SOCIAL SCIENCES

Mean Girls at Work: How To Stay Professional When Things Get Personal

by Kathi Elster
Crowley, Katherine & . McGraw-Hill Professional. Nov. 2012. c.256p. ISBN 9780071802048. $24. BUS
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Psychotherapist Crowley and management consultant Elster (coauthors, Working with You Is Killing Me) return to the subject of toxic workplaces, but their focus is on "mean girls," or especially noxious women colleagues, and the numerous ways they can affect the satisfaction and career goals of their fellow female coworkers. It's a narrow subject, and the book reads more like an online advice article than a cohesive narrative. Each chapter describes a different type of mean girl, from "meanest of the mean" to "group mean," and every mean in between, and then offers advice in the form of "Don't Go There" (actions you shouldn't take) and "Go Here" (actions you should), as well as sidebar "Coffee Breaks" that give general advice for such challenging workplaces.
VERDICT If working with a "mean girl" is truly a reader's biggest problem at work, dipping into this book for specific advice might help. Those looking for broader suggestions on workplace relations might prefer the authors' earlier book or more engaging titles like Robert Sutton's The No Asshole Rule.
Reviewed by Sarah Statz Cords, The Reader's Advisor Online, Middleton, WI , Nov 01, 2012
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