My Secret Life on the McJob Lessons from Behind the Counter Guaranteed to Supersize Any Management Style

by Jerry Newman

Once upon a time, a Ph.D. went to work at Mickey D's...And what he found was illuminating. Jerry Newman, a college professor who has taught business courses for nearly 30 years, went undercover as a bottom-rung worker for the biggest names in fast food, including McDonald's and Burger King. Newman found that fast-food chains were the perfect petri dishes for covert High-pressure, high-volume businesses with high-employee turnover. The pecking order was also crystal clear, from fry cook all the way up to store manager.Of the seven restaurants where Newman worked, some were high-morale, high-productivity machines. Others were miserable, misplaced circles of hell. Yet one common trait stuck out from them Each restaurant's respective manager determined the climate of the work environment.Go behind the fast food counter with Newman and see what happens on an average day on the “McJob”…how the restaurants are run (for better or worse)how managers reward good employees when raises are impossible (believe it or not, bosses give 'em more hours-and it works!)how morale and motivation spring directly from the manager's officeand how a few simple adjustments to your own management style-the “Supersized Management Principles” in this book-can transform and invigorate your workplace

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

Hardcover

First published December 1, 2006

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

While an entertaining read, he never critiques how the businesses in their quest for ever more cost-cutting methods, expect a lot from their employees with low pay and hardly ever benefits offered. He doesn't critique the society or culture that allows for this to happen to people. At the time he wrote this book, the minimum wage was $5.15, and as of 2009 it was raised to $7.25. A study published in June 2013 by the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute, stated that when adjusted for inflation minimum wage is worth $2 less that it was in 1968.

There are millions who are working poor, and many people look at fast food jobs as just a "first job" or something for young people, but the reality is that for others this is their career and it is not deserving of scorn. No one deserves to go without the basic necessities of life, and it's even more tragic that in a developed nation this continues, when the problem isn't lack of resources or development...it's simply greed and complete disregard for the lives of economically marginalized people.

[Elliot Ratzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

What if a business professor, whose specialty is “compensation” and teaching aspiring managers, undertook a version of Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed experiment? SUNY-Buffalo’s Jerry Newman worked for a year in fast food joints in different parts of the country. You’d think that we would get something approximating sympathy for the plight of low-wage workers. Instead, Newman produced a text meant to be taught in management courses—which means easy reading, large print, jargon and citation-free (but not typo-free) prose—that gives us some memorable stories, good management tips and an interesting comparative study of fast-food experiences. Newman, who at 57 years old and over six feet was an odd fit for fast-food, nevertheless conceded that this was stressful and hard work. At one point he was embarrassed to discover that he didn’t know that 5.15 was the minimum wage, yet he merely advocates for improvements in training and management skills; give workers compliments instead of benefits!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having been a fast food manager for six years and now being a non profit administrator, I found this book more entertaining than instructive. The anecdotes shared by the author are common for fast food restaurants and not at all outlandish or exaggerated. As a management text, this isn't going to change Attillas into people people, but the observations are well formed: team building makes or breaks managers, interviewing is extremely important even if you're "only" hiring for "x" position. (Insert any position mistakenly labelled as low on the totem pole in your organization.) If you read it from the standpoint of former Fast Food Worker, you *must* also read Burger Wuss by MT Anderson.

[Selena Beckman-Harned · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't even realize this was a business book before I reserved it. I found it fairly interesting overall but in need of some good editing (it was quite repetitive at times) and a bit fluffy. Nickel & Dimed is a book with a similar concept but much more substance. Still, worth a read and provides some interesting conclusions on management strategy.

[Marielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I purchased this book, I read reviews stating that the stories/incidents tend to be repetitive. While there is truth to this, the repeated references are necessary to put emphasis on those crucial management traits the author is trying to get across. I found the lessons easy to digest and the stories entertaining.

[Brent Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jerry M. Newman, Ph.D., Professor at the University at Buffalo School of Management worked undercover, over a 14-month period, in seven fast food restaurants across the country, observing operations. He felt that fast food chains were the perfect petri dishes for undercover research, having high pressure, high volume, high turnover and a pecking order that was clear from the preparation table up to the store manager.

He worked at 6 franchise owned stores, including Burger King, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and one corporate owned McDonald. His findings may have been different in independent owned stores and small regional chains.

Newman’s book, "My Secret Life on the McJob: Lessons from Behind the Counter”, is characterized as a tell-all. The work force he studied really is different and the book opens our eyes to a different side of day to day work relationships.

