REPLY ALL...and Other Ways to Tank Your Career: A Guide to Workplace Etiquette

by Richie Frieman

Millions of people have improved their lives with the help of Richie Frieman, the hilariously insightful writer known as the Modern Manners Guy on the Quick and Dirty Tips network. In Reply All...And Other Ways to Tank Your Career, he interviews dozens of CEOs, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and tastemakers to get the pros' take on workplace challenges of every flavor, How to make a great first impression and land the job- How to deal with the Cubicle Invader- How to navigate the office party- What to do if you encounter your boss at the gym, naked- Relationships on the job-fact or fiction?With his signature wit and unique insight, Richie reveals the best ways to handle every sticky office situation with aplomb and class. Case studies, chapter quizzes, and even cartoons help to deliver actionable, easy-to-use etiquette tips to teach young professionals to navigate the minefield of their jobs and come out on top. Reply All...And Other Ways to Tank Your Career features interviews with celebrities like Steve Guttenberg and Lisa Loeb, with business titans like Barbara Corcoran, Ken Austin, and Michael Weinstein, and with CEOs of forward-thinking companies like Neil Blumenthal of Warby Parker and Sam Tarantino of Grooveshark. Spike Mendelsohn, restaurateur and Top Chef, "Reply All...And Other Ways to Tank Your Career provides solutions for all of your career problems, especially the ones that you were afraid to acknowledge. Richie Frieman's unique voice gives a cheeky approach to the faux pas we inevitably encounter. With tips from the pros and enough humor to match, you're bound to absorb the wisdom mid chuckle." Rob Samuels, COO of Makers Mark, "If only there was a guide like this when I first entered the workplace - filled with real world anecdotes and examples from leading professionals, and broken up with quizzes and visuals - I would've made far fewer missteps along the way. Reply All...And Other Ways to Tank Your Career spells out those unspoken professional standards and expectations in an easy to understand (not to mention hilarious) fashion for anyone starting their career."

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Audiobook

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2013

About the author

ABOUT RICHIE FRIEMAN:

St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Publishing dubbed Richie Frieman a "Modern Day Renaissance Man" due to a career that spans life as an author, illustrator, artist, etiquette expert, Modern Manners Guy, entrepreneur, cartoonist, and even a champion professional wrestler.  He is the #1 best-selling and award-winning author and illustrator of eight books in multiple genres, with work being sold worldwide. 

Frieman's current project is his upcoming debut memoir (and eighth book), The Optimistics, about his time following three men with Young Onset Dementia/Alzheimer's (all diagnosed in their 50s) who became best friends through their diagnosis. The men decided to call themselves the Optimistics and, as a result, has become a battle cry for hundreds of thousands across the country fighting Alzheimer's and dementia. In the book, Frieman interviews dozens of other Optimistics/their Care Partners who all had to answer, "How do you stay optimistic when facing a deadly illness?" Frieman is donating 25% of his profits to the Alzheimer's Association.

"The Optimistics" debuted as a #1 New Release in all three book categories: Alzheimer's, Dementia, and Friendship, and sold out of our initial print run in the first three hours. "The Optimistics" was also #2 overall about books on Alzheimer's. 

Along with his writing, Frieman is a popular artist in the Baltimore community with his original crab art sculptures all across the city called, The Charm City Crab Art Project. Outside of the arts, Frieman was the Co-Founder/CEO of Brand U Sports, an innovative sports marketing firm dedicated to connecting brands with NCAA student athletes through brand ambassador programs for Name Image Likeness (NIL) sponsorships. 

Over the years, Frieman's success has landed him on media outlets across the globe. He has appeared live on numerous radio and TV shows, including MSNBC, FOX News Entertainment, and Kwame Alexander's pilot for "America's Next Great Author." Frieman has also been featured in Time Magazine, Money Magazine, Newsweek, Yahoo, Martha Stewart, Forbes Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post, Fast Company, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Parade, Story Monsters Ink, and many more.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice job! In a nutshell: be prudent, be playful (within reason), be punctual, be polite, be positive, be personable, be pleasant, be purposeful, plan and practice=be professional! This book would be a great gift for a new person in the work force. It is also terrific for a mid-career individual who is interested in offering practical advice to younger workers in this changed work landscape. The scenarios may differ from when we were first starting out, but the ethic remains the same! Quote: "It's time we rethink the idea that you can't balance being mannerly and being cool or current--as if one might necessarily exclude the other."Yay!

