Lessons We Can Learn From Undercover Boss

Undercover Boss on CBS is a reality show that has some great applications for everyone who works from entry level employees all the way up to CEOs. For entry level employees, they need to realize that every individual that they come in contact with during a work day is important and can have profound impact on your future. For CEOs and upper level management, it becomes a great chance to get a better handle on the everyday workings of your company.

One of the issues that we see when we go out to perform ergonomic reviews of job tasks for the purpose of creating customized job descriptions is that management and supervisors don't truly have a good handle on the actual physical demands of the position. Often, this is not due to a misunderstanding of the task being performed - many of the supervisors worked their way up the ranks. It becomes more an issue of "well, I think that object only weighs about 20 pounds". The most recent episode involved Dina Dwyer-Owns, CEO of The Dwyer Group, going undercover at several of the company's service related franchises. One of the tasks involved working with a technician from Mr. Rooter who was installing a new water heater. Ms. Dwyer-Owens was amazed to find out that the hot water heater weighs approximately 185 pounds. The weight of this water heater places the task into the very heavy category (100+ pounds). For Mr. Rooter, two options might be appropriate:

1. Looking at options to reduce the strength required for taking the hot water heater off of the truck. Possibly a lift gait or some other similar device or maybe a second person to help reduce the strength required by half.
2. Putting in place a Post-Offer Pre-Employment testing process to make sure that new hires are strong enough to perform the required tasks of the position.

One of the smart things noticed in this segment was the water cooler on the landscaping trailer. The landscaper was working in 100 plus degree temperatures and noted that it was company policy to stay as hydrated as possible.

Two weeks ago, Undercover Boss aired an episode about Diamond Resorts International which owns timeshare resorts. During a segment with a painter at one of the properties, CEO Stephen Cloobeck learns firsthand that the facemasks provided for his employees aren't very functional and that sanding drywall patches by hand is very timeconsuming. During the reveal, he tells the employee:

1. The facemasks will be replaced with facemasks that not only stop the dust from being breathed in but also keep the dust out of the repairman's eyes.
2. Power sanders will be provided to reduce the time it takes to sand walls after making repairs.

Each of these fixes are very important from several aspects.

1. A better face mask that doesn't allow dust to get in the eyes improves safety - and reduces time lost from trying to clear dust from the eyes, especially since there wasn't really a good irrigation source to do this.
2. Providing power sanders reduces the amount of time that the employees are performing repetitive shoulder height and overhead tasks, which in turn reduces strain on the shoulders and cervical spine.

The take home questions for managers is "When was the lsat time that you went out and took a solid look at how your employees perform their job tasks and is their anything that can be done better to improve safety,reduce preventable injuries, and make task performance more effective?"