Ep 13. UniFirst

As a successful executive, a CEO is tasked to conduct an employee review to improve the status of their company. In the thirteenth episode of the second season of Undercover Boss, the CEO of UniFirst, an industrial laundry company, goes undercover amidst their employees to see for himself what's working and what needs to be improved within the company.

The CEO of UniFirst is Ron Croatti, a third-generation CEO who has been with the company for over 35 years. He was joined by Mark, one of the executive leaders of UniFirst. Together, they went undercover to four UniFirst branches in various states in the US.

To start their undercover work, Ron and Mark dressed as new employees. They had to go through the mandatory orientation process before they were assigned to specific tasks. Ron landed at the UniFirst branch in Monroe, Louisiana, as a loader operator in the heavy-wash department. Meanwhile, Mark went to Iowa to work as a sorter in the UniFirst branch there.

In Louisiana, Ron managed to do his tasks properly, but it was not long before he discovered that the job was more physically demanding than he had thought. He could feel the pain in his arms and back, and he realizes how hard his employees work to pack and process hundreds of pounds of laundry per day. He also learned how the employees dealt with extreme heat and humidity inside the factory. Ron also got the chance to talk to some of the employees and listen to their stories. Through his conversations, he discovered just how important the work they do at UniFirst is to the local economy.

Meanwhile, Mark in Iowa struggled with keeping up with the pace of the work assigned to him. He was tasked with sorting the laundry for delivery, which meant working with a smaller conveyor belt compared to the other employees. He struggled because he was just too slow, and he couldn't manage to sort the laundry in time which led to other employees having to help him, putting further strain on them. He also realized that a lack of communication between employees made productivity difficult, with backlogs of laundry and confusion adding to the pressure.

At another UniFirst branch, this time in Massachusetts, Ron worked as a deliveryman. He had to load a truck with linens, uniforms, and other products before making his deliveries. He worked with a hardworking driver and was required to do lots of heavy lifting. Through this experience, Ron realized how strict the time management was in the delivery system. He learned that efficient delivery was crucial to customer satisfaction. Ron got the chance to interact with some friendly customers on his visits and heard about how their local UniFirst service was a critical part of their operations.

Finally, in Niles, Illinois, Ron worked as a press operator in the processing plant. The kind of work required to complete this task was tedious, and he had to make sure to produce the best quality products for customers. Throughout his time in Illinois, Ron realized that the more he was working alongside staff, the more he was learning about what makes UniFirst a standout in its industry.

At the end of the episode, Ron and Mark reveal their identities, and they share what they learned from their experience. Ron learned that UniFirst's employees are the backbone of the business, and he appreciated the hard work they do that drives the company forward. He also learned that the company can do better in improving communication and making job tasks easier. By going undercover, he had the opportunity to show appreciation and recognize the hard work of his employees.

Overall, this episode of Undercover Boss highlighted the importance of listening to employees and the value of evaluating company processes from the ground up, rather than just relying on the opinions of top executives. It also emphasized the importance of clear communication and employee recognition in making more significant improvements in the workplace.