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Weirdos in the Workplace!
Weirdos in the Workplace
Category:
Psychology
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN-10: 0131478990
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 194
Copyright: 10-1-2004
ISBN-13: 97801311478992
Consultant Putzier begins his foray into the work world of high performers with "There is always a talent shortage." His point? That corporations today must accept the so-called weirdos for their contributions, after distinguishing whether they're truly adding value or simply are annoying and irritating. The tools he uses to measure his contention include behavioral and organizational change maps and step-by-step Venn diagrams with a path led by answers to specific questions. Before explaining the techniques, though, he spends good space describing and analyzing 32 different kinds of weirdos, from Circadian Charlie to System Tester Sam. He also delves into the emotional and mental composition of high performers, from their need for workplace flexibility and new technology to their responses to out-of-the-ordinary incentives and to risk and bureaucracy. The bottom line is his fervent belief that, without a good understanding and toleration of the weirdos (aka Albert Einstein, among others), this planet will be a much less productive and innovative place in which to work and live.
One employee always wears the same outfit to work, another talks to herself all day, another moonlights as a stripper, another has fierce body odor, and still another adorns his cubicle with hateful messages about his boss. As a manager, what should you do about such behavior? The best answers aren’t obvious! Your most innovative and productive people are often your strangest, and while weirdness can be rooted in brilliance, it can also be a real annoyance that serves no purpose.
Like it or not, as modern culture embraces the individual, weirdos—anyone different from you!—become more commonplace. In Weirdos in the Workplace, top human resources consultant John Putzier explains how managers can harness the natural weirdness often found in high performers at every level, while curbing behavior that’s disruptive. Putzier presents 32 fascinating, real-world case studies to illustrate the legal, human resources, and business ramifications of unusual behavior in the workplace, and which solutions are most effective.
This book explains how to
Manage unconventional people by understanding why they behave as they do, and what to do about it
Migrate toward a high-performing organization built around the individual, and foster an environment that attracts, motivates, and retains the best and brightest
Tap your own natural weirdness and find your niche by integrating your abilities, interests, and the market
Weirdos in the Workplace is for every manager, human resources professional, or coworker who deals with unorthodox employees and their behaviors. This book also helps you maximize your performance and value by recognizing your own inner weirdo.
Excerpt
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD BY MS. LIBBY SARTAIN, SPHR
EXECUTIVE VP, CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER, YAHOO!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PART I
HOW DID WE GET HERE, AND WHERE ARE WE GOING?
GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
WHY ARE SO MANY HIGH-PERFORMERS SO WEIRD?
WHAT WILL THIS BOOK DO FOR ME?
PART II
INDIVIDUALITY FROM SOUP TO NUTS (Cases and Analyses)
Blue Suit Bob (wears same blue suit/outfit to work every day)
A Boy Named Sue (employee undergoing sex-change operation)
The Devil Made Me Do It! (Baptist Ben the cop refuses duty at a casino)
Freedom From Religion? (Agnes, the secular housekeeper vs. The Gideon’s Bible)
Minimum Coverage (Elizabeth, the receptionist, moonlighting as a stripper)
Hoof in Mouth Hal (business partner is ruining sales with his, tactless mouth)
If You Want the Job Done Right! (Rodney’s adjustment from entrepreneur to employee)
Al Naturale (extreme body odor)
Chatty Cathy (worker talks out loud to self all day in her cubicle, distracting neighbors)
Walking Art (extreme piercings and tattoos on the job)
Somebody’s Got To Do It (?) (Mary’s disdain for their largest client, the porno industry)
What’s It To Ya? (Stan & friends’ openness as members of radical, offensive organization)
Abused and Confused (Suzie shows visible signs of domestic violence, but in denial)
Got Milk? (Lacy wants to lactate whenever, wherever, to stockpile milk for her newborn)
Quid Pro Quo Pro (aka Tit for Tat; reverse harassment, i.e. Lou capitalized on it)
When Perception Ain’t Reality! (Lizzie’s misperception & stress reaction to HIV risk)
Ticks & Twitches (Terry makes a lot of weird facial expressions and noises)
Public Affairs (Hank & Hanna are married, just not to each other, having visible fling)
Wanna Buy Some Cookies? (Priscilla is constantly soliciting co-workers to buy stuff)
Carpal Tunnel Crapola (disability claimant Christine, doing related work on side)
Allwork&noplay.com (Jack is using the Internet for everything but real work)
The X-pense Account (Richard is burying sexual satisfactions in travel expense account)
The 2-Year Head Cold (Alex, a real go-getter, and cocaine addict, is up for promotion)
The Customer Is Not Always Right? (Lucretia is a long-time customer who’s got to go)
Pets Are People Too? (Annie going overboard, wanting dependent benefits for her pets)
Helen The Hypochondriac (employee pushing home remedies/maladies)
Human Billboards (Leon wears political and other “statement” buttons on-the-job)
Long Live the Confederacy! (Buford’s confederate flags on his toolbox seen as racist)
System-Tester Sam (constant critic who takes jabs at policies and procedures)
Otto vs. Oblivious (turning cubicle into “I hate the boss” statement)
Feng Shui Phoebe (employee whose office has to face East)
Circadian Charlie (valuable creative type who can only get great ideas at 3am)
PART III
What’s IN With High-Performers?
(Initiatives for Creating a High-Performance Organization in the Age of the Individual)
IN-dividualism (the basis)
IN-dependence
IN-formation
IN-centives
IN-novation (the final outcome)
PART IV
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO CHANGE OTHERS, ORGANIZATIONS AND YOURSELF
BEHAVIORAL CHANGE MAP (Others)
(A Guide for When and How to Intervene in any Individual Behavioral Challenge)
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MAP (Organizations)
(A Guide for Identifying, Prioritizing, Categorizing & Initiating Organizational Change)
AIM (Self)
(A Personal Strategy for Integrating Your Personal Abilities, Interests and Markets)
Action Verbs to Identify/Define Your Accomplishments (Thought-Starters)
Transferable Skills List (Person with Skills vs. Job title or Occupation)
PART V
CONCLUSIONS AND UNIVERSAL TRUTHS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
WEIRDISMS
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