No one ever suspected a heartwarming display from a show about trash.
CBS kicked off its new reality television series, Undercover Boss, last week and brought a surprisingly touching showing of sentimentality with it. The premise of the show is to follow corporate bosses as they go undercover in some of the lowest-ranking, grunt-work-filled jobs of their corporations. Hidden by their secret identities, these bosses learn first-hand how to improve workers' morale, working conditions and productivity.
The first episode followed Larry O'Donnell, the president and chief operating officer of Waste Management, the largest trash corporation in the United States. O'Donnell oversees the $13 billion business and 45,000 employees from an executive standpoint, using reports and numbers to determine the company's productivity standards and regulations.
On Undercover Boss, however, O'Donnell decided to get a much more hands-on look at some of the messier details of his company - literally.
O'Donnell traveled to several different branches of Waste Management, posing as Randy Lawrence, a new recruit looking to gain experience.
The employer became the employee as he first tried his skills at a Waste Management recycling facility, where he filtered paper, cardboard and trash off a moving line. He struggled to muster up the intense concentration that the task requires but learned more about the management of the facility and the unfair demerit policies it uses.
O'Donnell spent his time at his next stop, a landfill, picking up loose trash on the hillside. His supervisor, displeased with his slow and uncoordinated performance, fired him the same day; O'Donnell later noted that it was his first time ever being axed from a job.
The executive later tried his hand at collecting garbage cans on a neighborhood route and even cleaning port-a-johns at fairgrounds. Though he lacks the skills for these jobs, he found himself inspired by the happy-go-lucky perspectives of his coworkers. After all, the man who can still laugh and smile while vacuuming others' bodily waste would motivate anyone.
It is surprising how difficult the jobs featured on the show actually appear. A sanitation worker's career might not require an MBA, but it soon is apparent that a large amount of training, sweat and determination are necessary to complete this important job.
The real attraction of the show, however, comes not from watching the boss' failure to do the "basic" tasks that define his company but from seeing his determination to remedy the problems he discovers. After his experiences, O'Donnell set out to advance the careers of some of the inspirational individuals he has encountered. It brings an Extreme Makeover feel to the show - changes are made to the company's practices, and then greatest feel-good moments of all come from the happy endings for the average Joe. Undercover Boss places the spotlight on the little people, showing us inspiration in the unlikeliest of places and fostering appreciation for those who are often overlooked.
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