I don't usually post about TV shows but I must say I'm quite intrigued by Undercover Boss.

For those of you who haven't seen it, the premise is that in each episode the CEO of a major corporation "goes undercover" and pretends to be a trainee at his own company for a week in order to better understand the reality and challenges his employees are facing. It's quite interesting that nobody ever seems to recognize him as the CEO and that they're very open when talking about their work situation (after all, they know they're being filmed). At the end of the week the CEO reveals his true identity and tries to make changes according to what he's learned.

It's really a feelgood show in that you can tell what an eyeopener it is for the CEO to understand for the first time how the company he is running actually operates, and because hard working staff members finally get the recognition they deserve. I'm sure there would be plenty of benefits with this kind of a learning experience at most major corporations, TV show or no TV show.

At the same time there are some things that make me wonder, for example:

What if an employee admits to minor "crimes" like occasionally leaving work early, stealing stationery etc? It hardly seems fair to fire them just because they were unlucky enough to admit it to the wrong person while others do similar things undetected, but it's probably hard to just let it slide too after it's been caught on camera.

How many of the changes that are made are just for show to portray the company in a positive light, and will go right back to old habits after the TV crew has left?

I'd like to think that the benefits clearly outweigh the drawbacks, but maybe that's not the case? How would you feel if you found out that the new trainee was actually your top boss? Happy for the attention? Angry about the spying? Something else? Do you think it would be a good thing for upper management at your workplace to spend a week "in the field" to understand what it's like?

This thread will probably bounce by unnoticed like tumbleweed in the desert but if you care to offer your thoughts, you're more than welcome. lol

I watched all last season. I enjoyed it.

My friend and I were saying, tho, that it seems impossible to do a 2nd season now that people have seen it...

If a strange guy shows up who's got a camera crew with him, and is inept, he's probably your boss.

Sounds like it should be the title of his next album

chocolate1 said:

I watched all last season. I enjoyed it.

My friend and I were saying, tho, that it seems impossible to do a 2nd season now that people have seen it...

If a strange guy shows up who's got a camera crew with him, and is inept, he's probably your boss.

Very good point, I thought about that too. You're probably right. On the other hand Sacha Baron Cohen managed to play three different characters for years without people seeming to recognize him so maybe it's not impossible?

Do you think the show has a winning concept going (in terms of bettering the workplace) or is it just out of line to sneak up on your employees like that?

retina said:

chocolate1 said:

I watched all last season. I enjoyed it.

My friend and I were saying, tho, that it seems impossible to do a 2nd season now that people have seen it...

If a strange guy shows up who's got a camera crew with him, and is inept, he's probably your boss.

Very good point, I thought about that too. You're probably right. On the other hand Sacha Baron Cohen managed to play three different characters for years without people seeming to recognize him so maybe it's not impossible?

Do you think the show has a winning concept going (in terms of bettering the workplace) or is it just out of line to sneak up on your employees like that?

i havent watched the show but i actually think the concept is very cool-i think the owner/higher ups have truly forgotten (or dont really care) about the day-to-day runnings of their company-so this will get them a bit closer to the trenches which in turn may garner positive changes

retina said:

chocolate1 said:

I watched all last season. I enjoyed it.

My friend and I were saying, tho, that it seems impossible to do a 2nd season now that people have seen it...

If a strange guy shows up who's got a camera crew with him, and is inept, he's probably your boss.

Very good point, I thought about that too. You're probably right. On the other hand Sacha Baron Cohen managed to play three different characters for years without people seeming to recognize him so maybe it's not impossible?

Do you think the show has a winning concept going (in terms of bettering the workplace) or is it just out of line to sneak up on your employees like that?

Sometimes it seems warranted, tho.

Sneaking up on them lets them see what they REALLY do.

Remember the "tech support chick" who was really rude to a customer? The boss was furious.

Would she have done that if she knew who he was? Probably not.

sweet said:

retina said:

Very good point, I thought about that too. You're probably right. On the other hand Sacha Baron Cohen managed to play three different characters for years without people seeming to recognize him so maybe it's not impossible?

Do you think the show has a winning concept going (in terms of bettering the workplace) or is it just out of line to sneak up on your employees like that?

i havent watched the show but i actually think the concept is very cool-i think the owner/higher ups have truly forgotten (or dont really care) about the day-to-day runnings of their company-so this will get them a bit closer to the trenches which in turn may garner positive changes

Yeah, that's my general feeling too. It's more than just a show; it's concept for positive social change. I bet the things they learn in the trenches not only helps the employees but can be converted into millions of dollars in extra profit too, so in the end everybody wins. At least that's the idea. I'm not too sure about the ethics of spying on the employees though. There's something to be said for privacy, even in a "public" venue like the workplace. Some unfortunate spinoff effects like the ones I mentioned in the original post must occasionally happen if you're not up front when you inspect the troops.

chocolate1 said:

retina said:

Very good point, I thought about that too. You're probably right. On the other hand Sacha Baron Cohen managed to play three different characters for years without people seeming to recognize him so maybe it's not impossible?

