Office Secrets: 50 Human Truths You Should Absolutely Know

by Harish Bhat

The corporate masks we wear hide many a secret. The most potent are not the secret financial numbers or confidential strategy documents hidden away in locked drawers or in safes but the simple ones-good filter coffee, generosity and thirty minutes of me-time.

This book offers a selection of fascinating and useful secrets that can help you be far more successful at your workplace. As a bonus, they can make you happier as well. You will find within a range of subjects-whether the best methods of fighting exhaustion, organizing your work desk, the power of listening, why kindness is so important, workplace lessons from Hercule Poirot and what you can learn from the cookies that your colleagues eat.

Harish Bhat wields his pen with his signature insight to delight, inspire, provoke and change the way you see offices forever.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2023

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here’s a recommendation for the fresh graduates and those who are looking forward to join the workforce.

👉👉👉The book is also a good start for nonfiction beginners

📌Easy accessible writing

📌Short Chapters

📌Focuses on areas where we do waste our time, energy and potential

📌Discusses on issues of long meetings, power point presentations and such activities where most offices need to come up with better ways/ideas

📌Definitely will be helpful for new managers

[Richa Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Office Secrets: 50 Human Truths You Should Absolutely Know by Harish Bhat is like a collection of cool tips that can make your work life better. Some of these tips might even make you smile! You'll learn about things like beating tiredness, setting up your workspace for maximum efficiency, and why listening is a superpower.

The author gives you a full guide to help you be awesome at your job and have more fun too. Their simple and smart ideas about work relationships and how to deal with coworkers will help you feel excited about each day. The book covers lots of different topics, from important values to snack choices, and from putting in effort to having a positive attitude. The author's way of explaining things is easy to understand and will keep you focused.

Each chapter has little tips you can use right away, and together they'll help you become a better version of yourself. This book gives you a chance to turn your admiration into goals and your curiosity into progress. So, if you're ready to step out of the ordinary and start a journey of getting better all the time, Office Secrets is the perfect companion.

[Harsh Tyagi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book cover is quite interesting and fun, and so is the book's title. It's a discussion about human secrets, not any corporate secrets or confidential stuff. Addressed to managers, and trying to share pieces of corporate advice in the form of appropriate human interactions with dash of generosity, humour, and observation of the workplace, this book is a relatable one for every corporate employee.

However the book seems kind of repetitive and certainly not for every employee of the corporate. I'm saying this because not all advice can be followed by young individuals but only by managers (also evident that the author has addressed managers in this book, so I can very well assume that the book has been curated for managers). For instance, taking a 30 minute cool down break after a meeting is not always be possible, neither is skipping another meeting, or just taking out some Me-time out of the working hours. Nevertheless the advice like always having a generous attitude, talking less and listening more, and asking the right questions at the right time are timeless. The book has relatable moments like reminiscing about the "Work from Home" culture, the types of colleagues we all have, and all the things that affect our productivity as well as the mental-well being in our workplaces. It's a light read to find something relatable for a corporate employee and to find some bits of advice.

🌟 3.5/5

[KrisBookishLife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever pondered about the various types of people in your office? Their behaviours and its impact? Office Secrets is a book that describes 50 Human Truths. Written in a quirky manner with a different sense of humour, I enjoyed reading this one!

The book talks about how we can uncover potential, deal with issues and even collaborate effectively by understanding the people we work with. Each action / interaction has a deeper story, one which is very helpful if we can understand it. Every person is hiding something behind their corporate mask and if we can see through it, we will be better able to work, live and grow as a group!

From a person who always keeps his office stocked with good coffee (a reason his meetings are well attended 😉), the dilemma of cookies in a meeting room to a senior who offers their time freely, this book has light heartedly addressed human behaviour and the different aspects of it! I enjoyed reading about the various ways people behave and it’s definitely a book I’ll keep going back to! A book to reread and absorb over time - one that can unlock the power of being human!

[Anuradha Sowmyanarayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book OFFICE SECRETS by Harish Bhat throws light on all the things in office with an extra ordinary talent and with "A power to see what is not evident to the average mind.”

Casually this is quite often stated that “You are not your mind; mind is only thoughts. If there are no thoughts, then there is no mind. Instead of looking outward to the world for happiness, we need to turn and look inward; it's only in that direction that we will find everything we're looking for.”

This is applied here in an admirable way to explore & understand the professional nuances in the office itself rather than searching it outside. That’s the Secret. Then this will lead us to land up on the style of perception to find a secret.

If someone calls you perceptive, they mean you are good at understanding things or figuring things out. Perceptive people are insightful, intelligent, and able to see what others cannot. Perceive means "to see"; so, perceptive is a word to describe someone who is good at seeing.

