<![CDATA[Punching In: The Unauthorized Adventures of a Front-Line Employee]]>

false <![CDATA[Punching In: The Unauthorized Adventures of a Front-Line Employee]]> 1340242 2 "If today's armies of uniformed service workers are modern–day tribes, Alex Frankel is a contemporary Margaret Mead. Like an intrepid anthropologist, Frankel immerses himself in self–contained commercial cultures–UPS, Gap, and Starbucks, among others–and resurfaces to write with great empathy and keen insight about the workings of the service economy. Punching In will make you think twice–and think differently–about the human interactions that lay behind our every–day transactions." (Daniel Gross, author of Pop! Why Bubbles Are Great for the Economy) Curious to know just what happens behind the "employees only" doors of big companies, journalist Alex Frankel embarked on an undercover reporting project to find out how some of America's well–known companies win the hearts and minds of their retail and service employees. Frankel knew the only way to find answers was to go native. During a two–year urban adventure through the world of commerce, Frankel applied for and was hired by a half–dozen companies: he proudly wore the brown uniform of the UPS driver, folded endless stacks of T–shirts at Gap, brewed espressos for the hordes at Starbucks, interviewed (but failed to get hired) at Whole Foods, enrolled in management training at Enterprise Rent–A–Car, and sold iPods at the Apple Store. At the heart of Punching In lies Frankel's quest to find out how some of the giants of commerce turn thousands of average job applicants into loyal–even fanatical–workers. How do they identify and recruit workers who will best fit their companies? How do they indoctrinate employees into their corporate cultures and make them perfect messengers of their brands? Along the way Frankel pauses long enough to wonder why he is so often immune to corporate attempts to win employees over. In this lively and entertaining narrative, Frankel takes readers on a personal journey into the land of front line employees to discover why some workers are so eager to drink the corporate Kool–Aid and which companies know how to serve it up best. 1329814 20 11 2007 Punching In: The Unauthorized Adventures of a Front-Line Employee total:97|5:4|4:32|3:35|2:21|1:5| 97 300 176 34 3 2 false false Sun Jun 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 10:01:17 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 10:18:37 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Jul 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 16:44:54 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 30 13:47:57 -0700 2008 2 1 false false Sat Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 18:25:45 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 15:18:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Apr 25 12:29:30 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 12:29:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed May 20 19:26:31 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 19:33:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 05 10:11:21 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 19 14:27:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jan 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 01 00:13:31 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 03 09:36:48 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Apr 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Dec 20 09:41:16 -0800 2007 Wed Apr 09 13:47:41 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 01 07:23:12 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 01 07:26:01 -0800 2007
In a thoroughly researched adventure through various service-industry front lines, Frankel manages to present the good and bad experiences ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Nov 14 12:31:35 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 06 07:43:45 -0800 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 00:03:14 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 00:22:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 22:35:39 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 22:38:18 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 23 17:25:38 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 23 17:38:40 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 09:39:51 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 09:44:50 -0700 2009 Selling Ben Cheever and others, Frankel concentrates on opportunities for advancement within the organization. Tone varies from cozy to wonky, ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Sep 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 09:51:27 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 10:46:33 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 13:03:10 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 13:04:36 -0800 2009
Results were poor. Didn't think there was particular insight into the jobs and people, seemed to be more stories than insight. don't read.]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 13 20:37:47 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 13 20:38:19 -0800 2008
The author is a journalist and he decided to go "undercover" at various companies to see how they attempt to bring their...more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 06:08:31 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 07:24:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 09 19:02:28 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 19:03:29 -0800 2009 ]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 15 21:19:55 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 05 17:51:11 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 21:19:55 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1340242