How to deal with people who treat you like dirt

They come in many workplace forms and names like jerk, idiot, bully and a**hole.

And the havoc they cause is real and well-documented in global research on the topic including: high-turnover rates, depression, anxiety, disengagement and even suicide.

In Robert Sutton’s 2017 New York Times Bestseller book, “The Asshole Survival Guide” he considers how to assess, escape, endure, fight and force out workplace bullies, backstabbers, and arses.

Sutton has been Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University since 1983, and focuses on evidence-based management, the links (and gaps) between managerial knowledge and organisational action, innovation, and organisational performance.

During this hands-on Meetup, we’ll be using Sutton’s 2017 book as our discussion guide and will engage in a conversation around:

1. Asshole assessment
2. Make a clean getaway
3. Asshole avoidance techniques
4. Mind tricks that protect your soul
5. Fighting back
6. Be part of the solution, not the problem

We’ll also share some free resources on dealing with workplace bullying.

But why even talk about workplace a**holes and bullies?

A 2013 academic survey showed New Zealand had the second-worst rate of workplace bullying in the developed world with one in five workers afflicted and an estimated annual cost of NZD$1 billion.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/06/workplace-bullying-the-disturbing-scale-of-a-problem-that-s-costing-new-zealand-as-much-as-1-billion.html

There is very little recent and detailed academic and central NZ government research available on this topic, but we will share free, public resources for deeper learning on this important topic.

Our online conversation will be facilitated by Robert Palmer and Karen Zheng.

We will be using ZOOM for this online Meetup. For community security considerations, every participant will need to create a ZOOM account prior to joining the session. Please allow sufficient time pre-meeting to login as sometimes Zoom has software updates.

Thank you!

We look forward to seeing you online soon.