Wait, I’m Working with Who?!?

“Wait, I’m Working with Who?!? The Essential Guide to Dealing with Difficult Coworkers, Annoying Managers, and other Toxic Personalities”
by Peter Economy
2021/Brilliance Audio      
$25.99/5 CDs/5 hours, 22 minutes

Working with a jerk can take a toll on you, both physically and mentally. It can affect your performance at work, as well as your professional reputation, both now and in the future. If it’s your boss who’s toxic, the issue is raised to a whole new level. In Wait, I’m Working with Who?!?”, Peter Economy offers several check-in questionnaires to see where you are on the spectrum. Everyone is a little bit of a jerk, he says, and you may be a part of the problem.

Still, he says there are 16 types of jerks you may encounter at work, and while each one must be dealt with specifically, there are steps to take to survive working with them.

First, says Economy, take a big breath and step back. Give yourself some room to think. Don’t be caught up in “their game.”

Know when to ask for help from management. Be prepared to neutralize conflict but try to find at least some positives in the negative—then learn from the negativity so you can adjust your own behavior toward others. And, finally, monitor what you do.  Don’t lose your temper and become the office jerk yourself.

As an audiobook, this is a bit of a mixed bag. Economy is thorough in this book, and he helpfully includes every shred of info you could possibly need in order to work with people you don’t like. Step-by-step, you’ll learn how to survive without seeming like a grump or a snitch, and you might even gain some respect.

“Wait, I’m Working with Who?!?” is something you shouldn’t wait on at all.