Newman said: “My research strongly suggests that recognition for a job well done by the store manager was found to be a highly valued as a reward by employees, but the store managers were not authorized to give bonuses and raises were often 10 to 20 cents an hour. The most helpful reward an employee could receive from the store manager was to be given more work hours a week.

Newman said: In three of my jobs I spent the first day watching training DVD’s and he was critical of that process of training saying it was boring. The segment on hand washing was typical, showing an employee spending 10 minutes on hand washing with the heavy focus on the process rather than the why. It would have been interesting to have feedback on whether the employees really did wash their hands.

Newman said most of the stores had significant numbers of employees from minority groups and most stores didn’t practice racial discrimination, but they didn’t practice “inclusion” either. Embracing employees by accommodating needs and recognizing individual differences just didn’t work well in stores that have a one size fits all layout and procedure manual.

Some racial problems were the result of the managers work assignments when one group consistently got undesirable assignments. The conclusion that the fast food industry strives for diversity in its work force just assumes the motive is doing what is right and ignores the reality of why it may be driven by “what will work and what won’t.”

The book presents an employee view of a challenging work environment and can be of value in finding ways to motivate and create a positive work environment. The overall conclusion was that morale and motivation in these types of stores was mostly the result of the store manager. Small adjustments by the store manager in management style resulted in positive changes and big differences. Some stores were great, and they had great managers. Some were not great at all.
For more on this book see web site https://connectedeventsmatter.com/blo...

[Isabelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too repetitive!

[Wellington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A university professor who taught business courses for thirty years goes undercover and works at seven different fast food restaurants. I was expecting more of an exposé of the ills of the world of fast food. However, I came away with more a respect for the fast food worker.

The author is all over the repeating stories which did make sense because the same story might be used to teach a different lesson. Honestly, I don't know what I learned about management from the professor other than culture matters a great deal.

Coming from a professor, I expected a more high-brow book but I was pleasantly surprised the humbleness of the book. Worth reading if only so you won't blow your top next time your hamburger comes out slow next time.

[Bookstax · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was one of my vacation picks. It was about a business professor in his late 50's who takes various jobs in fast food. He writes about what he learns about management as a fast food employee. This book was okay because the management concepts he discovers are the obvious ones. That said, however, he had some great stories about working at fast food. All in all a nice light read. If you have to read a "management" book for a class, choose this one. It was easy, entertaining and sort-of educational...

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A college professor who teaches business decides to take a year off from teaching and spend his time working at fast food restaurants to learn about management. A good book for managers at any level or industry, as there are very good lessons to learn here. Some of the lessons seem fairly common sense, but it's surprisingly how many managers are completely clueless.

One thing I didn't expect from the book, you learn how difficult fast food work is. I definitely have a greater appreciation for those that work in fast food.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I was expecting more out of this book. I did enjoy it and think that it is a must read for anyone that is managing line level employees. There are great examples in the book of good and bad management practices. The writing was a bit repetitive and could have been structured a bit better that would have improved the read.

I certainly would have enjoyed reading and implementing changes in how I managed the stores when I was in merchandise. There are still things that are applicable in a professional setting, like the importance of fit and socialization.

[Michele Bettinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great; written by a PhD Human Resources professor who went undercover as a rank-and-file worker in the fast food industry to see what made a work environment acceptable (or not). Guess what it is all the MANAGER. Yup, just as we knew all along; this research supports it, it is not the "corporation" that sets the tone; it is the management. A quick and interesting read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise: an inside view of the fast food industry from a management perspective. Would've made a fascinating article/essay, but I wasn't convinced there was enough there for a full book. I'd recommend Ben Cheever's Selling Ben Cheever as a good complement regarding "low skill" jobs that are anything but!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Dr. Newman speak at a conference and had to read this book. While his book does not expose the fast food industry for negative food practices, he wrote it to uncover the management practices. Having never worked in fast food, it was interesting to see the different management styles.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A human resources professor goes undercover to learn and disclose the secrets of management at 7 fast food stores. It's interesting but gets repetitive after a while...

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly interesting though rather light-weight.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite graduate school professor goes undercover to research fast food management styles...sharing his sense of humor along the way.

[Joaobispo · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.goodreads.com/images/layou...

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A SUNY business professor goes "undercover," working at seven different fast food restaurants to evaluate their management styles.