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CNN Live Today

Interview with Scott Adams

Aired August 22, 2002 - 13:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, a new report finds a growing segment of workers think their jobs are lousy. About half the people surveyed by the Conference Board said their work is unfulfilling, and that is a significant rise. Now, if you happen to be one of those malcontents, this is perhaps the least of your worries. The Conference Board is warning employers that the sinking morale may be cause for alarm. It says workers are grousing over bonus plans, promotion policies, and educational training opportunities.
Joining us now to talk more about the trend, a well-known observer of workplace angst, Scott Adams, creator of cartoon "Dilbert" -- Scott, thanks for being with us today.

SCOTT ADAMS, CREATOR, "DILBERT": Thanks for having me.

COOPER: I know you have taken a look at this report or heard about it. Were you surprised by some of the findings? I just want to read out one or two of the key findings. I found it interesting that the that largest decline in overall job satisfaction occurred among people age 35-44. Do you think that is significant?

ADAMS: I'm not surprised that, for example, the young people are a little happier because they come to work and they think all the bad things that are happening to them are just really just bad luck. They don't know there's a pattern developing here that by the time they are 35, they are going to be looking around and thinking, Hey, maybe it's always like this.

So, no, I'm not surprised that the people in the middle age are kind of figuring it out.

COOPER: And I guess the older folks are close to retirement, so they are happy because they are getting out.

ADAMS: Yes, they pretty much cashed out. They are looking for that severance package because they are leaving anyway, and I have got to tell you, because I've been there, once you realize that you would rather be fired than stay, all work is pretty much optional at that point.

COOPER: Also in this survey, households earning more than $50,000 remain the most satisfied. Probably not surprising there.

ADAMS: Yes, it turns out that there's some hypothetical amount of money that will make you happy no matter what. I know you could put a cubicle in my living room right now and just throw money over the top, and there would be some point at which I would say, I'm liking this, I'm liking this cubicle thing. So, yes, no big surprise there that money buys happiness.

COOPER: Should it be a concern also in the survey that respondents rated their commute as the best part of their work day?

ADAMS: How big a bunch of weasels do your coworkers have to be that you would rather be trapped in traffic in a metal container, sitting on the highway for hours, that interacting with them. Now the real question is, what else is better than your job if your commute is better than your job? How about setting your hair on fire? Is that better than your job, or about the same.

COOPER: Yes, we have been getting a lot of e-mails from viewers telling us why they hate their jobs. Just want to read off one or two of them to you. The first one is from Rosemary.

She says, "I don't like my job because I don't work with Mr. Anderson Cooper. Joking aside, my job does not draw upon the skills I learned in college. In other words, I spent four years studying for this? Being someone's assistant."

You must hear a lot of that.

ADAMS: Who in the world is actually doing the thing they were trained for? I studied economics to become a cartoonist? How does that figure?

COOPER: I studied auto mechanics. There you go.

ADAMS: There you go.

COOPER: Just want to read one more e-mail.

"I'm currently hunched over my desk so my boss won't find me 'off task.' I am an intern on Capitol Hill, and let me tell you, I know how a prisoner feels. Let me introduce myself, my name is Dintern (ph), as my coworkers call me. All I do is answer phones, open mail, and batch, which can best be described as civilized torture. I have got to run because my boss is getting suspicious. Pray for me."

That is from S. Hammer.

ADAMS: Yes, that hunching thing is good. I hear people who open a desk drawer, put one hand in the drawer with a pencil in there, and then if they hear footsteps, they wake up, take something out of drawer. That is a good technique.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That is pretty pitiful.

COOPER: One more e-mail I just want to read off.

"It is too bad so many people hate their jobs. I work as a director of the YMCA, and I love my coworkers and the members I see every day."

That is from Nancy.

ADAMS: Wow. Makes me want to work at the YMCA. Sounds like a good deal.

COOPER: Now, you have a new book coming out, which is the "Way of the Weasel." What is the "Way of the Weasel"?

ADAMS: Yes, it is "Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel," and you may have noticed that the entire planet is now infested with weasels, especially at the tops of companies, and big business. And so it is a book that catalogs the best and the worst of the weasels...

COOPER: Is a weasel just a CEO, or can there be weasels at all levels of the employment ladder?

ADAMS: It is really question of effectiveness. You know, the people in the cubicles are stealing pens and sticky notes, and the people at the top are stealing billions. So it is not that there are lesser weasels at the bottom, they are just a little bit less effective.

COOPER: We are going to take a look at one of the cartoons from one of your strips, the "Dilbert" cartoon.

"How do you like sitting in for the boss," Dilbert says.

"It is easy. All I do is walk around and make people loathe me while I avoid making decisions."

"That is all I ever did before."

"Apparently, I was grossly underpaid."

ADAMS: Yes, I don't know anybody who feels like they are getting paid enough, even if you are just walking around following your coffee cup. You are always thinking, you know, I bet I could get a little bit more for this across the street.

COOPER: I suppose an economic recession is a good time for "Dilbert." During good times, he doesn't do so well, I guess.

ADAMS: Yes, I had a little bit of guilt about that. During the dot com bubble, I couldn't get anybody to complain. Everybody thought, well, it must be my own darn fault if I can't get a better job, everybody else seems to be making millions.

But now everybody is pretty sure it's their boss's fault, and that's good times for me, I will tell you.

COOPER: All right. Well, I guess this survey coming out, for you, is also good times, because a lot of people seem to be dissatisfied in their jobs. Scott Adams, creator of "Dilbert," thanks for joining us today.

ADAMS: Thank you.

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