Wait, I’m Working with Who?!? The Essential Guide to Dealing with Difficult Coworkers, Annoying Managers, and Other Toxic Personalities

This book deals with the impacts of bad bosses and toxic coworkers, and ways to neutralize these negative people. The author (Managing for Dummies) describes case studies of on-the-job negativity caused by bosses and coworkers, and discusses personality types that can cause stress: the Pessimist, the Lazy One, the Envier, the Micromanager, the Intimidator, the Competitor, the Credit Thief, the Narcissist, the Gossiper, the Complainer, the Nitpicker, the Malicious One, the Backstabber, the Non-Responder, the Absent One, and the Chatter. For each of these personality types the author describes their characteristics, offers a case study as an example of how they behave in the workplace, discusses their impact, and includes a quiz that readers can use to identify the type. The strategies Economy offers for dealing with these types include disconnecting from emotions; refusing to play their game; learning how to neutralize conflict; challenging bad behavior; not sweating the small stuff; learning from negative examples; and hiring slow, firing fast. The author includes bibliographical notes for further reading.