Lucy Kellaway's History of Office Life

Oct 30, 2024 9:26 PM

Author:Somethin' Else,Lucy Kellaway

In today's Britain, more and more people spend longer at an office than ever before. It dominates lives. It's made more people middle class, transformed the lot of women, raised standards in education and been the reason for many technological advances. But the office itself seems to have no history and people accept without question the way they work now. They endure the charade of the annual appraisal, gawp at endless PowerPoint presentations in interminable meetings and work in open plan offices where colleagues' phone calls to their plumber can be heard. That's just how things are done, but why? For the last 20 years, writer Lucy Kellaway has been an observer of the peculiarities of corporate culture in her column for the Financial Times. In this series, she looks back at the history of office life, including essayist Charles Lamb's account of life at the East India Company in the early 1800s.

Reviews

Simplicity in business books is a formidable virtue, something Jeffrey J. Fox understands

—— Eurobusiness

A manifesto for twenty-first-century leadership packaged in a fun and engaging story. Buy this book and get it in the hands of everyone in your company

—— Darren Hardy, publisher, Success magazine

This book captures the essence of life and leadership

—— John C Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Meticulous, multi-angled and valuable ... Coll's prose sweeps the earth like an Imax camera

—— Dwight Garner , New York Times

A thorough, sobering study of the pernicious consolidation of Big Oil ... jaw-dropping reading

—— Kirkus Reviews

In this outstanding testament to the resilience of the human spirit, Ping takes readers on a journey both heartbreaking and inspiring. Ping's eloquent prose and remarkable attitude shine through in every word-and her compelling story will remind more than one reader to be thankful for what they have.

—— Publishers Weekly

Here are useful lessons for any young African businessperson

—— Africa Report

A really refreshing guide by somebody who has made a fair amount of money following his own advice. An excellent book... Highly recommended

—— Irish Independent

Very few people have had more impact than Luke Johnson

—— Peter Harden, founder, Harden’s Restaurant Guides

An engaging and useful read

—— Financial News

Provocative and worth reading

—— Michael Spencer, founder and Chief Executive, ICAP

A fascinating glimpse behind Apple's famously closed doors, taking the reader inside the inner sanctum and sneaking a peek at the marketing meetings presided over by Jobs

—— PC Advisor

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