Jerks at work – and five ways to deal with them
CEO Hal Rosenbluth was once about to hire an executive with all the right skills, the right personality and the perfect CV. His interviews went swimmingly and he’d said all the right things, but something about him still made Rosenbluth nervous, though he couldn’t put his finger on just what it was.
His solution was genius: He invited the applicant to a company softball game, and here he showed his true colors. He was competitive to the point of being manic. He abused and yelled at both the opponents and his own team. He cursed the referees and kicked up dirt like a major league player.
And he did not get the job.
(From Hal Rosenbluth’s excellent book The Customer Comes Second).
Jerks at work and how to lose them
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: The vast majority of people in any given business are nice. They’re helpful, sympathetic, likable and quite simply good people. Only a tiny, tiny minority are consistently unpleasant or abrasive.
You sometimes hear in business that “nice guys finish last” ie. that in a cutthroat, dog-eat-dog (hence the picture above) business climate you need to be something of a jerk to get results. Consequently people with difficult or abrasive personalities are tolerated (or even celebrated) in many organizations because “they may not be likeable but they get results”.
I beg to differ. Jerks have no place in the modern business world and cause much more damage than they’re worth. This is not a matter of namby-pamby, soft-shoe “why can’t we all be nice” thinking; it comes down to the fact that jerks are bad for the bottom line! Luckily, many people and companies are starting to realize this and are doing something about it.
This blogpost presents five different anti-jerk approaches that every workplace might consider.
1: The No Asshole Rule
Robert Sutton has written a book about jerks at work that certainly vies for the gutsy-book-title-of-the-year award (in close competition with this book).
Sutton’s book is called The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t and in an article on CIO Insight he explains why unpleassant people are so damaging to a business and some things companies can do about it:
What can you do to get rid of these jerks, or at least to stop them from damaging you and your organization? I can’t promise any magical solutions, but there are steps you can take. For starters, I am surprised by how few senior managers act to avoid hiring jerks in the first place, or to stop abusive employees in their tracks once they reveal their true colors. The key is to make explicit to everyone involved in hiring decisions that candidates who have strong skills but who show signs they will belittle and disrespect others, cannot be hired under any circumstances.
…
The Seattle law firm Perkins Coie … have a “no jerks allowed” rule, which helped earn them a spot on Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2003, and again in 2004. According to a Seattle Times article, Perkins Coie partners Bob Giles and Mike Reynvaan were once tempted to hire a rainmaker from another firm but realized that doing so would violate “the rule.” As they put it, “We looked at each other and said, ‘What a jerk.’ Only we didn’t use that word.”
They didn’t even need to see him play softball.
2: Jerks are bad for you and bad for business
Jerks carry a high hidden cost because while unpleasant people may indeed be getting results, they do so only at a detriment to the rest of the organization. Jerks tend to:
- Make people unhappy at work and thereby cause stress and increase absenteeism
- Reduce the motivation of those around them
- Create more jerks – because jerkism (jerkishness? jerkicity?) can be contagious
- Inhibit teamwork and team spirit
- Harm productivity for all of the above reasons
Let’s state it clearly in a language business will understand: Jerks are bad for the bottom line. When a company realizes this and acts on it they’re on their way to a better culture and a better bottom line.
3: Screening unpleasant applicants at Southwest Airlines
So what can be done about jerks? As Sutton writes, a natural first step is not to hire them. Duh.
Southwest Airlines are famous for their approach to recruiting which is “hire for attitude, train for skill”. Though I certainly hope that skill also counts for at least a little when they’re hiring, say, pilots, they generally tend to value personality over previous job experience.
For example, when they’re hiring flight attendants applicants are flown in from all over the US, naturally on Southwest flights. On the boarding pass they get it says “Job applicant” and if the flight attendants on that flight notice an applicant behaving rudely they tell the recruting staff and the interview is over before it even begins.
4: Weeding out jerk managers at Semco
Interestingly it seems that while jerks are sometimes tolerated as employees, they can be appreciated or even celebrated as managers. This is a mistake. Jerk employees are bad enough but jerk leaders are an even bigger problem because they can create even more havoc and make even more people unhappy at work.
The best and most radical anti-jerk-manager-approach around comes from Semco, a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based company with 3.000 employees operating in a variety of markets. Semco has introduced a set of practices that taken together virtually eliminate jerks among leaders. First of all, employees themselves choose who to hire as their manager. Yes that’s right, the employees themselves conduct the job interviews and decide who gets the job. That keeps most jerks out.
But what about jerks who still somehow manage to get into a leadership position at Semco? Well, that’s where they have three simple practices that eliminate that problem – and many others besides it. Here’s what they do:
- Twice a year all employees rate their managers. They do this through a questionnaire and each manager ends up with a total score between 0 and 100. This is a fairly standard practice in many companies, the interesting part is this:
- All managers’ scores are posted for the whole company to read. And then the kicker:
- Employees are free to choose which manager they want to work for.
