UniFirst CEO Puts ‘Undercover Boss’ Lessons into Practice

WILMINGTON, Mass., Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — CEO Ronald Croatti of UniFirst (NYSE: UNF), a leading provider of uniformsand related business services throughout North America, was recently featured on the hit CBS reality TV series, Undercover Boss, and has wasted no time implementing corporate policy and procedure changes as a result.

Going “undercover,” Croatti donned a 1960′s era retro look to work in disguise alongside his employees in some of the company’s receiving, washing, processing, sewing, and garment personalization operations. During the process, he gained valuable insights which have already led to important changes at the billion dollar company.

For example, Mr. Croatti recently mandated a new company-wide program dubbed “EARS,” which stands for Executives Assessing Real Situations. In the spirit of the Undercover Boss experience, this “continuous improvement” initiative requires all operational Vice Presidents to roll up their sleeves (or “put on the greens” as Mr. Croatti puts it) and perform various floor level jobs they are ultimately responsible for overseeing.

“It became clear to me during our ‘Undercover Boss’ experience that too often we establish rules, protocols, and training programs by simply ‘observing’ various jobs rather than actually ‘doing’ them,” Croatti said. “We need to become more informed by ‘doing’ the tasks prior to developing or refining job requirements, policies, and new service offerings. That’s the purpose ofEARS.”

As an illustration of how direct experience brings valuable insights, Croatti pointed to his “undercover” job of receiving full laundry bags, emptying them, and sorting through soiled wiping towels. “The job specifications for sorting towels included the use of a sorting table developed for 25-pound bags of product. In practice, the bags actually weigh 75 to 125 pounds or more, and the contents cannot fit on the table. That’s a significant difference that impacts how the sorting job can and should be done. This particular set of tasks needs to be modified to make processing more efficient and to better safeguard our employee-Team Partners doing the job.” To that end the CEO has asked his engineering department to work directly with floor level workers doing these tasks, including those featured on the Undercover Boss episode, to reevaluate and redesign the process, as well as other production processes. “From now on,” he says, “this will be a routine part of all our operational assessments.”

Another instance of “hands on” learning occurred in the pressing department, where Mr. Croatti experienced great difficulty trying to button the collars on damp cotton shirts prior to pressing them. “We press all of our shirts at no additional charge because we feel that’s important for our customers’ professional image,” he explained. “I’ve asked for a test of snaps to replace the top buttons on some of our 100% cotton shirts to make the pressing job easier. Snapping is much faster than buttoning when it comes to wet garments and such a change should speed up the pressing line considerably. Ultimately that’s good for our production employees and good for our customers.” UniFirst’s EARS initiative will be looking at all production jobs in a similar manner hoping to better ensure continuous improvement in the quality of all its textile products and customer services.

UniFirst maintains employee communication and suggestion programs on both the local and corporate levels, and theUndercover Boss experience shed additional light in these areas as well. “I discovered instances where our Team Partners had great ideas for improvements, but the ideas were not reaching the people who could drive change. They were not moving beyond the supervisor level, to line management, and up to corporate, where they could be acted upon.” Croatti has since directed the UniFirst Human Resources department to revisit and revamp the company’s programs that are geared toward maintaining and facilitating direct, two-way communications with all its 10,000 employee Team Partners.

On a related note, while filming the Undercover Boss episode, Croatti was pleased to see that his company’s prized “family culture” was firmly rooted throughout his many facilities. At one recently acquired laundry operation, however, he learned that important information concerning employee benefits had not been effectively communicated to some employees. In response, he assigned a UniFirst “CARE” team (Conversations, Answers, Respect, Education), which is also part of the corporate Human Resources department, to visit that location, meet with all levels of staff, and determine how to best integrate these and other important corporate communications going forward. “We dispatch the CARE team whenever and wherever necessary to help our family culture thrive at all our locations,” Mr. Croatti said. Under this program, employees get to speak openly with CARE team members, one-on-one, and all discussions are kept confidential to allow UniFirst to more quickly determine the best courses of action for change.

