Tips for Surviving Workplace Assholes: The Most Important Advice of All

Posted by: Robert Sutton on June 30

I maintain a list of methods for enduring and triumphing against abusive bosses and co-workers. I update these every few months, and just did so for BusinessWeek readers. Some of these tips come from comments and e-mails, some from the No Asshole Rule, and some from academic research. I update this list every few months, so please keep sending me your suggestions and stories. Today, I provide just one tip. It is in a class by itself.

THE BIGGEST AND BEST LESSON: ESCAPE IF YOU POSSIBLY CAN. The best thing to do if you are stuck under the thumb of an asshole (or a bunch of them) is to get out as fast as you can. You are at great risk of suffering personal damage and of turning into an asshole yourself. After all, acting like a jerk isn’t just something that a few twisted people are born with; it is a contagious disease.

This is one of the main themes in research on workplace bullying and emotional contagion. And the most heartwarming stories I’ve heard since writing The No Asshole Rule are from people who have escaped from asshole infested places — like this professor who got a higher-paying job and now works with civilized colleagues.

I realize that everyone who is dealing with workplace assholes can’t push the delete button and get a new co-worker, boss, or job. As one woman wrote me, “I have to feed my family and pay my mortgage, and there aren’t a lot of jobs that pay well enough to do that around here.” Other people have written me that they just need to survive long enough to get a new job or to retire. So, next time, I will write about tips for coping with a job that you can’t escape (at least for now).

Right now, however, I would love to hear from people who have made the escape, or are in the process of planning one!