Surrounded by Bad Bosses and Lazy Employees cover art

Surrounded by Bad Bosses and Lazy Employees

Or, How to Deal with Idiots at Work

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Surrounded by Bad Bosses and Lazy Employees

By: Thomas Erikson
Narrated by: David John
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The funny and practical guide on how to deal with difficult managers, colleagues, and teams, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Surrounded by Idiots.

Being driven crazy by a micro-manager? Frequently drowning under your boss's unreasonable expectations? Struggling with being handed out responsibilities but no authority?

Behavioural expert and bestselling author Thomas Erikson is here to help.

In his inspiring – and, at times, funny – guide, Erikson shows how understanding your boss's behavioural tendencies, as well as your own, will lead to a more harmonious and productive workplace. Using his famous four-colour model, he shows you how to:

Decode your boss’s or team’s behaviour


  • Manage up and handle tricky feedback

  • Boost motivation and productivity across different personalities

  • Communicate effectively in even the most frustrating environments

    Written with Erikson's signature humour and warmth, Surrounded by Bad Bosses (and Lazy Employees) will help you deal with hopeless managers and employees to build better relationships at work – and stay sane in the process.



    'Outstanding . . . Erikson impresses with his trademark facility for making research-based discussions accessible and entertaining' Publishers Weekly

    ‘A good resource for understanding how different personalities communicate and deal with feedback…Everyone should read [it]' Business Insider

    Equal parts logical, emotionally astute, and gut-wrenchingly funny…Buy it!' Jim McPartlin, author of The Enneagram at Work

    Everyone can benefit from this bookBooklist

    © Thomas Erikson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

    ©2021 Thomas Erikson (P)2021 Penguin Audio
    Career Success Motivation & Self-Improvement Workplace & Organisational Behavior Workplace Culture Boss Career Employment Leadership

    Listeners also enjoyed...

    Stop People Pleasing cover art
    How to Deal with Difficult People cover art
    How to Talk to Anyone at Work cover art
    The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck cover art
    48 Laws of Power cover art
    Emotional Ignorance cover art
    No Bullsh*t Leadership cover art
    The Art of Explanation cover art
    The Five Dysfunctions of a Team cover art
    Emotional Intelligence cover art
    Louder Than Words cover art
    The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership cover art
    Follow the Leader - a Collection of the Best Lectures on Leadership cover art
    Storyworthy cover art
    The Body Never Lies cover art
    The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business cover art
    All stars
    Most relevant
    As a person mostly interested in things rather than people I find this book an invaluable guide to understanding humans and their behaviour. It's clear and concise, just the way it should be.

    Insightful and digestible

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    I wish I knew about the disc concept when I was a boss.
    would have helped me a great deal.
    Knowledge you'll find in this book would definitely help you have a more harmonious relationship with your employees or bosses.

    very useful for both bosses and employees

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    I thought that this book in no way could match the title that made Thomas Ericsson famous, I was wrong. “Surrounded by Idiots” is a basic book about personality types in general and great fun, this title is about the same types but for work. The book contains information as how it is to be employed as it is how to treat your employees. Despite having read many titles in management this was an eye-opener. I cannot recommend enough.

    As “Surrounded by Idiots” but for work

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.