether you like it or not but you are just naive enough to miss the signs of verminicity that are apparently all around you.
Though much of what Schrijver writes is probably an accurate portrayal of the characteristics of office politics at many companies, one would have to be a hardened cynic to completely believe that this is true of all office environments. A more likely explanation is that Schrijver, a writer and consultant on personal development, grew dissolusioned. Dissolusioned with the pop-psychology business book-of-the-week, which self-anointed intellectuals and business leaders latch onto, praise, and then before long, begin to look for the next release to trumpet as a breakthrough.
This book strikes one as the anti-thesis of those types of books; a book where the writer grew tired of reading about synergy and shifting paradigms and decided to write a book to tell people how things really work in the real world. Schrijvers may have over shot his mark a bit, but one can hardly argue that he fails to make his point and his no-holds barred approach to writing is refreshing.
In the end, the writer coyly reveals his intended purpose of the book with an epilogue that appears to literally be a page out of a completely different book. While the balance of The Way of the Rat is figuratively a page out of a different book; a book that flies in the face of the ideas, buzzwords, and catch phrases so commonly seen in the genre of self-help business books.
Reviews in British press.......2004-07-20
Here are some reviews of 'The Way Of The Rat: a survival guide to office politics' published in newspapers and magazines in the U.K.
Management Today (June 2004 edition), book review by Professor Cary Cooper:
"I strongly recommend this book for its novel style and words of wisdom... It's not only extremely perceptive of human behaviour at work, but also fun to read."
Daily Telegraph (13 July 2004):
"Schrijver's book speaks frankly, and with an admirable lack of motivational nonsense, about the real dynamics of business success."
The Times (Leader Page, 13 July 2004):
"Consider what the runaway hit The Rules, a shameless guide to getting hitched, did for romance. The Way Of The Rat promises to do the same for the work world."
Book Description
Bacteria and mold may lurk undetected in carpets or in the heating or cooling system of your office or school. When inhaled, the by-products of these organisms can cause allergy and asthma symptoms. Chemical vapors emitted by office furniture and equipment may also foul the air we breathe indoors, causing headaches, eye irritation, or other symptoms. Here the author of the best-selling My House Is Killing Me! and co-author of The Mold Survival Guide turns his attention to indoor air quality in public buildings. Blending his extensive professional experience with scientific explanations, May helps us see these buildings through the eyes of a building scientist, microscopist, and organic chemist. He offers a step-by-step approach to identifying, controlling, and often eliminating the sources of indoor air pollutants and allergens. Whether it's a case of mold in an elementary school or inadequate ventilation in a high-rise office building, this valuable guide can help people cope when the air they breathe indoors is making them sick.
Customer Reviews:
From ventilation systems or the lack thereof to breeding grounds for germs.......2006-06-20
Bacteria and mold may lurk in office carpets, the heating system, and other places causing allergy and asthma symptoms, while vapors emitted by furniture and equipment add other symptoms. Other books focus on the home; finally here's a book to focus on the place adults spend most of their daily lives, the office. From ventilation systems or the lack thereof to breeding grounds for germs, MY OFFICE IS KILLING ME! THE SICK BUILDING SURVIVAL GUIDE doesn't just help identify problems; it tells what to do about them.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Average customer rating:
- A great resource for the at-home worker
- This book is available now; we just got it. 4/1/98
|
Ultimate Home Office Survival Guide (Peterson's Ultimate Guides)
Baker & Baker
Manufacturer: Peterson's
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0768900077 |
Customer Reviews:
A great resource for the at-home worker.......1999-11-04
I found this book to be extremely helpful in setting up my business at home. Solid advise, through and through.
This book is available now; we just got it. 4/1/98.......1998-04-09
Great book. Very complete. The absolutely best book on home business we've found! Top notch advice and thousands of references on the CD.
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- The Language of Letting Go (Hazelden Meditation Series)
- The Leader of the Future 2: Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the New Era (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation)
- The Little Red Book of Wisdom
- The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course In Finance for Non-Financial Managers
- The New Strategic Thinking
Books Index
Books Home
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- The Master Strategist: Power, Purpose adn Principle in Action
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Cube Chic: Take Your Office Space from Drab to Fab!
Another Day In Cubicle Paradise: A Dilbert Book
Pimp My Cubicle: Take Your Workspace from Boring to Bling!
Work 101: Learning the Ropes of the Workplace without Hanging Yourself
Mad Libs- Who Moved My Cubicle (Mad Libs)