The manner and the nature of looking at certain things in office needs to be altered. There by moving to a new path or perception will help you to focus on things in a better way.

The book guides to work on managers, meetings, cubicles and all the entire stuff that surrounds every employer and employee in a different angle. The author has expressed his views with varied perception.

Perception refers to how your employees are seen, and how they see each other. It is how people tend to operate and behave in the world, based on what they believe to be true. It's important to remember everybody has their own beliefs and unique mix of traits, preferences and perceptions.

Harish Bhat, currently the brand custodian at Tata Sons, has held many roles in the Tata Group over the past thirty five years, including as managing director of Tata Global Beverages, and chief operating officer of the watches and jewellery businesses of Titan Company Ltd. He writes extensively and is a columnist for THE HINDU BUSINESS LINE and MINT. He has authored five books. In 2019, LinkedIn selected him as one of their top voices in India.

This book humorously speaks up about work place dynamics and hard core meetings with PPT’s. I quote from page 124 of the book “If the best of movies, with all their scintillating actors and emotive appeal, cannot hold our attention for more than three hours at a stretch, do heavy – duty speeches and power points delivered by corporate men and women really have a hope in succeeding beyond this time limit?

HOW OFTEN DO YOU PRAISE OTHERS? is one of the 50 secrets shared in the book. Human beings have a psychological need to be respected and accepted. We need affection to satisfy the need to belong, we want praise so we can feel admired, and we want recognition to satisfy our need for personal worth.

Expressing praise and gratitude is particularly important for keeping up morale. Gratitude makes people feel valued, and positive feedback has been shown to mitigate the negative effects of stress on employee performance.

When you praise someone sincerely, it leads to a physiological desire to recreate that feeling. In the simplest terms, that is why praising someone cements good behavior and work habits. A side benefit is that, when you learn to enjoy praising others, you experience that same chemical reward. The author clearly presents six points of your benefits on praising others.

I quote “Even birds return to their nests by dusk” is an exemplary connect which the author gives to humans and birds and expects the humans also to do so. Here the author draws attention to the need to maintain proper office timings as well as to be in the responsibility of other roles in life apart from office.

Learning is a lifelong process and it surely helps in personal development as well. The author suggest to consider a young mentor to horn new technical skills. The mentor need not be an elder person. I recollect a Sanskrit Subhashitams (Wise-Sayings) and prefer to add it here:

“युक्तियुक्तं वचो ग्राह्यं बालादपि शुकादपि”



Like these, the book takes the readers on a trip to office and introduces the entirety to them in new light.

[Saravanan Manickam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The office corridors we work around every day hide plenty of secrets of which many people are unaware. When people pay attention to these secrets explode fascinating information around us and also secrets indulge heedlessly. The book “Office Secrets” puts forward every corner of corporate offices. This book provides a wide span of insightful observations on corporate culture and life. The office goers from top to bottom position of a corporate workplace were scrutinized by the author very deliberately with utmost care and meticulously enclosing the employee’s psychology, working pattern, observations, managerial skills etc.

Harish Bhat presents some rigorous observations and fruitful learnings that one can encompass in his office to be better & more successful at his/her workplace. These observations also make the workplace to be happier as well every day. The investigation also includes generosity, intellect, working towards a goal, being an influencer, avoiding digital distraction, good Vs bad, gossip, self-improvement, being silent at times, multitasking etc.
To put it in a nutshell, this book is the need of the hour to all employees who are committed to their work amidst craving corporate duress.

Excerpts from the Book

1. Generosity is not charity. It is an act of reaching out to our colleagues and signaling to them how important they are to us.
2. Generosity is all about ensuring reciprocity in our professional relationships.
3. Creating occasions to laugh a little, everyday is a great antidote to fatigue. Laughter lightens the mood and boosts energy levels.
4. The award-winning author Haruki Murakami once said “I would be smiling and chatting away, and my mind would be floating around somewhere else, like a balloon with a broken string.”
5. “Compliments are the helium that fills everyone’s balloon. They elevate the person receiving them so that he or she can fly over life’s troubles and land safely on the other side.”
6. A few minutes spent drifting away can help one calm down, solve problems, increase productivity, and nurture relationships.
7. The daily practice of putting pen to paper will make your day as well as life better.
8. Mobile distance axioms – This axiom states that the distance between a person and his or her mobile phone is inversely correlated to the amount of productive work that gets done.
9. To beat the blues, be kind to yourself, to yourself, to those around you, and to strangers.
10. Just Excel, Don’t Impress (JEDI)
11. Einstein in the Workplace: Relativity—When we are discussing an exciting, practical business model or marketing an idea across the table, an hour does seem to fly by. On the other hand, when we are sitting in a conference room listening to a long-winded PowerPoint presentation, a second seems like an eternity.
12. Black holes—When emails are sent to these black holes, there is generally no response. When project reports are submitted to them, the black holes never revert with any views or approvals.
13. Time travelers—Whenever a new boss joins, he travels back in time constantly to prove that mostly everything his predecessor has done is wrong and needs to be changed.

