Asshole Test

Assholes can destroy organizations, and attention must be given to creating a culture free of assholes in organizations. One key tenet is to be especially wary of assholes in management and HR positions, or assholes will multiply like rabbits.

Test

The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't - has a test on p 124.

• After encountering the person, do people feel oppressed, humiliated, or otherwise worse about themselves?
• Does the person target people who are less powerful?

Context, Escalation, and Response

Context & Escalation Note (Non-Exemption)

The Asshole Test evaluates observable behaviors (insults, sarcasm, humiliation, etc.).

Context such as stress, misunderstanding, or perceived provocation may explain behavior, but does not excuse violations.

However, context can inform response:

If behavior appears situational (one-off, reactive):

• Apply de-escalation
• Provide clear feedback on tone
• Offer a reset

If behavior is repeated or persistent:

• Treat as pattern
• Limit engagement or disengage

Principle:

Accountability for behavior is separate from interpretation of cause.

Response Ladder

Mild / first instance:

• Acknowledge content
• Set tone boundary (“let’s keep it constructive”)
• Continue if signal exists

Repeated behavior:

• Name the pattern
• Narrow scope of engagement

Persistent / escalated:

• Disengage
• Protect team and focus

Principle: Escalate response based on pattern, not a single moment.

The Dirty Dozen

The "dirty dozen" traits are also helpful in identifing asshole behavior.

   1. Insults
   2. personal space violation
   3. Unsolicited touching
   4. Threats
   5. Sarcasm
   6. Flames
   7. Humiliation
   8. Shaming
   9. Interruption
   10. Backbiting
   11. Glaring
   12. Snubbing

Additional Notes

Everyone has asshole moments, and this test should clarify how easy it is for someone to start behaving like an asshole when the times get rough - ie, the Threshold-to-Asshole. For the non-persistent asshole, we have the Microasshole Test.

Another distinction should be one's point-assholeness: about very specific, replicable conditions under which one succumbs to being one. This is useful because one always has asshole moments, and acknowledgement could reduce their frequency further.

Links

• The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
• Another asshole test based on recent book: https://www.electricpulp.com/guykawasaki/arse/