Mendoza School of Business

Why being a jerk at work pays

Published: October 20, 2011 / Author: Amy Reiter



When one
writer dismissed with the niceties in emails—no more apologies or thank yous—her
work life improved. A recent study shows she’s not alone.

For years, I tried to be a very nice person at work—a dream colleague, a team
player, the sort of woman who gave women a good name in the workplace. I thanked
people. I apologized. I expressed concern. I took responsibility for making
things right, even when I wasn’t the one who had made them go wrong.

Then one day I looked up from my under-challenging, midlevel job and noticed
that my boss, who was generally regarded as kind of a jerk, but a smart and
talented one, never, ever thanked people. He never apologized. And he didn’t
appear to give a rip about what was going on in the lives of anyone around him.
He never took responsibility when things went wrong, preferring instead to label
someone else the culprit and chew them out.

To read the entire article visit: Why Being a Jerk at Work Pays

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Topics: Mendoza