[Mili Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

Office Secrets: 50 Human truths you should absolutely know
Author - Harish Bhat
Genre - Self-Help
Rating- 4/5

Breaking the mundane office life Harish Bhat prescribed some quick hack remedies that sought out professional behavior, exploring the diversity of the professional life truths, and psychological aspects that envelopes in a possible way to make it understandable to everyone who wants to know the hack to keep the mind peaceful.

The book is dedicated to office goers and their life, experience, lifestyle, and behavior that is waiting to uncover some fascinating topics and truths. Office workers could be anyone and Harish analyzed the problems and the solutions in the most positive way.
In this book I loved
Finding Hotspots for Ideas
Tune into the Blues.
I understand how to become more productive, and how to keep myself happy and peaceful, to become more productive these tips actually helped me a lot. Yes, I am already following the tips.

It also explored coworkers' lifestyle and their dynamic behavioral aspects that are helpful for teamwork and team management.

With his significant witty narrative, Harish analyzed and tells us various perspectives of office life, deciphering the secrets of people and he ended every chapter with some quirky notes and anecdotes that felt like a really cool breeze.

However the book aims to make people relax and enjoy the work, it doesn't talk about working methods rather it talks about moods, nature, music; how to keep sanity safe which I think is the best way to rejuvenate your heart and soul. The truth is we are not a robot and as soon we accept this we would be better and better in our own way. Abilities will be shining and honed; being active doesn't mean that you always have to do work. The best way to understand this is by reading this book.

Harish understands us; in a smooth and sizzling way, the crispy narrative engaged me throughout the book by describing relationships with work, and how to nurture it. The book discussed a lot of interesting questions, knitted with information about work culture, tradition, and psychology gives us a fun-filled book that encourages our hearts.

Absolutely loved it.

[Atul Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 - 50 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝘼𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 by 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝘽𝙝𝙖𝙩

𝐃𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 ⁉️

𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 ⁉️

🏢 Yes they surely do. In fact each and everything has some value to offer all you need is to become a much more observant person with a learning attitude, in order to grasp them.

🏢 If you work anywhere, then you can relate to what I'm going to tell next. There is a concept called Work Life balance. It was built to keep a track, but a majority failed to achieve it. And as a result they cannot find happiness neither in work nor in life.

🏢 For that, I have something that can help you on your office front. "Office Secrets" by Harish Bhat, it claims to offer 50 truths about workplaces, people and culture that everyone should know, regardless of your current scenario.

📌 There are hundreds of books on business management and development, but only a handful are the ones which are effective in providing them. This is one of them. A good book always has these things, and this one has it all.

🔹Ascendotes from Personal Experience - which offers credibility

🔹Examples of real people and their experiences

🔹Interactive and Operation based ascendotes and models

🔹Application based designed content and Chapter wise Summaries

📌 To be honest with almost every chapter holds a model which discusses the problems and then suggestions for the eradication.

📌 A Systematic and Interactively written Title with Insights worth year of experience of work. The book is a best fit for whoever wants to learn new secrets about managing and becoming efficient in their work.

𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 ⚖️ ⁉️

[Vidhya Thakkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book, office secrets, Harish Bhatt shares 50 truths about the office which we may or may not be aware of. While Pandami has changed our lives and the way we work, Harish Bhat shares the ways we can create a healthy environment at our workplace.


From setting goals to asking questions to what your coffee mug and cubicle say about you, it's an inspiring read with life-changing hacks for each one of us. With his captivating writing style, Harish Bhat spills the beans of truths as he shares about the type of people we find in meetings to the type of notes they make, to our attire that speaks for us to our background in Zoom meetings, these things are something which we often ignore, which we should not as it says a lot about us as a person.


While this book will make you laugh with the simple joys of daily routine and the people we meet the shares with us the ways we can ace our office conversations, what should we do when we fly? How do we look during meetings and many other things.
What stayed with me from the Book -
The Blue-Sky Technique
Become Jedi (Just Excel, Don’t Impress)
Inspiration can move mountains
Be true to your own style.


What I loved most is the way he explains various concepts in different innovative styles. Like Mathematics at work, Einstein on the job, Horseplay at work, The Geronimo effect at work and many other concepts which makes learning fun. In all, it's a refreshing, light and candid read that will help us grow in our personal and professional life. There’s more about the book.

[Silkybansal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pun-tastic compilation of short essays, depicting various spheres of office life with sarcasm loaded bombshells.

