Jerks at Work

Outline

Jerks at Work (2022) helps readers deal with difficult coworkers. Tessa West describes common types, such as the colleague who flatters bosses while mistreating peers, the credit stealer, the bulldozer, the free rider, the micromanager, and the neglectful boss. Drawing on research in psychology, she explains why these behaviours happen and offers practical strategies for protecting yourself and improving the situation.

• Difficult coworkers tend to fall into recognisable types, such as the credit stealer, the bulldozer, the free rider, and the micromanager.
• Some people flatter their bosses while mistreating their peers, so a manager's good opinion of someone does not tell you how they treat colleagues.
• Bad bosses come in more than one form; a neglectful manager is a different problem from a micromanaging one.
• Tessa West draws on psychology research to explain why people behave badly at work, which helps you stop taking it personally.
• Practical strategies exist for protecting yourself and improving the situation, rather than simply putting up with a toxic colleague.

Tessa West is an American social psychologist and professor at New York University who studies how people interact and communicate in relationships and at work. Her research focuses on interpersonal perception and the dynamics of difficult conversations. Jerks at Work is her first book.