Croatti recommends that all CEOs do whatever they can to meet and work alongside their employees in non-threatening, real work environments and to be receptive to their suggestions for improvement. “It doesn’t necessarily require going ‘undercover,’” this ‘boss’ says, “just use your ‘EARS.’”

UniFirst is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniforms, workwear, and protective clothing, currently outfitting more than 1.5 million workers each business day and helping to enhance the professional image of more than 225,000 businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Company offers managed uniform and apparel service programs with rent, lease, and purchase options. As part of its image- and brand-enhancing services for businesses, UniFirst also offers Facility Service programs including floor mats, mops, and restroom products such as hand soaps, paper towels, and sanitary tissues. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800-455-7654 or visit http://www.unifirst.com.

SOURCE UniFirst Corporation

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How Will ‘Undercover Boss’ Stay Undercover?

Will CBS be able to keep “Undercover Boss” undercover next season?
CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler told TheWrap the crew has some new tricks up its sleeve — but she won’t spill the beans until taping is completed.
“I’m not going to give away any secrets,” she told The Wrap.
At first she said the average employee in the field is too busy to be looking over their shoulder to see if the chief executive of the company has infiltrated their ranks. And then she said even if a camera is following a new employee, “If you hear hoof beats, you don’t necessarily see the horse.”
Then adding to the intrigue, she said, “The show has a very smart production team. I don’t think the employees will realize.”
When asked point blank if that meant hidden cameras, she paused and said, “I don’t want to give any secrets away, but it will be smartly done.”

Undercover Boss Looks to Wall Street Firms

Undercover Boss, CBS’ unexpected reality hit, is heading to Wall Street, according to the Wall Street Journal. The show has reportedly begun calling financial firms hoping to find a senior executive willing to appear on the show, in which CEOs go “undercover” to see what it’s like to be an low-level employee at their firms.

Source: NY Magazine

Management Lessons from Undercover Boss

The new CBS reality show demonstrates that each employee has a story—and the importance of management learning what it is, says Kellogg School’s Michelle Buck.

After watching an episode in which William C. Carstanjen, chief operating officer of Churchill Downs, worked with three employees in varying capacities at Churchill Downs locations in Florida and Illinois, Buck spoke with Bloomberg BusinessWeek Management Editor Patricia O’Connell about the message of the show and the responsibilities managers have to create a culture of openness. Here is some of the Q&As:

Patricia O’Connell: Out of curiosity, what did you think of the show, Undercover Boss?

Michelle Buck: I was very interested, not just for our conversation, but as someone who teaches a class in managerial leadership. … It’s a look at how important it is for leaders to know what’s happening at all levels of the organization. As [William Carstanjen] said, “this is really a people business,” and everything is a people business. [Managers need to find out do] people have what they need to do their job? What are their hopes and dreams? Those are the factors that affect their motivation and their ability to get their work done.

If [Undercover Boss] that can trigger conversations and open awareness of these issues to the fundamental business practice, that’s a great thing.

What do you make of the idea that clearly a lot of employees have no clue what top management looks like? I realize they are showing situations where there are many, many layers between the workers and the top management. But still, I was struck that employees have no idea who their top people are.

I was at an event at Kellogg with an executive of a large global firm and we were talking about the show, before it had aired. He said the premise was scandalous. The ability of people to go undercover [and not be recognized] at a large organization shows the problem.

Workers likely would not have been as open had Carstanjen shown up and said, “Hey, I’m the COO, and I don’t know enough about the way the operation works. What’s hard about your job?” Even if you create a culture from the very top where this kind of conversation is important, and you want to give people the tools they need to do their jobs well, and you set it up so that cascades down throughout the organization, how do you make it safe for employees to be open with you?

Leadership is a relationship, and like any relationship, it evolves with trust and credibility. So a leader has to be consistent in showing desire for the input and acknowledging the feedback—but there has to be follow-up as well.

Too often people feel, “I made the suggestion, they said thank you and smiled, but nothing ever happened.” And that can cause a real decrease in morale ….

