This chapter explores the importance of empathy in the workplace and how being pleasant to work with can contribute to success. It discusses Southwest Airlines' unique hiring approach and the role of greeters in creating positive customer experiences. Additionally, it examines modern parenting styles in relation to the needs of the modern economy.
Author Alain de Botton talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his latest book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. How has the nature of work changed with the increase in specialization? Why is the search for meaningful work a modern phenomenon? Has the change in the workplace changed parenting? Why does technology become invisible? These are some of the questions discussed by de Botton in a wide-ranging discussion of the modern workplace and the modern worker.