My Secret Life on the McJob

In March 1998 Jerry Newman visited a fast food restaurant with his daughter for breakfast. In her breakfast sandwich was a finger from a plastic sanitary glove. That experience led Newman, a university business professor, to spend 14 months working in seven fast food restaurants. His hypothesis was that fast food companies are pioneers in managing when cost control is one of the highest priorities. Newman captured his findings in My Secret Life on the McJob.

Newman believes the strength of fast food employment is that it identifies and builds interpersonal skills that matter, such as reliability, giving feedback, and teamwork. My Secret Life on the McJob is of particular interest to managers working in industries where minimizing costs is the highest priority.