On the Clock : : What Low-Wage Work did to me and how it Drives America Insane

Locations
Call Number: 331.097 Gu, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Social Science / Socioeconomics / Guendelsberger, Emily
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	331.097 Gu	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Social Science / Socioeconomics / Guendelsberger, Emily	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Introduction: In the weeds -- Amazon -- Convergys -- McDonald's -- Conclusion: Out of the weeds.
A college-educated young professional details the grueling realities of hourly labor for the fastest-growing segment of the American workforce while outlining strategies for more humane employment practices.
When Guendelsberger took a pre-Christmas job at an Amazon fulfillment center outside Louisville, Kentucky, the vending machines were stocked with painkillers, and the staff turnover was dizzying. In the new year she traveled to North Carolina to work at a call center, a place where even bathroom breaks were timed to the second. Then she was hired at a San Francisco McDonald's, narrowly escaping revenge-seeking customers who pelted her with condiments. Here she takes us behind the scenes of the fastest-growing segment of the American workforce to understand how workers went from being the most expensive element of production to the cheapest-- and how low wage jobs have been remade to serve the ideals of efficiency, at the cost of humanity. -- adapted from jacket

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Entertaining and informative - read and learn! submitted by pk on August 16, 2019, 9:09am This is a very important account of what it's like to work in 3 low wage jobs (Amazon fufillment center, call center, and McDonalds) and how the rise of technology and metrics has made the work nearly intolerable. Everything is timed, down to how long you spend in the bathroom. Being one minute late for your shift can get you fired. Even if you worked some of these jobs 20 years ago, they are not the same anymore. The constant stress of this kind of work is harmful to anyone who needs to do it. And since they're all stressful, it's too difficult to "vote with your feet" and go find a different job. This is important for all of us to know about. And the author writes in a very informal, entertaining, sometimes stream of consciousness style that makes it enjoyable reading. So glad I picked up this book.

Excellent read as said above, "... important for all of us to know about" submitted by eamcdon on December 1, 2019, 4:12pm A bright light shown on the 'new' work ethic. Work until you drop. Free pain reliever vending machines in the warehouse gives you the idea. A must to get on your list.