Executives did not value the individual skills and experience of their employees.Executives had no interest in improving quality issues. ![]() But the total episode was practically a guide of things to avoid in running a business: The episode reeked of executive arrogance, incompetence, cowardice, and greed, especially since Hartley’s comments and appearances indicated he fully supported Courtland’s behavior.Īny one element of this episode would have been bad enough. While layoffs are a sad fact of life in the modern world, the manner and timing of this one suggests that the executives at Peavey have no real sympathy for the pain caused by their decision, and what’s more they are too cowardly to at least deliver that bad news in person. Teresa coldly observed that when the layoff notices came, Courtland and Hartley were nowhere to be found – it was just someone sent down from HR. Courtland actually smiled about giving 60 days notice to the employees, as if he had not assured the employees that this would not happen. Worse, more layoffs had been made, including Teresa and Michael. In the follow-up section, the show noted that Courtland was ‘trying’ to get the bonuses and rewards he promised … meaning he had not kept his promise for four months and may never come through on his word. But CBS revealed that this episode was different. Courtland certainly went through the motions, promising raises and money to help the family and vacation time. There is a point in every episode of ‘Undercover Boss’, where the boss reveals his identity to the employees and rewards the good guys. Even in 2015, Peavey had employees hand-soldering circuit boards and manually building boxes made from cheap particle board. ![]() Even a casual observation showed that Peavey was not providing the necessary tools and resources for employees to accomplish the work targets set for them. It should also be noted that manufacturing processes were far behind the times and insufficient to the targeted goals. Courtland made sympathetic noises to the employees, but to the camera complained that the employees ‘did not see the big picture’. Michael, another employee whose work Courtland praised noted that he had turned in his two-week notice because he had received a better offer – he loved working at Peavey but needed more money to take care of his family. He focused only on marketing the brand, not improving the product.Īt his next stop, Teresa - a veteran employee with over two decades at Peavey with excellent skills and whose work is praised by Courtland - complained about worries about job security and the fact that she had not received a raise in eight years. Since the introduction noted that Peavey was suffering in the market, the discovery of his brand’s unpopularity could have been an opportunity to regain market share and customer support by focusing on better quality, but Courtland paid no attention at all to this possibility. He was offended by the crowd’s consensus that Peavey products were shoddy, but he made no note to establish better Quality Control. ![]() He really is that arrogant.Īt Courtland’s first stop, he discovered that Peavey equipment – pretty much all of it – had quality issues. Sadly, by the time the show ended that remark would be reinforced by Courtland’s other statements and actions. This was telling, since Courtland remarked to the crew filming him how much better he thought things would be, if his company ran like a beehive, not realizing the elitist and condescending arrogance his comment displayed. Courtland enjoys hobbies in his free time which include beekeeping. There were warning signs early on, that Courtland was not the right guy for the job. Courtland put on a disguise and took a fake name, and visited several locations to check his employees’ work quality and morale. ![]() It started off with the nominal premise – Courtland was being groomed to take over the top job from Hartley Peavey, who planned to retire, and he wanted to get a sense of how things were really going in his company. Last night’s episode focused on Courtland Gray, Chief Operating Officer and heir-to-the-throne of Peavey Electronics. Sometimes the show strains to present the business in a favorable light, but at least the owners and bosses understand that the show is a great opportunity to build the brand and improve the health of their company culture. This is because the show generally portrays the human side of executives, who work in disguise alongside regular employees and later praise and reward their people with bonuses, promotions, and process improvements. My wife is a big fan of the TV show ‘Undercover Boss’.
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