You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
165 reviews for:
On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane
Emily Guendelsberger
4.28 AVERAGE
165 reviews for:
On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane
Emily Guendelsberger
4.28 AVERAGE
funny
informative
sad
fast-paced
It’s been over 20 years (yikes) since I’ve worked the types of jobs in here, and while the physical aches and pains and the angry customers were familiar, it’s gotten much, much worse as software makes it possible to strip staffing down to a bare minimum at all times and monitor workers to the second. Life is shitty and without hope for so many people in this country, and it shouldn’t, and doesn’t have to be that way.
The passages where she discusses the history of Taylorism or the evolution of humanity were less interesting to me than the stories from her work experiences, but I still gave the book five stars because I think the message is so important.
The passages where she discusses the history of Taylorism or the evolution of humanity were less interesting to me than the stories from her work experiences, but I still gave the book five stars because I think the message is so important.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Following in a similar vein as Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed, Guendelsberger writes about her experiences working at the Amazon warehouse, Convergys call center, and McDonald’s. Low wage work is notoriously demeaning and exhausting, and in bootstrap America, where people are responsible for their own skins, the working poor are abused as the ”second class” citizens of our nation. During her time in the service industry, Guendelsberger has been verbally and physically assaulted by customers and constantly shamed by corporate employers for “stealing time” (like even a minute or two would warrant a lecture).
Greatly appreciated the historical context and social theory she provided through her book (Foucault on the panopticon, Taylorism, and the thought experiment on “Wanda,” who lived a pretty decent life until the last 30 seconds of her development).
I lol’d a bit when she created a “fictional” character named Ayn, clearly in reference to Ayn Rand and her philosophy against altruism. In Guendelsberger’s words: “For most of our recent history, Ayn’s lack of empathy would have made her a complete loser.”
Corporations are obsessed with free market principles but have little concern for the real people who have to suffer the effects of maximizing efficiency. People are not machines, but that’s how they are treated, and at some point, they will be displaced by technology (and companies really do not care how this will devastate the least well off). There’s no real policy that Guendelberger advocates for, but she wants readers to care, empathize with the underpaid and under-appreciated, and imagine the possibility of a world where people do not have to submit to injustice for a paycheck.
Greatly appreciated the historical context and social theory she provided through her book (Foucault on the panopticon, Taylorism, and the thought experiment on “Wanda,” who lived a pretty decent life until the last 30 seconds of her development).
I lol’d a bit when she created a “fictional” character named Ayn, clearly in reference to Ayn Rand and her philosophy against altruism. In Guendelsberger’s words: “For most of our recent history, Ayn’s lack of empathy would have made her a complete loser.”
Corporations are obsessed with free market principles but have little concern for the real people who have to suffer the effects of maximizing efficiency. People are not machines, but that’s how they are treated, and at some point, they will be displaced by technology (and companies really do not care how this will devastate the least well off). There’s no real policy that Guendelberger advocates for, but she wants readers to care, empathize with the underpaid and under-appreciated, and imagine the possibility of a world where people do not have to submit to injustice for a paycheck.
readable but half baked political analysis - trump’s core voters were not her coworkers, particularly the black, hispanic, and lgbt ones
informative
sad
medium-paced
A crucial distillation of what work actually looks like for a huge swath of the American laborforce. Guendelsberger succinctly articulates how work got so bad, why it’s so bad for us (physically, emotionally, evolutionarily), and why we’re not crazy or lazy for demanding basic dignity and survival in exchange for an honest day’s work.
This gave me a lot of insight into why people will work themselves to the bone for companies that would replace them in a heartbeat.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I loved this. I put it on my list after listening to the interview with Emily on the Dig podcast, and I'm really glad I did. This book is factually fascinating and revealing about the realities of low wage work for people who live lives far removed from it in the white collar world. I worked mediocre low wage jobs im college and my early 20s and pretty much hated them, but I had little idea what low wage work is like now. Even already being politically committed to ending this nightmare, this book was still eye opening because of the first person perspective and the way Emily focuses on her coworkers as real people. I also appreciated the attention to how technology and automation hurt people even when they don't outright replace them. Finally, this subject could be a brutally depressing or sanctimonious, but Emily brings so much heart and humor to it that you don't want the book to end and you see her coworkers as real human beings, not just subjects of pity. I also want to note that this is the first time I've seen the word oogle used in a book, and that made me very happy.