Each employee on the show was a top performer, which for a reality show seemed to be a bit unreal. Each of these employees had personal issues, which is real life, but besides using these issues as a way to pull at the emotional strings of the viewer, very little was learned about actual leadership. Joel didn’t learn much about what his Company needed to do to address the problem of declining attendance at his 22 theme park properties, and if he can’t fix the declining revenue problem, employees are going to be very unhappy when they start to lose their jobs.
If Joel, acting as John Briggs a new recruit, wanted to get a real sense of how his employees felt about the Company and what corporate could do to make it better, he could have asked questions such as:
- What’s good about this Company?
- What can be done to improve attendance?
- What are the obstacles you and other employees face that make your job more difficult than it should be?
- How can employees provide greater service to customers?
- How are the communications in the Company?
- How do people get a pay raise or promotion? Is it based on performance, seniority or perceived favoritism?
- Does the Company have sound policies and are they administered fairly?
- What kind of shape is the equipment in and do you have the right tools or supplies?
- How is your supervisor to work for?
I believe answers to those questions would not only make good TV, but it would also provide Joel with valuable information which he could use to benefit the business, all employees and not just the few who were on TV.
“Uncovering the Undercover Boss” is written by Richard Reinhardt, Vice President of F&H Solutions Group LLC. You may contact Richard by email at rreinhardt@fhsolutionsgroup.com or by phone at 901.291.1546.
They must do a great job hiring people. Plus, the supervisors must be excellent because I didn't see one acting unprofessional, hovering over employees, or watching the action from a bank of monitors.
ReplyDeleteI did feel that the "give aways" at the end were much more universal than in other shows. The company already had a little-used employee assistance program, plus they developed scholarship and day care programs which will benefit more than just the people whom "John" met.
CBS must have known we would need a feel-good show after the UT/MSU game.
It was a feel good show but I am getting tired of the show. I think there are 3 more episodes. I belive the show is renewed for next season but at this point I cant figure out how they can make it more interesting. I also dont know how they can keep it undercover when the cameras show up with a new recruit.
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