CBS to Air Mack Trucks Episode of Undercover Boss
CBS announced that the episode of Undercover Boss featuring Mack Trucks, Inc. and its President & CEO, Denny Slagle, will be broadcast Sunday, Feb. 20 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).
In production of the episode, Slagle worked side-by-side with employees at the Macungie, PA, plant that assembles every Mack truck sold in North America; the Hagerstown, MD, plant that produces every Mack engine sold in North America; and the Baltimore, MD, distribution center that provides parts to Mack dealers and customers.
“I came away from this experience with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by our front-line employees,” Slagle said. “Mack people live up to the brand’s reputation – they’re tough, genuine, dedicated, and reliable. The future truly is bright for this 111-year-old American icon.”
Source: for construction pros
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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‘Undercover Boss’ tribute race part of Arlington Park opening
Since becoming a jockey valet in 1988, Kenny Rice has spent a lot of time in the Arlington Park winner’s circle.
His job has him there often to help collect the riders’ equipment when they dismount their horses after each race.
But when Arlington Park opens its doors to start its 2010 meet today, Rice will be in the winner’s circle for a very special moment.
Thanks to an episode of the CBS television series “Undercover Boss,” there will be a race run today in honor of Rice’s daughter Meghan Samantha, who was born with a heart defect and died in March 2009 at the age of 20.
While going undercover to work with Rice on his job at Arlington Park last summer, Churchill Downs Chief Operating Officer Bill Carstanjen bonded with the valet’s story about his daughter during the taping of the show.
Carstanjen noticed the picture of Rice’s daughter and then realized it was in memoriam.
Read the full story on Daily Herald
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‘Undercover’ Boosts Brands?
YouGov’s BrandIndex examined three establishments featured on the hit program to learn if the exposure persuaded consumers that these were places they’d consider working for.
• 7-Eleven took a decent ride upward and has actually settled above where it was before the show aired.
• White Castle experienced a substantial leap over a three-week period, which has since tumbled close to pre-show levels.
• Hooters enjoyed a mild bump, only to settle back to its previous level.
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TV Ratings: ‘Undercover Boss’ rules Easter Sunday for CBS
A holiday Sunday led to yet another low-rated primetime, but CBS’ lineup still triumphed, led by America’s love for the second half-hour of “Undercover Boss.”
In the 9 p.m. hour, CBS got a 7.3/12 for “Undercover Boss,” which also did a 3.9 demo rating. We’re a bit amused that “Undercover Boss” leaps from a 6.6/11 to an 8.0/13 half-hour to half-hour, as viewers tune in for the tear-filled ending. ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” was up to a 5.2/9 in its second hour, better than the first hour of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” FOX was fourth with a repeat of “Family Guy” (2.7/4) and a new “Sons of Tucson” (1.9/3).
Source: HitFix
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Des Moines Rotor-Rooter welder on ‘Undercover Boss’
Dan Nicholson spends his days garbed in heavy protective gear, enduring sweltering temperatures while melding metal together for machine frames.
The 48-year-old is a welder at Roto-Rooter, the plumbing and drain cleaning service founded in Des Moines 75 years ago.
On Feb. 12, Nicholson was asked to teach Hank, a newbie, how to wield a fiery torch. He was up to the challenge — the Indianola native has trained six welders during his 13 years at the company.
But things were different with Hank.
“I had a real hard time teaching Hank how to weld. I told him that I had an easier time teaching my kids how to weld,” he said, adding that he taught his own brood when they were just 8 and 12 years old.
What Nicholson didn’t know is that Hank was really Rick Arquilla, president and COO of Roto-Rooter.
“I had no idea he was a white collar worker,” Nicholson said.
Read the rest of the story on Des Moines Register
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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
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UNDERCOVER BOSS “GSI Commerce” Episode 6 (Michael G. Rubin – CEO)
Watch a sneak peek of the new episode of UNDERCOVER BOSS “GSI Commerce” Episode 6 (Michael G. Rubin – CEO) which airs Sunday March 21 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Episode Synopsis: UNDERCOVER BOSS “GSI Commerce” Episode 6 (Michael G. Rubin – CEO) – Michael Rubin, CEO of the billion dollar e-commerce giant GSI, which provides customer service and product shipments for online orders to numerous top U.S. retailers, goes undercover in his own company where he discovers that rushing through a task can result in injury to others, and that his packing and shipping skills are not up to company standards, on UNDERCOVER BOSS, Sunday, March 21 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
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Montco CEO of e-commerce company to be on “Undercover Boss”
The top executive of a Montgomery County e-commerce giant is the latest CEO to go behind the scenes in the new hit CBS series“Undercover Boss” at 9 p.m. Sunday.
“I have missed the opportunity to be close to the day-to-day activities that are at the center of what we do and what enables us to deliver value to our clients and consumers,” Rubin says. ‘“Undercover Boss’ allowed me to better connect with the thousands of associates that make our company so successful. It was truly an amazing experience that I took to heart.”
Rubin started GSI in 1999 and at 37, he is one of the countries youngest CEOs . At age 12, he launched his first business in the basement of his family’s home.
GSI employs more than 4,500 people, rising to over 10,000 employees during the holidays and had revenues of more than $1 billion in 2009.
Read the full story on TV Watchers
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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)
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