Punching In: One Man's Undercover Adventures on the Front Lines of America's Best-Known Companies

(Paperback)

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Description

During a two-year urban adventure through the world of commerce, journalist Alex Frankel 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. 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.

Reviews

"I see Alex Frankel as the Jane Goodall of the modern Workplace jungle." -- Po Bronson, author of What Should I Do With My Life "Like an intrepid anthropologist, Frankel immerses himself in self-contained commercial cultures and resurfaces to write with empathy and insight." -- Dan Gross, Newsweek columnist and author of Pop! Why Bubbles Are Great for the Economy "Insightful, personal, and funny. Frankel does the impossible-he gives corporate culture a soul." -- Rodney Rothman, author of Early Bird "Savor the reporting on offer..." -- Wall Street Journal "A book that takes readers behind the scenes at some of the country's best-known companies..." -- Washington Post

Author Bio

Alex FrankeL is a writer based in San Francisco. He has written about business culture and adventure for Wired, Fast Company, The New York Times Magazine, and Outside, and he is the author of Wordcraft: The Art of Turning Little Words into Big Business.