by Kenneth Hofmann

Created on: April 12, 2011

You never know who might be watching, when you least expect.  This is the theme of Undercover Boss as Chief Executive Officers, Chief Operating Officers and the big bosses of large organizations are sneaking up on their own employees. From bosses at Hooters, to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and even the Mayor of Cincinnati are getting involved in Undercover Boss.

The show is simple, top executives of these highly recognized organizations are tested at ground level of their own organization as they go under cover as someone appearing to be from outside of the company.  For example, the Mayor of Cincinnati disguises and goes and works with the city worker picking up road kill and he the boss gets his own hands dirty. Or in the example of Hooters, a owner starts to speculate whether a certain manager is treating his female employees unfairly.

Of course, these bosses are in disguise, but at times their cover does become an issue as sometimes they are blown.  However most of the time this is not the case and these bosses really get a feel of what is happening on the front lines with their lower level employees as well as mid level managers and workers that are perhaps not appreciated enough.

The real heart of the show is seeing, for example, a night worker at White Castle who works two jobs including this one to keep his family fed while his boss is standing there unbeknown to him.  Or a young college female graduate who takes a job as a job on a Norwegian Cruise Liner and is now working side by side with her boss and showing him that she can possibly be a future manager.  A small time city traffic meter reader in Cincinnati who works hard to help pay the high bills of her handicapped son.  Even a casino worker at the MGM Grand, who on her lunch break, uses that break to go take flowers to a nearby nursing home.  All of this hard work and dedication is seen by their own boss and the results are mostly shock and awe.

Now unfortunately, the boss must return back to his big executive seat after the experiment is over in his high chair in their organizations yet now they might see their organization and more important their employees in different ways.  They once again meet with the people they were working with in disguise and reveal his or her self to the workers.  Most involved are blown away with surprise and rewarded or for their dedication and commitment.  Some are even critiqued for their perhaps bad or unprofessional

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