The Joy of Work: Dilbert's Guide to Finding Happiness at the Expense of Your Co-Workers (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Maybe you've heard of something called the "open plan" office design..." (more)
Key Phrases: broken logic, Technology Prima Donna, The Joy of Work, Scott Adams (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Scott Adams's latest work is not a collection of Dilbert cartoons (though recycled strips are liberally sprinkled throughout); it's a dialogue between the man and his fans disguised as a tongue-in-cheek guide to surviving the corporate life. There are chapters on "Office Pranks," "Surviving Meetings," and "Managing Your Co-Workers," with enough weird stories and practical jokes to make any middle manager nervous, especially as many of the tricks and tips come from e-mails sent to Adams by his fans (one tip: never let anyone else use your computer). If these messages are any indication, the creative tide has turned, and now the corporate world is following Dilbert's lead. In the office blocks of America, life is imitating art imitating life, creating a pleasantly postmodern working environment. The final chapter of The Joy of Work, "Handling Criticism," includes a response to Norman Solomon's The Trouble with Dilbert, which accuses Adams of selling out and supporting the corporate hierarchy that he claims to satirize. Adams's response is thorough and convincing, with just enough nastiness (jokes about Solomon's hair, for example) to demonstrate that although Dilbert may not have a mouth, he certainly has teeth. --Simon Leake --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Dilbert devotees should enjoy Adams's compendium of advice on office life, subterfuge and pranks. Take his grid that identifies boss types along the axes of capable/incompetent and harmless/evil: with a boss who is both capable and harmless, be sure to delegate upward. Other handy tips: don't return phone calls (if you do, you'll seem accessible and underworked); present overly complicated diagrams with made-up letters (explain when asked: "Some ideas are too big for the alphabet"). Loyal readers have contributed some Adams's suggested office pranks, as well as choice bits like the coinage of the term "multishirking," or doing two nonwork activities at once. Sure, some bits are too silly to be funny (start a phone-sex biz from your cubicle?), and others could use some Dave Barry-style zing. But this book shines with Adams's real advice on creating humor and his hilarious tale of appearing as an expert consultant (aka Mebert) who convinced his clients to put their mission statement to music. As usual, this fourth Dilbert book?timed to arrive with the UPN animated series this fall?is punctuated throughout by hilarious and apropos Dilbert strips. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (September 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887308953
• ISBN-13: 978-0887308956
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #652,094 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Business Book, November 6, 2002

By A Customer

I do not read Dilbert books for the humor, that part is simply a plus. I read them because of the serious business strategies in them.

I highly recommend this book for any low level office workers. Having personally done most of the things in this book, I can say the "tricks" are for real. If you are one of those employees who gets your work done in 2 hours when your boss allotted you 40, then what are you going to do with the other 38 hours?

The book follows the flow of Serious, Joking, Serious. It starts with paradigm-shifting philosophy, then it morphs into humor and finally it ends with a nice section on "how humor works". Nicely Done.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Book, Out Loud Laughter - From A New Dilbert Fan, December 12, 2000

By	tim747 (Glenview, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joy of Work : Dilbert's Guide to Finding Happiness at the Expense of Your Co-Workers (Hardcover)

This is one of the first Dilbert books I have read. I enjoyed the book and thought it was outright hilarious. It is a nice easy read to relax and you will be laughing out loud. I usually do not laugh out loud when I am reading books, but this book did it for me.

There were two sections of the book that stood out to me. I especially liked the section on office pranks written in by readers of Dilbert to Scott Adams. Also particularly amusing is the instance where Adams pretends to be a consultant at Logitech. Read the book to see what happens. Not too surprising, but funny.

Whether you are a longtime Dilbert fan or a newcomer to the Dilbert series, I would recommend this book for a quick and funny read. I have also read The Dilbert Principle, but I found this book much funnier.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Way Underrated, September 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Joy of Work : Dilbert's Guide to Finding Happiness at the Expense of Your Co-Workers (Hardcover)

Thsis book was funny and true. Most of the people who criticized the second section probably didn't stop to think that Adams' humor formula actually works.