“Undercover Boss” is a TV series that started in Britain in 2009 and was introduced a year later in the United States.
It made its debut following the Super Bowl and the game’s massive lead-in numbers resulted in an amazing 38 million viewers.The show was an instant hit.
The basic premise is a corporate executive goes undercover and dresses like a “normal” employee and then attempts to do the work of the employees under him/her. Many times the executive realizes the policies instituted at the corporate level make things challenging at the worker level. Employees who appear on the show are often brought in for debriefing and get rewarded with promotions, raises, child care, vacations, etc.
As an example, the Waste Management CEO in the debut show soon learned that some of his routes were so challenging that employees did not even have the time to use a restroom, and often used jars as toilets. It was an amazing revelation.
Over time, however, the shows have become formulaic and are often used by Public Relations people to generate positive publicity for their companies. Most end with the executive coming across as kind-hearted and promising changes to assist the worker bees in his company.
It often is a 60-minute commercial for the corporation. But, the tactic may have backfired on the founder of Bikinis Sports Bars after Sunday’s show.
Doug Guller, who made it clear on the show that he considers all publicity good publicity and controversy a plus, is now being attacked on social media sites and the news media for his views and strange handling of employees.
“Guller, who started Bikinis about nine years ago,” noted a story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “is being criticized by viewers for firing an employee who had declined to wear a bikini top and for offering to pay for breast augmentation for a different worker, among other things.”
Guller, who trademarked the term “breastaurant,” is now being labeled as sexist with some calling for a boycott of his chain (link). Others wonder if he will be offering boob jobs to other employees. Others cringed when he very publicly fired an employee on a show watched by 9 million viewers.
The Washington Post quoted Guller awarding new breasts to the employee:
“Am I getting a free pair of boobies today?” Grace (in photo) asked excitedly.
“Is that what you want?” Guller asked.
“Yes, I want a full C,” Grace confirmed.
“So I’ll make you a deal,” Guller said. “If you can make it through six months and you’re a rock star. . . I’m gonna put you in touch with the best guy in town, and we’ll make this happen.”
Guller will now learn that the old advice that “All publicity is good publicity” it not true.
Yes, he received exposure for his breastaurants, but it’s not the kind of exposure that will encourage people to visit.
It’s the kind of exposure that encourages customers NOT to visit his business.