The Office Jungle
The Survivor’s Guide to the Nylon Shagpile of Corporate Life
JUDI JAMES
Contents
PART I – STRENGTHS, LIMITATIONS AND AMBITION
7 My Company Does … What, Exactly?
10 How to Communicate and Be Heard
11 How to Deal With Difficult People
12 How to Manage Your Time 107
13 How to Manage Perfect Toilet/Lift Etiquette
14 How to Handle Sex in the Office
15 How to Handle Office Politics
16 How to Deal With Bullying and Power-Posturing
17 How to Market Yourself in the Office
18 How to Look As Though You’re Working Hard When You’re Not
20 How to Meet and Greet Company Clients and Visitors
21 How to Juggle a Career and a Home Life
22 How to Survive the Corporate Lunch
23 How to Survive the Corporate Training Course
24 How to Survive the Office Party
25 What to Do If You Want to Kill Your Boss
26 What to Do If Your Boss Hates You
27 What to Do If You Want a Promotion
28 What to Do If You Want a Rise
29 What to Do If You Are Going to an Interview
30 So Where Do I Go From Here?
Survival in the workplace requires an altogether disparate array of talents from those required to be merely competent at your job. To subsist, and even flourish, in the business environment you must be Confident, possess Interpersonal, Communication and Presentation skills and be proficient in Self-marketing and Assertion, as well as having a hefty dollop of Grade ‘A’ Animal Cunning in your genetic make-up.
It’s these Seven Great Secret Skills – the lifeblood of resourceful corporate existence – that this book aims to teach you.
Trapped in the Shagpile
Of course you are an idealist at heart. You want the best for yourself and you want the most out of your career. Eyes afire with ambitions and objectives, you have your sights set firmly on the window of opportunities – while your feet lie trapped in the grubby, nylon shagpile of political intrigue and emotional in-fighting that still carpets most modern workplaces.
Marketing Strategies
Your talent and career potential are not worth the paper they’re written on if no one at work is aware of them. To sell your capabilities you must first sell yourself, no matter what your qualifications and existing job-level. To market yourself effectively, however, you may decide a little Product-Tinkering is warranted first.
Being Realistic
You’re going to study your aims and objectives. You’re going to be positive about achievements and action plans, but you’re not going down the happy-clappy path to self-enlightenment. You’re not going to finish this book feeling that you’ve tapped