The Worst-Case Scenario Survival handbook: Work

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks

by Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht

Work is bad enough, but what if things go really wrong? The Worst-Case Scenario authors come to the rescue with expert advice for surviving dozens of nightmare on-the-job scenarios, whether in the office or on the loading dock. From savage bike messengers to a bag of pretzels stuck in the lunchroom vending machine, peril is everywhere. Learn how to sneak out of a meeting, treat a deep-fryer burn, and survive a stockroom avalanche. Expertly remove a dent from the company car, extract a tie caught in the photocopier, and survive a workplace romance. Hands-on, step-by-step instructions guide you through these and other crises that can strike between 9 and 5, or on the swing shift. With an appendix of useful interview phrases, a career-path decoder, instructions for playing Jargon Bingo, and more, this is the one desk reference you can't live without.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Reference, Business, Self Help, Survival, How To

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Josh Piven is a television writer and producer, speechwriter, playwright, and the author or co-author of more than twenty non-fiction and humor books, including the worldwide best-selling The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series.

He wrote the teleplay and serves as producer of Don The Beekeeper, a half-hour children’s TV show about honeybees and urban beekeeping. His most recent stage play, a holiday farce called No Reservations, had its world premiere in November-December, 2013, to great success and critical acclaim. More information. His next play is Muddled.

Josh likes to refer to himself in the third person.

Piven is perhaps best known for his famously tongue-in-cheek worst-case books, books that offer readers real-world (though often hilarious) advice on surviving worst-case situations that they might—but hopefully won’t—encounter: everything from “how to fend off a shark” and “how to wrestle an alligator” to “how to avoid the Freshman 15” and “how to determine if your date is an axe murderer.”

Piven is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania—and living proof that English majors aren't necessarily failures.

Reviews

[YoSafBridg · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the self-same people (Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht) who brought you The WORST-CASE SCENARIO Survival Handbook and all of the many speciality themed "WORST-CASE SCENARIO Survival Handbooks" to follow comes The WORST-CASE SCENARIO Survival Handbook: WORK. Now i remember seeing this WORST-CASE SCENARIO thingy in the bookstore where i worked when it first came out, and at that time it was shelved in humour, then at some point it was switched to where-ever we shelved the survival books (camping/hunting or some such); and the books that followed were shelved in college life, dating/sex, golf, holidays, travel, wedding guides, or whatever. Now, while i suppose they do offer some valuable information, i'm not sure how much of it one might retain in a truly emergency/crisis situation; and most of them remain mostly humourous/entertaining reads to me (for instance: how many of us will really find ourselves trapped in a lion cage in our daily workaday lives~unless we perhaps worked with lions in our daily workaday lives in which case i think one might already have procedures in place for such scenarios~i don't know; nor do i really forsee many scenarios where one might be interviewing for a job as a neurosurgeon when one lacks all qualifications for such a position and needs to fake one's way through the interview~again i COULD be wrong~and in this case i really hope i'm not~at least i hope those hospital boards check their references on this one!)
In addition to offering advice on how to get (or at least interview for) a job you are not qualified for; tips are also offered for identifying a nightmare workplace (before you start working there); how to disguise a tattoo or piercing (as well as how to fake it for those ultra-trendy jobs); how to deal with nightmare-bosses, co-workers, and customers (i think perhaps more room could be devoted to this section if this were, in fact, a serious work); how to survive the office picnic (and what to do if you become intoxicated); make an impromptu toast; how to survive an office romance; how to make it in tiny spaces (cubies, truck cabs, and tollbooths); how to sneak out of a meeting (the part about crawling under the table is truly inspired...); how to cover your mistakes; what to do when you're caught slacking; how to pretend you are better than you are, and how to avoid downsizing. Then there are the "emergencies" the aforementioned trapped in a lioncage (as well as the bathroom, supply closet, and walk-in freezer); workplace injuries covered are a stapled finger (first remove the staple...), deep-fryer burn (first remove your hand...Really. ?. ? .), and finger cut on Deli slicer; how to retrieve a candy bar stuck in a machine; how to thwart a lunch thief, how to spot a shoplifter (pretty basic if you've ever worked retail); how to remove a tie trapped in the document feeder; how to fix a dented company vehicle; how to restore a shredded document, how to unclog the office toilet without a plunger; how to escape a stockroom avalanche; and how to clean up an aisle spill. Finally they include jargon and the "I Quit" letter. Somewhat entertaining but that's about it.