[Zoffix Znet · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like someone watched a thousand Netflix shows and wrote down all the goofy workplace shenanigans the characters get into. There's the bathroom stall talker, the guy who runs out of the elevator knocking people down, and coffee spilt on pants 5 minutes before an "important meeting".

With many of the personal stories the author recounted, I kept thinking he's lying. They all unfold like a screenplay and he keeps telling you to trust him. In multiple stories, he either mentions specific movies or says "I'm sure you've seen this in a TV show". Yes, I have. Because your "trust me" story is made up filler, based on something you saw on TV. The sheer amount of jobs this guy allegedly has had would make him at least 70, yet the smiling face on the back cover is young enough to be your kid.

A substantial part of the book includes the author complaining about his previous jobs or experiences ad nauseum. He hated this. He hated that. Many sections follow the format of "We all experienced thing! [...] How hard is it to avoid thing? [...] Come on people! Just do other thing!" And that's your "etiquette" lesson: don't do something that gets on author's nerves.

Some advice is bizarre. Ran out of things to do on your first day? Ask people around you if you can help (not your boss?). Going home on the first day? Watch others and don't leave until they do (because your boss still hasn't told you your hours?). If you're working with a spoiled kid of the CEO, you should "go to a car website [...] then forward them [...] a message like `I'm sure you've seen that Maserati [...] Can you believe the horsepower on this thing?`". The book advises you to do that even if you're not into cars, because you want to "make a connection". Comedy gold.

Much advice assumes you have communication skills of a 15-year old. Often, instead of suggesting you simply say "sorry, I would prefer not to talk about that", the author concocts elaborate schemes where you lie, hide, or divert attention. And when your attempts fail, you're forced to suffer the presence of these comical characters—just like in a movie.

In fact, lying is a running theme throughout the book. You aren't told how to address issues. You're told how to lie around them. One section even goes into great detail for how to, and I quote, "cover your ass", before you lie to someone about a meeting. Then, there are two pages explaining what to do if you're caught in that lie. The little quiz at the end of that chapter has "lie" as one of the right answers for another situation and says "sometimes lying is the best medicine". It's quite ironic this book gives workplace advice, as I'd never want to hire or work with someone like the author. He has questionable morals and throughout the book badmouthes and condescends to all sorts of people. "Modern Manners Guy"? It's just a column name.

The book touts "expert advice" from leaders of well-known companies. There is none. The advice sections consist of a page-long ad for the company, followed by 1-3 sentences of generic elevator small talk from the leader of that company.

I'm in my 30s and I found this book utterly useless. It might be a decent read for a teenager to get a taste for what work life is about, but they can get the exact same content from 12 episodes of The Office.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing as the first edition was published September 2013 and here we are in January 2018, I'm sure you can imagine that some of the advice in this book could stand some updating. As an example, this book will go into Social Media and work, but LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter are all totally different from five years ago, and we've thrown Snapchat and Instagram far into this mix as well.

All of those details aside, it's still a valuable read. I bought this book when I was really struggling to find inner peace while working at my first job out of college (back in 2013!). Modern Manners Guy was quite familiar to me and I always enjoyed Richie Frieman's writing style, so I was hoping for some insight. The sad thing is, I got another job that was terrible for the work rather than the people, and this book sat on the shelf collecting dust for 5 years.

I wish I had read it then - before I went on my first work-related trip, dated a co-worker and (thankfully didn't stray from any of the guidelines in this book), got into a heated argument with a co-worker, etc. This book would have been phenomenally helpful in navigating the decisions I had to make after the fact for each of those scenarios (and would have kept me from learning a few lessons the hard way).

This would be a great gift for someone graduating high school and about to either 1) go to college and start those lovely internships that are now required, or 2) go directly into our workforce. It's also a great read if you're not in that situation - I realized I'm one of the "annoying" co-workers and now I'm taking steps to fix it, and it's 5 years after I left that crazy roller coaster of a job.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not the target audience for this book (or at least large portions of this book). Most of the main points are ones that I either follow or read elsewhere and chose not to follow. The book is good for those early in their career as it does highlight some things to be aware of. It just wasn't that helpful for me.

[Muhammad Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your communications and office etiquettes are a determining factor for your career progression. As such, you need tips and tricks of the trade to give yourself a fighting change. Enter Reply All, a practical, easy to read and fun filled book. else do read the tips pertaining to social media usage and socializing at work

[Precious · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was basic. It had toxic manners that they acknowledge. I feel like it wrote around the idea of the problems in the corporations. It was boiled down to not too much and not too little, but also, you have little to no control over your place in the field. It, in one sentence, acknowledges that manners can take you so far.

