Sunday, February 14, 2010

Humor and Humanity in the HR Department - Alain de Botton



Alain de Botton, author of The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, gives a hilarious account of his experience with the HR department at an accounting firm. Although initially skeptical, de Button found sincerity and kindness in company songs and the "24-hour anti-bullying hotline."

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Alain de Botton is a British writer and television producer who employs a philosophical and accessible approach to examining a variety of subjects from the abstract--love and happiness--to the material--architecture.

In August 2008, he founded an unconventional new educational establishment in central London called The School of Life, which offers intelligent instruction on how to lead a fulfilled life. De Botton is a frequent contributor to numerous newspapers, journals and magazines and is a member of the Arts Council of England's literature panel. De Botton owns and helps run his own production company, Seneca Productions, which regularly broadcasts television documentaries based on his work.

Though he has published several novels including Essays in Love and Kiss and Tell, he is better known for his non-fiction work such as the best-selling How Proust Can Change Your Life and The Architecture of Happiness. His most recent book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, is an examination of the modern workplace and the role work has played in our lives throughout history. - City Arts and Lectures

Alain de Botton is a British writer and television producer who employs a philosophical and accessible approach to examining a variety of subjects from the abstract--love and happiness--to the material--architecture. In August 2008, he founded an unconventional new educational establishment in central London called The School of Life, which offers intelligent instruction on how to lead a fulfilled life. De Botton is a frequent contributor to numerous newspapers, journals and magazines and is a member of the Arts Council of England's literature panel. De Botton owns and helps run his own production company, Seneca Productions, which regularly broadcasts television documentaries based on his work. His most recent book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, is an examination of the modern workplace and the role work has played in our lives throughout history.

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