Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #415735 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-20
• Released on: 2007-11-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Review
"A book that takes readers behind the scenes at some of the country’s best-known companies..." -- Washington Post

"Frankel reveals plenty of engaging material...Savor the reporting on offer." -- Wall Street Journal

"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

"[Frankel's] goal was to learn how corporations create `rah rah' employee cultures, but along the way he discovered much about himself." -- New York Times

"I found it a useful exploration on corporate culture and how workers are selected and trained to embody it. It's a good read for anyone struggling to find a workplace where they feel as if they belong." -- Washington Post

I see Alex Frankel as the Jane Goodall of the modern Workplace jungle. -- Po Bronson, author of What Should I Do With My Life?

Insightful, personal, and funny. Frankel does the impossible--he gives corporate culture a soul. -- Rodney Rothman, author of Early Bird

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

Punching In is "eye-opening" and shows "the dynamism of today's economy." -- New York Post

Review
"A book that takes readers behind the scenes at some of the country's best-known companies..." (Washington Post )

"I see Alex Frankel as the Jane Goodall of the modern Workplace jungle." (Po Bronson, author of What Should I Do With My Life? )

"Savor the reporting on offer..." (Wall Street Journal )

"Insightful, personal, and funny. Frankel does the impossible-he gives corporate culture a soul." (Rodney Rothman, author of Early Bird )

"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 )

From the Back Cover
"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-UPS, Gap, Starbucks--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."
--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.

Customer Reviews

Very enjoyable
About: Frankel takes jobs with several well-known companies and reports back from the front lines of customer interaction.

The first job he tackles is as a holiday season driver helper at UPS (where he's told that most do not last longer than 4 days due to the grueling amount of stuff to be delivered during this time). Fun fact: UPS is the world's 8th largest airline.Then he heads to the suit-required halls of an Enterprise Rent-a-Car where they really want customers to buy their insurance and he is told to phone competitors, posing as customer, so if say they were out of SUVs, Enterprise could hike their SUV rental prices.

After dealing with autos, it's off to the GAP where workers can only wear Gap clothing or clothing with no visible competitor markings and employees' bags searched by Loss Protection when they leave for the night. This job requires lots of folding, listening to the same music for 6-8 weeks at a time, and pressure to sell Gap credit cards to customers.

Frankel heads from clothes to coffee as he is hired as a barista at Starbucks. While you must wear either a white or black shirt with black pants or khakis while slinging coffee, they do offer health insurance to employees. Note for your next visit: Coffee Masters (who have had special training) wear black aprons instead of the green standard.

The final job takes him from black coffee to the glaring white of an Apple Store where the dress code is pretty much just the black Apple logo shirt he is given. At the Apple Store, he's encouraged to "be who you are" and the work force is only 10% female. Although employees do not work on commission, there is large emphasis on selling "extras" with each computer sale.

Frankel also attempted to get positions at Container Store where didn't get past the group interview and Home Depot where he answered some questions "wrong" on the "these questions have no wrong answers" section of the application, so the computer locked his application as it deemed him not a good fit for the place. He was also not hired at Best Buy or Whole Foods.

He provides a nice sum up at the end, stating that UPS had the most adventure, the Apple Store had a much "looser" feel than then more codified Gap, Enterprise and Starbucks, where he never felt quite at ease.

Pros: Very enjoyable read. Writing is crisp, to the point and exudes honesty. Nice balance of analysis of the companies he's working for and tales of his actual employment (the cross section of Starbucks customers he describes is a highlight). Index and endnotes are a pleasant surprise.

Cons: He doesn't explicitly say how long he worked for each company. I hope he was allowed to reveal all of the things about the companies' workings and policies that he does without getting sued.

Grade: A

An Interesting Look Inside Retail America
After I finished this book, I sat down and thought about all the companies I have worked for over the years. The number was rather daunting, including jobs in college and in high school. After I figured out who I had worked for, I looked at which companies I had enjoyed working for and which I had found boring and dull. After thinking for a while, I realized that the author had hit the nail on the head perfectly with his assertion that there are employees for every company, but not every company is for all employees.

While reading the book, it quickly became apparent that there are many companies that want bodies to fill space and do menial tasks, while there are some companies who are looking for intelligent people to think and be individuals, even in the front line of retail. The authors take on what each company wanted and how they tried to get an employee to that point was fascinating. I enjoyed the inside look at the companies, and I can say that I will not look at some of these companies in the same light ever again.

Behind the Scenes of the Front Lines
Punching In
Written by: Alex Frankel
Published by: HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0-06-084966-5

Reviewed by: Stephanie Rollins for ReviewYourBook.com
"Behind the Scenes of the Front Lines"
5 stars

This is a great book! All business owners/entrepreneurs, sociologists, and industrial psychologists must read "Punching In". The author informally studied different cultures of well-known businesses, such as UPS, Starbucks, and Enterprise. Only one of these companies would I work for, after reading this book.

The bonds between the employees are profound. The attempt to "brainwash" the employees into accepting the company culture is incredible. Even more amazing is the willingness of certain employees to adapt to this environment. Being an entrepreneur, I cannot understand this.

The tidbits of information about each workplace are hilarious. For instance, UPS workers think that women find them attractive and lust after them. So today, I was at Subway. A UPS worker sat next to me. I kept looking at him out of the corner of my eye. Did I think he was attractive? Yes, strangely I did.

The ways Enterprise employees try to sell insurance was disgusting. Starbucks workers take coffee way to seriously. The training and hiring practices varied from company to company. Some stores use statistics to determine the best employees.

"Punching In" is fascinating for those who are business-minded. It is hilarious, and it is from the personal experience of the author. Professors of human sciences and business should add this to the required reading list.