The Despair Inc. Blog

“Why They Call It Work”

E.L. Kersten, Ph.D

One of the Harvard Business Review’s “20 Breakthrough Ideas for 2006″

The halls are alive with the sound of carping. Last year, only 50% of U.S. workers were satisfied with their jobs, the lowest point yet in a steady decline that began in 1995, reports the Conference Board. And with the exception of a few anomalous years, job satisfaction in the United Kingdom has been dropping since 1991, according to research done at the University of Kent. Participants in these studies complained, among other things, about lack of personal fulfillment; “robotic,” meaningless work; work/life imbalance; insufficient acknowledgment of efforts; and lack of influence with supervisors.

Conventional wisdom blames such pervasive disgruntlement on poor leadership and lousy work environments. But have working conditions in the past decade really degenerated so much for so many?

Search the HBR archive for this gem.

www.despair.com/spin.html

In our latest installment of Despair Videos, Dr. E.L. Kersten provides executives and managers with a shockingly effective strategy for responding to the complaints of their subordinates.

(And if that alone isn’t enough to compel you to watch it, maybe knowing that there is a coupon code worth $5 included in the video somewhere might help.)

http://www.despair.com

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The critics have spoken. And are mostly right.

Former Spy Magazine editor Jamie Malanowski, writing in the May 2005 issue of FastCompany Magazine, says of The Art of Demotivation:

“…Kersten has formulated a philosophy for workers and companies that’s incendiary to anyone who (still) believes that work is personal and that companies can bring happiness to their workers’ lives. Kersten’s manifesto is variously hilarious, outrageous, insightful, insulting, perceptive, and from time to time, windy…”

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Yet incredibly, in the face of a great deal of evidence, many people continue to question whether or not the book actually exists, or whether perhaps it is instead just an elaborate April Fool’s joke!

http://www.okpatents.com/phosita/archives/2005/04/lexthink_krypto.html

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Sadly, even some of our Wailing List subscribers apparently assumed the same, missing out on the chance to own this critically-acclaimed management treatise at our exclusive 20% off discount. Nice going!

(But read on, there’s hope for you yet.)

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Still, others of you wrote in irritation, noting the curious absence of any readable excerpts from the book on the launch day.

One Wailing List subscriber put it this way:

“What, r u ashamed 2 share it with the world?! u just want my moneny (sic)? steve wolframs WHOLE BOOK is online- get with the times, dispair!(sic)”

Okay- first thing. Unless you sent that message from a T-Mobile Sidekick and were writing it while driving a getaway car that was being shot at by law enforcement, the only thing we are ashamed of is having a person like you on our email list. Yes, I’m talking to you specifically, “L8rDaze@(removed).com”. Opt-out, man. We don’t want you on the list.

Second thing, there’s no way you’ve read Stephen Wolfram’s book. No way!

Nevertheless, for those who wrote intelligible requests for browsable excerpts from the book, reasonably seeking to “try before you buy”, your requests have been obliged. Now you can read chapter opens and further excerpts from all ten chapters of the book!

http://www.demotivation.com/excerpts/

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In consideration of those both confused by the timing of the launch and those who sought excerpts before purchasing it, we are reactivating the coupon code for the rest of the month.

Those wishing to purchase any of the three editions of The Art of Demotivation and receive a 20% need only use the coupon code “radicaldemotivation” when placing an order.

(Offer expires at the end of the month. For real, this time.)

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Some of you may be, at this point, a little disappointed by the quality of the copy writing on this particular email. Admittedly, it’s not the most brilliant Wailing List ever written. But jeez, did you read some of the marketing copy on Demotivation.com?

This?

The Manager Edition – http://demotivation.com/manager.html

Or this?

The Executive Edition – http://demotivation.com/executive.html

And especially THIS:

The Chairman Edition – http://demotivation.com/chairman.html

If you didn’t, you should. Because it rules!

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The Wailing List
Despair Inc.
1305 E. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78702

At noon CST on April 1st, Despair, Inc.
will unveil the most anticipated Management Book of the Millennium.

And the most dangerous.

Wailing List subscribers: use coupon code “radicaldemotivation” to receive a 20% discount on any or all versions of this landmark text.

(Code valid for one week only. Please note specific availability data for each book before ordering / pre-ordering, as shipping dates vary.)

Despair Inc.
1305 E. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78702