These three practices taken together make bad leadership virtually impossible and create enormous pressure on leaders to constantly improve. Bad managers who refuse to acknowledge the feedback of their employees and improve accordingly quickly find themselves without followers. And jerk managers never stand a chance – they are exposed and ousted almost immediately.
5: Maybe they’re not jerks at all…
The important thing here is to remember that the vast majority of people are nice. Very, very few are jerks. Just because somebody annoys you at work, you can’t automatically assume that that person is a jerk. If somebody annoys you at work, it’s your responsibility to let that person know in a constructive way. Ironically, being a jerk towards a jerk still means you’re a jerk.
Some of the people we perceive as jerks may simply not know that what they do annoys others. In a calm, constructive way, let these people know:
- What they’re doing
- How it affects you
- What change you would like to see in their behavior
Then give them a chance to change. The only true jerks are those who refuse to receive input and remain jerks no matter how often or how well they’re asked to change.
Conclusion
It makes good business sense for a company to lose the jerks. And remember: Every time a company fires a jerk, that person just might end up working for a competitor – and ruin the culture, motivation and productivity for them.
Related posts:
Sharon Said,
July 27, 2006 @ 9:42 am
You’re so right and it applies in the UK too. My husband recently had a friend comment that he ’sounded too nice’ on his website and it might stop him getting work. He’s an entertainment consultant (www.topnite.org.uk). It’s about time people realised that being nice isn’t a bad thing. I think people have such low expectations at the moment that jerks get away with it. Fight back! In a nice way of course…
Alexander Kjerulf Said,
July 27, 2006 @ 10:12 am
It makes little sense that being nice should be a business liability. I say we bring bring back “nice” as a prime, desirable human trait especially in business.
Positive Sharing » Top 5 business maxims that need to go Said,
August 2, 2006 @ 10:11 am
[...] That’s just not true, of course we should be nice at work. This doesn’t mean that you have to be nice to all of the people all of the time, but it means that you absolutely can be a nice person and succeed in business. I previously wrote about jerks at work and why they’re bad for business. The conclusion: Unpleasant people hurt the bottom line. In a networked world reputation matters, and it’s more important to be generous and likeable than to be ruthless and efficient. [...]
rmark Said,
August 10, 2006 @ 6:47 pm
My brother’s company hired on a new supervisor, who threatens to fire everybody all the time – so now the good employees are all looking for new jobs and the poor employees just work slower.
rmark Said,
August 10, 2006 @ 6:47 pm
My brother’s company hired on a new supervisor, who threatens to fire everybody all the time – so now the good employees are all looking for new jobs and the poor employees just work slower.
Make your startup happy Said,
August 17, 2006 @ 4:04 pm
[...] Here’s some of the things we did in our startup that I believe helped us be successful: 1: Hire happy people – Don’t just hire the best and the brightest; make sure to hire clever people who are also naturally happy. They’re sure to bring you better performance in the long run. Avoid jerks at all costs, no matter how good they are. Jerks are deadly for a startup. [...]
More bad business advice that needs to go Said,
August 23, 2006 @ 10:30 am
[...] How to deal with jerks at work [...]
Is your boss a prison warden or a party host? Said,
September 8, 2006 @ 9:26 am
[...] How to handle jerks at work [...]
R Walker Said,
December 4, 2006 @ 12:13 am
Recommended reading: “160 Degrees of Deviation: The Case for the Corporate Cynic” by Jerome Alexander. Available online everywhere.
Find out where these jerks come from!
Alexander Said,
December 4, 2006 @ 3:36 pm
R Walker: Thanks for the tip – it’s now in my shopping basket at Amazon!
Angela Said,
January 24, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
OMG! Thank you so much for this article. I am currently seeking employment elsewhere due to a ‘jerk’. How can I send this article to my current employer without looking like a ‘jerk’ myself? Even thought about sending this article to the ‘jerk’. What do you think?
Alexander Said,
January 29, 2007 @ 10:53 pm
Good question Angela. There’s always anonymous email, but any message sent in that way is likely to be ignored – or even to have the opposite effect.
I still think that the best way to give people negative feedback is giraffe language.
Shelley Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 6:25 am
Jerks at work. It is contagious and can affect everyone around you as well as your guest, customers or patients. It makes for a long day and great stress. I agree that something needs to be said right away about what they have said and how they say it. There is at least one work etiquette that we all should have, to be pleasant to those around you. We all “need” t o work let’s make the best of it. If things do not change go to management, the boss the owner. Then in hopes that you can find that other feel the same and a change can happen. Peace can come back. I am sending this to the Dr I work for it is very beneficial information Thank you.
Sean Adams Said,
May 29, 2007 @ 12:25 am
I am a truck driver and there was a plant that I had to load at that has some the most offensive people on the planet. The trucking company I worked at paid very well and has plenty of work but when it comes down to it few can or will tolerate the abusive crew at this plant. For one thing we were forced to work as close to a 14-hour day as possible usually going over into a 16 hour day one time a week, that was our problem as drivers but the plant workers have steady shifts of 12-hour days something we drivers would consider a gravy train. Long hours tend to generate sour attitudes.
