“Bonjour Laziness: Why Hard Work Doesn’t Pay” by Corinne Maier is the quintessential piece of literature for the enslaved office drone seeking freedom. Maier lives in France, which she references throughout the book, and has written eight other books.

The book itself goes through how offices, mostly corporate ones, undermine their employees and make them think they are “privileged” to work for the companies. The book explores how and why managers are all just “average” and “hollow.” Comparisons are made between American and French businesses and how the middle class workers are separated from the higher-up managers and those that hold power.

The conclusion is entitled “Begin Your Sabotage Tomorrow” which includes “The Ten Commandments Imposed on the Middle Manager” as well as 10 of her counter proposals.

The tone the book takes is fairly laidback, with sarcasm sprinkled throughout. Each chapter is broken up into mini-sections, which helps when it jumps around. It gives a wonderful inside look into how companies screw over their workers in much of the same way the “For Dummies” books help inform those in the dark. The book is 137 pages, so one could easily read it in one sitting.

So just who exactly should read this book? If you sit in a cubicle on a daily basis and can’t stand those who boss you around, then you should definitely read this. Even if you don’t work in an office, the book is highly amusing and makes you aware of certain problems surrounding your work situation.

So pick up “Bonjour Laziness” the next time you’re in a bookstore and just page through it to see why in the corporate world, hard work doesn’t pay!

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