What ‘Undercover Boss’ Teaches Us All

With far too many Americans out of work, and employers cutting another 20,000 last month, many people have come to blame chief executive officers for not having the pulse of their own companies. Undercover Boss has done nothing to change that impression.

In the first episode Larry O’Donnell, the CEO of Waste Management, poses as “Randy Lawrence,” a construction worker supposedly being filmed for a story about down-on-their-luck Americans in search of entry-level employment. O’Donnell, who earns nearly $3 million a year according to company filings, experiences the backbreaking work of the company’s frontline employees. He’s even fired during his seven-day stint after failing to fill a trash bag.

During his undercover week O’Donnell sees an employee stretched impossibly thin by performing eight different jobs and also finds that he can’t keep up sorting cardboard and recyclables. “I’m going to approach the whole way I do my job differently,” he says on the show. “I don’t want to be doing things that are going to cause disruption. The things I’ve learned could change the way we do business forever … and make things better for our frontline employees.”

His experience shows why leaders who focus solely on the balance sheet can’t succeed. If executives look only at numbers, they can’t make the most of honest feedback, recognize the limits of their knowledge or avoid repeating mistakes. When leaders see their shortcomings as a chance to learn and grow, they gain the ability–and credibility–to help others do the same.

…

It will take a while to see if any of the leaders featured onUndercover Boss fulfill the promises they’ve made on the show, but that the program is on at all illustrates that CEOs are beginning to understand that they’ve got to change if they’re going to truly succeed in a postrecession world.

Read the full story on Forbes

Why More CEOs Need to Clean Toilets

Lessons in leadership from “Undercover Boss.”

In the new reality show,  “Undercover Boss,” executive leaders go “undercover” as new hires in entry-level positions, to better understand how their organization works.

The first episode featured Larry  O’Donnell, President of Waste Management, Inc. cleaning porta-potties along with one of his employees. After each show the executives reveal their true identity and talk about what they’ve learned.

To some people this is a revolutionary concept, but I have to ask, “Why doesn’t every manager, executive or CEO take time to understand what their employees actually do at work?”

I’ve conducted numerous organizational assessments and have spoken to several thousand employees, during my last twenty years as a consultant.” My clients include; hotels and restaurants, high tech, facilities and waste management, airlines, transportation, beverage bottling and distributing, public works, and call centers.

The most common complaint and question I hear is, “Why doesn’t my manager/ director/ CEO, try to do my job?” followed by, “ if he or she tried to do my work, they would understand what I have to deal with everyday.”

This is a big “DUH!”  The common mantra these days is, “engaged employees are productive employees.”  Employees who think you have no idea or empathy for them are not going to be engaged.

Read the full story on Fast Company.

Undercover Boss – The Biggest New Hit

The biggest new hit on television is a reality show that did not get a head start in the summer, that remained dormant for half the television season, that seemed to have little chance to appeal to younger viewers, and that had to face formidable competition not only from “Desperate Housewives” on ABC, but also from three straight weeks of the Winter Olympics on NBC.

But the evidence is irrefutable: “Undercover Boss” on CBS is — so far at least — the breakout hit of the year, with the largest audience, the strongest appeal to younger viewers and the best performance against the toughest competition.

And it’s on CBS, the network that usually steers the conversation away from the young-viewer ratings that the other networks emphasize. With “Undercover Boss,” CBS is bragging about those numbers. The first thing that Kelly Kahl, the network’s top program scheduler, mentions about the show is how well it has done in the “young demos.”

As Mr. Kahl put it: “I can’t remember an audience profile like this. It has over a 3 rating with men between 18 and 34. When have you seen that on CBS?”