The problem is the management has a riff with the other company that hired our trucking company and it goes into a downward spiral where ill treatment towards hard working men and women is the norm just because they can do so. I worked at that trucking company 8 months and took all I could I now work elsewhere in the same industry and love the atmosphere where I now work. I received a very generous offer to return and had to be honest that it isn’t the money my earnings there was 2x my earnings elsewhere. When a Tornado nearly killed me 5 years ago it was then that I said ‘never again will I live my life in a job I regret’ and as soon as I could I left that pit of vipers. The job was a union scale pay and I became very good at that job in a very short time frame.
As a graduate from ITI technical school with an associate’s degree I am more of an analytical type that is why I was able to get so good at a job many can’t learn. While this isn’t a perfect world I treat all great and small the same if you are an asshole I report you to those I believe will fix you and those I can’t report I avoid them at all cost even if it means going over their head when issues arise. And if I am asked why I didn’t go to so and so I tell them that that person is an annimal that hasn’t learned how to communicate correctly.
Echo tech slave Said,
September 1, 2007 @ 11:13 pm
I agree.I work in healthcare and God the managers are the bottom of the barrell.They don’t give a flying turd about you.Everywhere you go its this old battle ax running some dept into the ground.They don’t fix a flipping thing but kept track of how mins you late in a given month.I think healthcar management today sucks royally.
Echo tech slave Said,
September 1, 2007 @ 11:16 pm
To add further insight the last job I was in last the x stripper was related to the vice president of the company.She had zero experince and after 18 months they made her a team leader over more seasoned people.What a joke it all really is I have given up on fairness in the workplace.
Adiesorn Jullavanich Said,
April 4, 2008 @ 12:45 pm
I have a question on how to deal with a personality on my team. Basicallly this person goes around braggibg about how much more his making than everyoen else,how much faster he works,…Now i am a trainer with a possibility in moving up to management…but until i’m there…i still try to get every body to “gel”…What good can this bragging about himself do for the team..This person just can’t see past himself…he makes rude comments…I try to remind myself that he’s young…but it’s to the point now that we just can’t tolerate it. He’s definately a good worker but it takes alot more than one person to creat a team….I guess my question is how to respond to this kind of person who obviously can’t see past themselves….
I look forward to your advice
Carol Greene Said,
August 10, 2008 @ 5:26 am
I found a website that has a special way to deal with work jerks, and all the other jerks one encounters in a day. Check it out I found it by accident!
You can send an anonymous e-card or you can let the jerk know who you are. You pick a card then marry an MP3 to go with it or just send one of the cards they have with the mp3 already attached. I love the site. I know a lot of jerks. I will be sending out many cards.
Carol Greene Said,
August 10, 2008 @ 5:32 am
I found a website that has a special way to deal with work jerks, and all the other jerks one encounters in a day. Check it out I found it by accident!
You can send an anonymous e-card or you can let the jerk know who you are. You pick a card then marry an MP3 to go with it or just send one of the cards they have with the mp3 already attached. I love the site. I know a lot of jerks. I will be sending out many cards.
The website is called URAJerk.com
wheresjeannine Said,
November 17, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
A jerk is actually more within you and your head than it is a person in your life. How you choose to reacte and how you choose to act determine if someone you characterize as a jerk is a problem. I find aggressive people as hard to take as whishy washy people. Talkers as hard to deal with as stoics but they are all not jerks unless I believe they are. I try to see the merit in them and see that bad behaviour often cuts both ways as does good. Still with all this zen philosophy I really like the Solution from Sao Pauo from this article. What a simple and brilliant solution.
Peter Said,
February 23, 2009 @ 10:53 pm
uh, this is waaaay oversimplified. some people act nice because they are nice. others are big phonies. in some environments, jerks are good because they keep people honest. if managers are underqualified get-along guys running down a company, they’re more dangerous than any jerk! And if you think jerks are bad for business, well, you’ve never noticed the high ratings for American Idol because of Simon Cowell, or for sports talk radio in Philadelphia. And frankly nice people stuck in their complacent ways, who only pretend to listen, are the biggest jerks of all. You don’t have to be unpleasant to be a jerk … and sometimes being rude is the nicest thing to do. No, let’s be nice and ask that mugger politely if he’d like to stop.
Odette Said,
March 18, 2009 @ 7:17 pm
I really like this summary. I have a jerk jerk in my office and the sad thing is that the manager is following his foot steps. At the staff meetings the manager always make this comment about him “the best of the best ” or “the man that does all the job”. Everyone look at each other like “what an ****hole”. It is a constant humiliation for the group. Now, I am tired and sick of this comments. Should I address my boss or not? It is not about jelousy is about respect and moral. Something that my nanager does have.