HR on TV: Undercover Boss blog

This week recycling and waste management company Viridor sent the CEO, Colin Drummond, undercover to see if the company was squeaky clean – or belongs on the rubbish heap.
 

Colin has been CEO since 1993 and the 59 year old works behind a desk, far away from the production sorting lines his agency and permanent staff toil on. However (as we revealed in our interview) he’s a highly principled man and takes on the challenge of undercover boss himself, despite worries about his fitness.
 

Will Paul Fisher be romping all the way to the finish line aboard the fine filly, The Jockey Club? Or will he fall at the first hurdle (groan)? Welcome to the world of horseracing for this week’s Undercover Boss.

So after all I said last week when I thought Marija’s life was being unfairly scrutinised, this week there’s even more focus on Paul Fisher’s home life. We see him with his wife and kids playing on a rocking horse.

They seem to be quite into the racing life, and then we meet Paul’s racehorse. Ok, yes, he loves it. So much that he’s missed three out of the four birthdays his son has had. Maybe his ‘six figure’ salary is a comfort, maybe he isn’t that bad a dad really, but you feel he knows he’s missing out on something, and I can’t help but hope he works out a better way. Loving your work is a brilliant thing, but if you’re suffering and missing your family, something has to give... doesn't it?

It seems to be HR on TV season right now, and tonight is no exception, as hitting our screens at 9pm tonight is Undercover Boss. Episode 4 in the series stars Chief Operating Officer of The Jockey Club racecourses, Paul Fisher.

From watching the previews (see them here on the Channel 4 website) it looks like yet another type of business being tackled - this time a lot of casual labour is involved, which presents its own challenges with motivation, reliability and loyalty - as he says in the clip, how do you persuade someone to turn up at 7am until 5pm, and then not employ them again for another month or so? It's a challenge.

Harry Ramsden’s new CEO Marija Simovic goes undercover to discover why the classic brand is struggling.

Tower Hamlets CEO Kevan Collins has only just got into his role - four months in the job - but he's already being sent out to see what people on the 'council floor' are doing and how the upcoming cuts are going to impact on front line services.