People Person

I listened to this audiobook and it to be very enjoyable . The central character, Louisa, finds life at work in the HR department of a busy company pretty trying and it tends to suck the enjoyment from her day to day existence. Tyrant like bosses such as Penelope and Mike and office bullies like Rupert make life even tougher, especially for those getting victimized like poor Jason.

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4 people found this helpful

Engaging if not a bit close to home!

This is an unusual story that often read like a work-related 'fable' such as the 5 dysfunctions of a team, but then didn't have the learning described - not to say it didn't have learning in it though! It's very descriptive of real life challenges of working in a dysfunctional HR Dept. From the sounds of it the author has a HR background and has experienced this political and bullying culture.

I moved from not wanting to listen because it was too close to home, to wanting to listen for exactly the same reason, as it's so relatable, The author contextualises the daily challenges really well. I wanted to see main protagonist (Louisa) manage her internal and external demons... Penelope... what a horrible, bully... Mike, the useless manager who deflects all blame... Louisa isn't perfect and makes many mistakes, as a result of being drawn into this dysfunctional culture and as a survival mechanism.

It's not chic lit, it's verging on work related self help, as this story highlights the impact of a couple of very poor leaders (Penelope and Mike) and what survival in a dysfunctional environment can do to individuals. Refreshingly different.

I received a foc review copy of this book from the narrator via Audiobook Boom. I don't personally know the author or narrator and my review is unbiased.

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brings backs memories of working in an office

I got this book as a freebie in return for an honest review.

Firstly, I was not captivated by the narrator, initially she has a bit of a lisp which I found annoying, but that seemed to change as I listened further. The narrator also did not differentiate between the different characters (but not all the time- so was intermittent). However, she does have a "matter-of-fact" tone which makes the story sound quite officious.- which is her character.

Oh poor poor Louisa, her time as a senior Manager in a company is fraught with anxiety. I can vividly remember this sort of office politics from firms I have worked in over the years. That constant bitchiness, and watching your own back and having to be nice to people who are your superiors, but in fact don't know what they are doing.

It is a fairly rounded picture of Louisa, from her problems at work to her family who have a sickly child (one of the reasons Louisa puts up with her rotten job is to help pay for medical bills for her nephew). We get a small insight into her LESBIAN girlfriend. Now this lesbianism does not take over the story, in fact it is really in the background- it is something she keeps quiet from her work colleagues purely as she did not want them to know she was dating a work colleague as that would be frowned upon, though it IS a conservative township and that would probably be frowned upon as well.

By accident Louisa gets access to her boss's emails and is able to keep herself apprised of some of the behind-the-scenes negotiating that is taking place. In order to save costs a large chunk of Louisa's dept is going to be retrenched and Louisa has been designated to tell them, it starts off slowly with culling of the receptionists, then to cutting back payments to night staff, then to getting rid of more than 1/2 of her department.
Louisa's partner gets fired, their relationship starts to fall apart due to financial troubles and Louisa's is MADE to go part time. Her health suffers, but still she continues to work 5-6 days a week.

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