cover image Problem Bosses: Who They Are and How to Deal with Them

Problem Bosses: Who They Are and How to Deal with Them

Mardy Grothe, Peter Wylie. Facts on File, $19.95 (303pp) ISBN 978-0-8160-1264-0

Partners in a counseling service, psychologists Wylie and Grothe here offer advice to employees, a reversal of their previous guide, Problem Employees. A compilation of complaints about superiors who are rude, unfair, dishonest, incompetent, etc., is followed by details on 12 programs for improving the situation in one's workplace. Noting that their suggested strategies aren't guaranteed of success, the authors first instruct readers to ""have fun, even if the topic is serious.'' The tenor of the guide is jolliness, which seems questionable, particularly in view of possible consequences, for example, the damage that can be suffered by people who report on powerful higher-ups. Suggestions on dealing with problem supervisors range from ``doing nothing'' to ``firing the boss,'' i.e., quitting your job. Macmillan Executive Program, BOMC/Fortune, Nurse's Club, McGraw-Hill all clubs and Prentice-Hall all clubs selection; Psychology Today alternate. (February 1)