The “No Asshole Rule” doesn’t allow anyone to get away with demeaning, nasty, or disrespectful behavior toward others in the workplace. People who continually behave that way need serious reform or should be shown the door.
The rule is needed because too many organizations allow such behavior to persist. For example, surveys show that one out of two Americans has an abusive boss. And one out of five or six people is in work relationships where they feel persistently, emotionally abused.
Assholes have devastating cumulative effects partly because nasty interactions have far more impact on us than positive ones—five times the punch, according to recent research. And it takes numerous encounters with positive people to offset the energy and happiness sapped by a single episode with one asshole.
The behavior of assholes damages individual well-being and also impacts corporate profits, mostly because it reduces people’s commitment to the organization and drives out some of the best employees.
