The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't by Robert I. Sutton (2007)

Assholes, toxic persons and bullies are threat to workplace productivity and employee well-being? You bet they are. In this short book, some thoughts are offered on how to deal with assholes (and the negative atmosphere caused by them) at an organizational and a personal level, including suggestions on how to control our own "inner jerk". Here is the Dirty Dozen Asshole Tactics:

1. Personal insults
2. Invading one's personal territory
3. Uninvited personal contact
4. Threats and intimidation, both verbal and non-verbal
5. Sarcastic jokes and teasing used as insult delivery systems
6. Withering email flames
7. Status slaps intended to humiliate their victims
8. Public shaming or status degradation rituals
9. Rude interruptions
10. Two-faced attacks
11. Dirty looks
12. Treating people as if they are invisible

and here is the Certified Asshole Test. Of course, there are always exceptions to any rule, in this case one of them is Steve Jobs, asshole, who brings so much value to the organization, that the negative behavior is overshadowed. Fortunately (for employees and shareholders), many other C-level assholes are being cleaned out, as the likes of Chainsaw Al.