Working for the Man: Inspiring and Subversive Projects for Residents of Cubicle Land

This cheap, little book is quite fun. It provides lots of ideas to make a day in cubicle hell a little more interesting.

Any book that starts with the disclaimer "Doing some of the things in this book may get you fired. You've been warned" has to have some true gems inside. Buckle your seat belt, sit back in your cubicle and take in the numerous hints on how to be successful, in spite of "the man." At first blush, you might think that everything in WORKING FOR THE MAN is geared toward the negative aspects of cubicle living. Not so. There are very funny sections here about surviving your boss's tirades, preparing for performance evaluations and many other tactics --- not just to survive but to flourish. On most pages there are small quotation boxes with a numbered rule. These are fun and easy to digest. "Rule 11: The shorter the message, the more trouble you're in. `Call me as soon as you get in' is bad. `See me' is really bad." Boss case studies include the Could-You-Get-Me-A-Cup-of-Coffee (or bagel, etc. and never pay you back) Boss, the Change This One Thing (or two, or three, also known as the sea of red ink) Boss, the Reader of Pop Psychology Business Books Boss and of course the ever-popular It's 5 o'clock on Friday But I Really Need You to Get This Done Boss. Everyone can relate to at least one of these classifications. Author Jeffrey Yamaguchi challenges his readers to be creative. Take, for example, the chapter on co-workers. Here you have the opportunity to complete individual scenarios, exactly as your mood suits you. In the chapter on "friendly competition" we are offered numerous opportunities to engage in activities that you do every day at work anyway, so why not make them fun? Some are riskier than others, so proceed with caution! The meetings pool and most emails in a day contests look like fun. The absolute winning chapter is "Surreptitious Projects." You can get in some serious trouble, but they really are hysterical. "Truth in muffins: Set out a tray of muffins or doughnuts or bagels. Then, put a sign in front of the tray that says `For Upper Management Only.'" Or everyone's favorite: On the vending machine leave a message for the vending distributor to "please stock with those little bottles of Jack Daniels." And "comments from a concerned coworker" are priceless: "Please stop leaving food out, even if it's wrapped and stored in your desk drawers. I am starting to see bugs. Sometimes my desk is completely covered in giant roaches. They seem to appear and then hide in the blink of an eye." WORKING FOR THE MAN is a primer, a "must-have" for anyone working in corporate America who truly sees the humor (often preceded by frustration) in the sometimes frivolous work environment. To survive, we must rise above the trivialities of daily living. Now, to really live and thrive, try implementing some of these treasures! In the now-immortal words of Yamaguchi, "Don't get mad, get inspired." --- Reviewed by Marge Fletcher