This book is a must read for all the employees and employers as it comes packaged with a plethora of ubiquitous work instances which must have happened with every person but they may not have looked at those events from this angle.

The author has done a commendable job in analysing all those general everyday occurrences into unique interpretations, identifying and categorizing some of those into the most unrelated real life examples which surprisingly made all the sense.

I really loved the idea of categorising the different types of speakers we see in an office meeting. I don't think I'm ever going to look at all the meeting participants in any other normal way from now on.

[Diti Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Office Secrets: 50 Human Truths You Should Absolutely Know is a fun and realistic book.

The fact that all these contextual and temporal best practises have been compiled in one book is this book's best quality. Interesting book, however it had nothing new. Still, it's a pretty well-written novel. Daily work-related and personal situations are amusingly and perfectly depicted. I grinned from ear to ear as I read each page. The book is quite well-written short pieces for self-improvement that are both little and practical.

The book contains valuable takeaways and is written as a lighter read. I really like the story about the cookies, and many of the situations felt relatable. The majority are open secrets of business life that are disclosed with the goal of improving ourselves.

[Sumit Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is divided into 50 chapters, each of which covers a different topic related to the workplace.

The book is written in a humorous and engaging style, and Bhat’s vision is both insightful and practical. Whether you’re a seasoned office veteran or a new hire, Office Secrets is a book that you’ll want to read.

He does not just stick to the age-old rules like hard work, perseverance, etc. Rather, he talks about the benefits of taking little breaks while working and other pleasure activities to enliven yourself. He tells about the positive impacts of constructive daydreaming and does not mind if you let your mind wander away once in a while.

Read detailed review here - https://instatravelstyle.com/book-rev...

[Divya Mangotra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a self-improvement and productivity junkie, so this book called my name. I went into it with high expectations, only to be disappointed.

Office secrets promised to offer fascinating and useful secrets to help you become more successful at your workplace- I unfortunately didn't come across anything new. Any seasoned professional would already know these so-called secrets. The book has more commentary than advice, which I didn't find value in.

Someone new to the corporate world might find it useful but is a big no for anyone with over 1+ years of corporate experience. 2.5 stars at its best.

[Retika Kher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got my hands on this beautiful read “Office Secrets” (50 Human Truths you should absolutely know)
When I saw the book title I was very enthusiastic to read the book. This book is an insightful read through which you can explore the hidden secrets of corporate life. It also offers a selection of fascinating and useful secrets that can help you be far more successful at your workplace.
This book is not like any management book. It's a fun book which will give you interesting human secrets from a workplace that will help you make yourself productive.

[Sakshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all want a little insight into the oddball occurrences we face at the office. If you have spent a lot of time in the office, you have found yourself amazed by the strangeness of individuals and situations. Events and people make the office culture, but putting ourselves at the centre, we push through seeking more resonance. The author makes several observations about office situations and presents solutions more lightly. I would recommend this book if you want to understand diversity in everyday office situations and how to navigate these with ease.

[Vidushaka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it while travelling and it was like having a wonderful conversation with the author. At times I felt the book is speaking my mind while occasionally also putting words in my mouth. If you have had a keen interest in human behaviour prior reading this book you'll notice how well observations are put into words. Also how some behaviours, attitudes or personalities are assigned a gender in the prose arouses curiosity about development of perceptions around us.

[Varun Mittal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Office Secrets by Harish Bhat is a light read on office culture in India. The book is irreverent and wry in its tone.

I don’t agree through and through with many aspects of this book and I feel it was a tad stretched simply because of the author’s personal target / contract of publishing 50 articles on such themes for The Mint - a leading Indian newspaper.

Consequently, I would not even consider this a one time read, but a passable book.

[Deepti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays of some time tested truisms for people at work.

It gives sound advice like make a checklist at the start of your day, spend time listening, summarise your day and set plans for you didn't accomplish so that you don't take your work back home with you, make larger blueprints, set time aside for thinking, ask questions, and had some fun stuff you could do with friends at work like identify the person in meetings or at work...

[Aseema Sulakhe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read.

[Swamy Atul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it on a flight from Bengaluru to Kolkata. That pretty much summarizes the "light read" nature of this book. It is simple, may cause one to chuckle a few times, and largely forgettable.

[Vandhana Uday · Rating 2 out of 5]

A light take on the everyday workplace; from cubicles to meetings, managers to mindsets. To be honest, the book offers commentary like content on how the corporate office functions, seen through a perceptive and sometimes witty lens. Not heavy on “self-help”, but definitely a thoughtful read for someone stepping into the corporate world. For me, it didn’t offer deep value or breakthroughs, but it was still a fun, relatable read that made me look at office life a little differently. Best for Corporate newbies, managers, or anyone curious about the subtle social workings of office culture.