So how did it happen? Read the story on NY Times

Four new CEO’s become an ‘Undercover Boss’ on CBS

CBS announced today the four remaining companies who are participating in the first season of UNDERCOVER BOSS. The series airs Sundays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

The remaining Season One companies are:

• Roto-Rooter (Rick L. Arquilla, President and COO): The largest plumbing provider in North America
• 1-800-Flowers (Chris McCann, President): One of the world’s largest florists
• GSI Commerce (Michael G. Rubin, Chairman, President and CEO): The e-commerce giant behind numerous top U.S. retailers
• Herschend Family Entertainment (Joel Manby, President and CEO): A leader in the world of family theme parks and attractions

The air schedule for upcoming episodes of UNDERCOVER BOSS follows:

• Sunday, March 14: Churchill Downs (Bill Carstanjen, COO)
• Sunday, March 21: GSI Commerce (Michael G. Rubin, Chairman, President and CEO)
• Sunday, March 28: Herschend Family Entertainment (Joel Manby, President and CEO)

*Airdates for the two additional episodes will be announced at a later date.

Each week, UNDERCOVER BOSS follows a different executive as they leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their companies. While working alongside their employees, they see the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organizations and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their companies run.

The companies whose chief executives have already made the undercover journey during the first season are Waste Management (Larry O’Donnell, President and C.O.O.), Hooters (Coby G. Brooks, President and C.E.O.), 7-Eleven (Joseph M. DePinto, President and C.E.O.) and White Castle (Dave Rife, Owner/Executive Board Member). This week’s episode of UNDERCOVER BOSS (Sunday, March 14) follows the COO of the world famous horse racing company Churchill Downs, Bill Carstanjen, as he travels to the backstretch of his company where he will walk, wash and feed the massive thoroughbreds and discover what life is like for the cleaning crew after hours.

UNDERCOVER BOSS is the number one new series of the 2009-2010 season, averaging 18.74 million viewers, 8.0/17 in adults 25-54 and 7.1/17 in adults 18-49.

Stephen Lambert and Eli Holzman are executive producers for Studio Lambert, Ltd.

(source: CBS)

CBS RENEWS UNDERCOVER BOSS CONTRACT

Network Orders Second Cycle of UNDERCOVER BOSS, This Season’s # 1 New Series, For 2010/11 Season

CBS has ordered a second cycle of the hit reality series, UNDERCOVER BOSS, for the 2010/11 broadcast season.

UNDERCOVER BOSS, which follows high-level chief executives as they slip anonymously into the rank and file of their companies, is the number one new series of the 2009-2010 season, averaging 18.74 million viewers, 8.0/17 in adults 25-54 and 7.1/17 in adults 18-49.

The series premiered following the Super Bowl to 38.7 million viewers, the largest audience for a new series following the Super Bowl. It also ranks as the biggest new series premiere since 1987 and the most-watched premiere episode of any reality series.

“We are thrilled with the overwhelming response to the series and how audiences seem to connect to it on several levels,” said Jennifer Bresnan, Senior Vice President, CBS Alternative Programming. “The wish fulfillment of seeing the top boss perform jobs of the rank and file is universal, and the employees’ stories discovered at each company are often relatable and inspirational.”

Each week, UNDERCOVER BOSS follows a different executive as they leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their companies. While working alongside their employees, they see the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organizations and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their companies run.

Stephen Lambert and Eli Holzman are executive producers for Studio Lambert, Ltd.

Source: CBS

Producer has plan to keep ‘Undercover Boss’ going

A lot of people who work in or write about the television industry were, to put it mildly, surprised when CBS scheduled the premiere of “Undercover Boss” after the Super Bowl.
Well, it turns out that the folks at CBS knew what they were doing. “Undercover Boss” is the surprise hit of the season.

On Sunday, the fourth episode was the second-most-watched show of the night, trailing only the final night of the Winter Olympics. And the second half-hour of “Boss” actually beat the Olympics among the all-important 18-49 demographic.

The biggest question at this point is: How will the producers be able to keep this going? Now that “Undercover Boss” is a hit, how will they be able to keep up the pretense?

Now that tens of millions of people have seen the show, you’d think it would be far more difficult for the boss to show up, trailed by a camera crew, and not be instantly identifiable.

“That will be something that we have to address,” said executive producer Stephen Lambert. “We’ve got a number of ideas how we’re going to deal with that, which aren’t necessarily ideas that I think are good for me to articulate now.”

Read the full story on Desert News.

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