During two years of research for his book, Punching In, Alex Frankel served as a driver's assistant at UPS, poured coffee at a busy Starbucks cafe, folded garments at Gap, rented cars for Enterprise, and sold iPods at an Apple Store. He came away from the experience with 'an appreciation for the roots and benefits of on-the-job happiness.' Frankel found being judged on what he did, rather than how he did it (giving him the freedom to manage his own tasks) was important, as was feeling pride in accomplishing something that contributed to meeting people's needs. In his words, "There is a moment when you are working... when you feel alive, when you are no longer questioning and thinking about life on the outside, life before the job, life after the job. In that moment, you are the job. It's a rare, elusive feeling, I discovered. But it's the secret to happiness at work." This article shares more of his insights on the subject.