[Elizabeth (Liz) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The work place world would be a much better place if people practiced etiquette with each other. This was definitely a needed refresher on some points & source of new information in others.
Read it!l could help everyone’s career greatly!!

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Richie Frieman, the Modern Manners Guy, wrote this book that is really geared toward post college young men getting their first job post college. Unfortunately, while some of the information is quite good and will never become outdated, some other information, because of the Internet age, has already become outdated. I understand that Frieman is well loved in his role as Modern Manners Guy but I didn't find him particularly amusing. Maybe because I am not in the right age group or maybe because I find the Awesome Etiquette podcast much more my style. What I didn't like was the repetition of stories. I didn't mind the same CEOs being represented but the same stories told multiple times didn't give them greater credence though I thought the CEOs selected were good choices. I thought much of the advice was very basic but I can no longer remember being 21. The advice was very male-centric, though, which made it a little dull for a non-male. Cute but not a must-listen.

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a fun book to read, love the way Richie depicts a lot of day to day worklife scenarios and characters.
Though the content is mostly common sense and courtesies, it's a must read simply because it's a refresher.

[Ben Tuthill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic common sense etiquette on how to behave in business. Nothing shocking or new but told concisely and in an entertaining way.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing out of the ordinary

[Luis Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. A funny and very informative way on how to habdle things aroubd the pffice and your office manners.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly just common sense. Perhaps good for someone who has no clue about how to operate around/with other people in a professional setting.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many tips on being a good employee and co-worker.

[Ayelet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good advice with a very humorous take. I wasn't sure when it was written until he referenced "Gangnam Style". That dates it a little but the advice is still relevant.

[Olya Ianovskaia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not nearly as funny or insightful as the back cover claimed it to be. Boring.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty funny, quick read elaborating office etiquette tips. With a few qualifiers, incl.......

--some are or at least should be obvious (don't forget your food that is taking up all the space in shared fridge and leave it there forever);

--some struck me as passive-aggressive (post Dilbert cartoons that illustrate some situation you are pissed about, but not in such an obvious way that it can be traced);

--some made sense but were repeated excessively (the guy who wore his weightlifting gloves to the men's room at the company gym and then didn't wash his hands on the way out really got to this author); and

--not his job of course to agree with me on everything, but for what it's worth I disagree with his recommending haggling about who ordered what when eating together in a group, as opposed to splitting the bill evenly, and I don't share his enthusiasm for people's selling their kids' school fundraiser stuff around the office), but....

.........mostly wise advice, aimed at those new to the world of work, and delivered in a breezy, conversational tone.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled to receive this complimentary book from Macmillan. Check out the Quick and Dirty Tips website for the Modern Manners Guy's advice. Everyone who works needs to read Frieman's book. The book contains well-organized chapters with simple, practical, and useful advice. You'll run into many of these situations at your office. I'd rather take Frieman's advice than learn the hard way. He interviews CEOs and people making hiring decisions for valuable insights and observations. Being well-mannered shows others you respect them and that you should be respected. Please read this and practice office etiquette.

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[Littlepudding · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple books that gives tips on how not to mess up one's career. Some are obvious others aren't so obvious. The obvious are having basic manners, but as it was mentioned in the book, basic manners are somewhat of a lost art.

A good book for those who are just starting their career and do not have any guidance into the big bad business world.

[Du · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good primer on workplace etiquette. Nothing out of the ordinary, or exclusive about it.it is well written and includes tips and wisdom.

Worth reading as a reminder if you've been in the workforce for a while, but aimed at those just entering.

[Rebekahjr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the insight was pretty obvious however, there were a few little tips that I found helpful. Plus, it's never really a bad thing to have common sense reiterated and presented in an approachable,entertaining way.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be given to everyone who starts an office job, and then again 10 years later. It had me laughing at examples I have witnessed, but also a good reminder of how one should be in an office. Would recommend.

[Tracy Lum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, hilarious, and insightful. A book every recent college grad should read.

[Sara Arno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the business world, and how to identify and handle its various traps and the different personalities who inhabit it.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Very timely, interesting, funny, and full of great tips and information.

[Rebecca]

Won in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

[Christiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of disappointed in this one!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Richie Frieman's podcast, and this book lives up to all of my expectations! A quick and fun read!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book. really helpful for beginners.

[Gena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah