Book offers solutions on how to cope with nasty co-workers

Dulin Clark and Robert Orndorff are co-authors of a new book offering advice to employers and employees.

University Park, Pa. — We all know one. Maybe he's the cube mate whose personal phone calls drive us batty. Maybe it's the co-worker who doesn't do her share. Or the supervisor who manages by bullying subordinates. At one time or another, everyone has put up with someone at the office who is considered — well, to put it politely — a pain in the derriere.

Robert Orndorff and Dulin Clark want to make the workplace a much happier and fulfilling place to go, and they think they have the problem solved with their new book, "The PITA Principle: How to Work With and Avoid Becoming a Pain in the Ass." Orndorff is associate director, Recruiting and Employer Relations for Career Services, as well as affiliate assistant professor of counselor education, and Clark is associate director of MBA career and executive coaching in the Smeal College of Business. The book, published by JIST WORKS, has just hit the bookstores. Although Orndorff has published several books with JIST in the past, this is the first book that JIST is launching in the business section of bookstores and it’s also JIST's first hardback book.

In their book, the two offer coping strategies for office workers and managers who have to work with a variety of unpleasant PITAs, which the authors compare to sandwiches: the crusty negative PITA, the overstuffed PITA, the soggy PITA (that would be the perpetual whiner) and the Royal PITA. There are more, and the book is organized with a description of each PITA listing their negative and positive attributes. Yes, a Royal PITA can be an office asset, the two assert. Because of their sense of entitlement, Royal PITAs expect to succeed, so why not allow them to take the lead on some projects and get things done.

The book follows up on each type of annoying office worker with solid advice on how to cope with them, providing effective strategies to build better working relationships. Each chapter contains a list of pop culture figures who represent a certain type of PITA. Lou Grant of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" is a crusty PITA. Rachel Green of "Friends" is a sloppy PITA. Donald Trump is an overstuffed PITA and Sharpay Evans of "High School Musical" is a Royal PITA. The goal of the book is to transform these PITA pains into Professionals Increasing Their Awareness — the other PITA.

The back of the book features a self-assessment quiz to help the reader determine his or her own PITA profile, as well as another quiz to determine a personal plan of action.

"We felt the quizzes were a crucial part of a book like this," said Clark. "Invariably when people read a book like this, they become curious about themselves. It takes courage and curiosity to point the finger at yourself."

The two of them admit they’ve probably run across every type of PITA available in their professional careers. The hardest to put up with? "I think the sealed is the most difficult," Clark said. "If there's no opening, there's no way to provide any feedback to make any corrective changes. If, however, they are open to feedback, then real change can happen. Sealed are the most difficult — they're closed, they're deflective and defensive."

A couple of academics like Orndorff and Clark may seem like an unlikely pair to coauthor a popular self-help book, but the two have years of experience in coaching adults in interpersonal skills. "We’ve found that the biggest challenge really is centered on people in the workplace who were difficult to work with," said Orndorff.

The book has been generating quite a bit of buzz in the media with articles from the Associated Press, MSNBC.com and The Chicago Tribune, among others. It has received several positive reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, the Library Journal and on Amazon.com. Orndorff and Clark have been guests on more than 20 radio shows across the country as well as on a TV show — "Weekend Today in New York" on WNBC. They also were invited to the Book Expo of America in Los Angeles this past summer to conduct a book signing.

The book got its start after the coauthors had a discussion in a local bar. From inception to publication was about a year and a half. Although marketed as a business book, it is appropriate for anyone from an entry-level employee to top management.

The two see a need for a book like this in the workplace today. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the top things employers are looking for are communications, interpersonal skills, teamwork, honesty, integrity, a strong work ethic and motivation/initiative.

"Employers see a surplus of grads," Orndorff said. "They say it's easy to find those with technical skills, but how do I teach an adult to be more tactful if they haven't already figured it out? This is what differentiates in the workplace."

The topics discussed in the book are near and dear to Orndorff’s heart. "The character piece is my big thing," he said, placing his hands over his heart for emphasis. "Try to approach adversity, not as a negative thing, but as an opportunity to define who you are. It’s easy to be a good person in easy times."

Plenty of cube dwellers should keep that in mind when their own personal PITAs start dripping crumbs all over their desk. With a little heartfelt study from this duo's book, they may be able to turn their PITAs into a more appealing sandwich — like a hero.