[Amanda Pledger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has some pretty crazy scenarios that I hope to never be in! There are a few practical scenarios, but it's mostly good for a laugh.

[Darren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly amusing. I listened to it on my commute, and it's only 2 CDs long, which is about the amount of time I was willing to devote to it.

[Eileen Levitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Am a little biased as I’m one of the contributors.

[Jora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly amusing.

[Shaland · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Esther]

A mix of absurd yet weirdly informative, and I appreciated the research the authors put into it.

[Richard Crater · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read little books like this, ones that have short sections, for a few minutes in the morning while my coffee is brewing. I have five or so of this series, and they are actually filled with useful info, albeit mostly about situations in which people will never find themselves. Hopefully this one, "WORK", will soon be something I will not be involved in either. They have one on "College" (done that), "Parenting" (not doing that), and "Dating & Sex". I may pick up that last one just to figure out what in the heck those two activities are about....I vaguely recognize the terms.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not fantastic, very hodge-podge, questionably-useful advice. I get that it's probably a book intended to be bought as a gift rather than actually read, but....

[Mike Tadlock-Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I’m not sure if this was the best way to start reading The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, but it didn’t require a lot of time commitment and it was occasionally funny—so I don’t feel like I wasted my time reading it. I was surprised that the structure was about 55% absurdist suggestions that you should never do if you’d like to stay employed (i.e. “How to Get a Job You’re Not Qualified For”; “How to Enhance Your Stature”; “How to Sneak Out of a Meeting”) but also 45% legitimate advice (i.e. “How to Deal with a Nightmare Customer”; “How to Spot a Shoplifter”)—which leads to questioning who the attended audience is for a handbook like this. My original assessment of the series—that it’s the gag gift you buy someone who will only read it in the bathroom—is probably accurate.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the less useful book in the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks. I'm not going to try to get a job as a forklift operator or a brain surgeon, so I don't really need to know how to fake my way through a job interview for one of those positions. And if I have to clean up on aisle 7, will I really have time to read the appropriate entry before heading to the spill? I think not. But it's good to know the resource is out there if I ever need it.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

A how-to book to guide one through workplace mishaps. Although some are dreadfully typical of office life, the humorous descriptions of surviving being trapped in a lion cage, escaping a locked bathroom and extricating a tie from a copier feeder made this a fun read. If by the end of the book the reader decides a new job is in order, a sample resignation letter is located at the end of the book. A quick easy read, with a few good laughable moments mixed in.

[Pamela Sweezy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the chapter on handling difficult people is actually pretty good info. And if the "how to get a job you aren't qualified for" part is accurate, then, hello CEO position in my future! (Kidding)

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but not as good as the original.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, actually holds some validity. Just a skim through read. Would be a fun gift for someone about to start a job search.

[Marilyn Getts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what you need to read during a couple of days off.
I'm working, why?

[Noah Sturdevant · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most of this information was either outdated, common sense, or stupid and liable to get you in trouble or fired.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. It's a quick easy read. I will defiantly make copies of the jargon bingo in the back of the book for my next meeting :)

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very silly in some places, but with sound advice as well. This is something to dip into rather than read cover to cover, but I enjoyed it.

[mobileguy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute but not overly helpful

Not a serious overview of the subject
A bit dated (mentions beepers and CD players, for example)
Was hoping for some honest advice

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

None