Office Politics: How Work Really Works

by Guy Browning

This book does for the office what "Never Hit a Jellyfish With A Spade" did for the rest of life. It lets you into all the little secrets, tips and rules for surviving the office jungle. "Office Politics" explains in detail all the many reasons why you prefer lying under your duvet to sitting at your desk. In the book you'll learn all bosses from hell, with egos even larger than their company cars; how office pot plants survive on a diet of cold coffee and furniture polish; how to avoid responsibility for work, pass the buck and take the credit all at the same time; what your favourite sandwich fillings say about you as a person; and tell-tale signs of office affairs and what to do if you think you might be having one. "Office Politics" makes sense of all the things in office life that make no sense at all. So fill out your purchase order form, cancel all meetings and settle back for a read that's almost as hilarious as the MD's dancing at the Christmas party.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction

309 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Guy Browning (born 1964) is a humorist, after-dinner speaker and film director. He wrote the How To.. column in The Guardian from 1999-2009. Before that he wrote about office politics and social climbing. He currently lives in Kingston Bagpuize in Oxfordshire.

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty funny and typically Guy Browning in style. It was a very easy read and the way it's written makes it easy to pick up and put down whenever you want to. Anybody working in an office environment wull appreciate it.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

First few pages were entertaining enough I guess but not enough to keep me reading.

[Dierregi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sort of book that can be useful in waiting rooms, especially in Covid times when all reading material has disappeared. I give it one star because I got it for free, one for the previously mentioned reason, and a final one for the chapter on Communication.

Anybody who ever worked in an office will probably agree on most of the scenarios described humorously in the book, but the bit on Communication applies to all aspects of life "...a team leader can give an instruction to a team of six people and have it interpreted in six completely different ways. Language has made communication all but impossible for office workers".

"There are two basic problems. Firstly, talking.... Some people just talk and are noise in search of a thought.... second problem: listening.... That's why most conversations, in reality, are two beautiful dovetailed monologues".

[Leonwise9 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My office needs an upgrade. So I started looking for better and longer-lasting equipment on the internet. I found this website, office equip, there are about 100 articles and posts on the subject of selecting the best office equipment. So I found the right printers for me at a reasonable price link. Blog in the public domain, you can find the right information easily and quickly. Go to the site, learn more about equipment, have a good day!

[Harminder Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny and witty (and mostly true).
Light reading

[Monzenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid comedy book about the office. Admittedly British comedy works for me, so this did give me a few nose-exhales. Best part is that it's a short book so it didn't overstay its welcome.

[Marija S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty and light, made me laugh out loud. Even though the book didn't provide particularly practical insights in the subject matter, it is definitely a keeper and a text I will be coming back to.

[Martin Willoughby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always witty, occasionally hilarious, this will have office workers nodding in sad recognition.

[Katya Vinogradova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining but forgettable.