Do you think the show has a winning concept going (in terms of bettering the workplace) or is it just out of line to sneak up on your employees like that?

Sometimes it seems warranted, tho.

Sneaking up on them lets them see what they REALLY do.

Remember the "tech support chick" who was really rude to a customer? The boss was furious.

Would she have done that if she knew who he was? Probably not.

I totally know what you're saying and I agree for the most part, but what if the tech support chick just had a very bad day that day? What if she normally is their number one employee but that morning she'd had an argument with her boyfriend and was in a rotten mood or something? It just seems a bit unfair to me that those who happen to get their boss assigned to them have their entire career at that company hanging in the balance for a brief moment. If they do it right they might get promoted. If they do it wrong they might get fired (and they don't even know they're being evaluated). An occasional screwup would normally just be a blip on the radar but now it can get turned into a huge embarrasement and career destroyer on national TV.

retina said:

chocolate1 said:

Sometimes it seems warranted, tho.

Sneaking up on them lets them see what they REALLY do.

Remember the "tech support chick" who was really rude to a customer? The boss was furious.

Would she have done that if she knew who he was? Probably not.

I totally know what you're saying and I agree for the most part, but what if the tech support chick just had a very bad day that day? What if she normally is their number one employee but that morning she'd had an argument with her boyfriend and was in a rotten mood or something? It just seems a bit unfair to me that those who happen to get their boss assigned to them have their entire career at that company hanging in the balance for a brief moment. If they do it right they might get promoted. If they do it wrong they might get fired (and they don't even know they're being evaluated). An occasional screwup would normally just be a blip on the radar but now it can get turned into a huge embarrasement and career destroyer on national TV.

Good point.

But I do wonder if there was some sort of "investigation" about the employee- more than what we saw.

chocolate1 said:

retina said:

I totally know what you're saying and I agree for the most part, but what if the tech support chick just had a very bad day that day? What if she normally is their number one employee but that morning she'd had an argument with her boyfriend and was in a rotten mood or something? It just seems a bit unfair to me that those who happen to get their boss assigned to them have their entire career at that company hanging in the balance for a brief moment. If they do it right they might get promoted. If they do it wrong they might get fired (and they don't even know they're being evaluated). An occasional screwup would normally just be a blip on the radar but now it can get turned into a huge embarrasement and career destroyer on national TV.

Good point.

But I do wonder if there was some sort of "investigation" about the employee- more than what we saw.

I would hope so.

I only saw the ads, what happened on the hooters one?

ZombieKitten said:

I only saw the ads, what happened on the hooters one?

The manager was a pig!

He talked to the girls like they were nothing and made them play a degrading game to determine who would get to go home early.

chocolate1 said:

ZombieKitten said:

I only saw the ads, what happened on the hooters one?

The manager was a pig!

He talked to the girls like they were nothing and made them play a degrading game to determine who would get to go home early.

omg!!! so was he fired???

ZombieKitten said:

chocolate1 said:

The manager was a pig!

He talked to the girls like they were nothing and made them play a degrading game to determine who would get to go home early.

omg!!! so was he fired???

I know he was reprimanded, but I can't remember.

Retina?

chocolate1 said:

ZombieKitten said:

omg!!! so was he fired???

I know he was reprimanded, but I can't remember.

Retina?

I didn't see that episode, sorry.

chocolate1 said:

ZombieKitten said:

omg!!! so was he fired???

I know he was reprimanded, but I can't remember.

Retina?

highly unprofessional - I can't imagine anyone keeping a job after THAT

ZombieKitten said:

chocolate1 said:

I know he was reprimanded, but I can't remember.

Retina?

highly unprofessional - I can't imagine anyone keeping a job after THAT

cbs.com still had the episode: http://www.cbs.com/primet...s=homepage

chocolate1 said:

ZombieKitten said:

highly unprofessional - I can't imagine anyone keeping a job after THAT

cbs.com still had the episode: http://www.cbs.com/primet...s=homepage

Only for Americans. The internet is not borderless anymore. Sigh...

retina said:

chocolate1 said:

cbs.com still had the episode: http://www.cbs.com/primet...s=homepage

Only for Americans. The internet is not borderless anymore. Sigh...

Sorry!

ZombieKitten said:

chocolate1 said:

I know he was reprimanded, but I can't remember.

Retina?

highly unprofessional - I can't imagine anyone keeping a job after THAT

it said that shortly after the manager left. who knows whether he left or was fired.