All language subtitles for Undercover.Boss.US.S02E14.WS.PDTV.XviD-2HD.HI

Male announcer:
America is struggling

to shake off the recession.

Public distrust
of wealthy CEOs remains high.

But more and more bosses are
looking for radical ways

to reconnect
with their workforce

in order to find out
what's really going on

in their companies.

Each week, we follow the boss
of a major corporation

as they go undercover
in their own company.

Undercover Boss 2x14
Belfort
Original Air Date on January 16, 2011

This week, the CEO of Belfor,

the world's largest
disaster restoration company,

poses as an unemployed
insurance salesman

looking for a new line
of work.

- Tom Kelly, how are ya?
- Hey, Tom.

We got a newbie.

Announcer: The boss will
trade in his Italian suits

and country club lifestyle

for a crowbar
and crawl space.

This is unbelievable.
Unh--oh, my God.

Announcer:
By working on the front line,

he'll discover what needs
improving in the business.

You should be getting
a raise with a promotion.

I'm still waiting
for that raise.

I hate that part.

Announcer: And he'll discover
the unsung heroes

that make his business run.

There you go.
You got it. Whoo!

I don't have money,
but I can sure make you smile

at the end of the day.

That don't cost anything.

Announcer:
How will his co-workers react

when they find out
he's really the boss?

And how will it
change their lives?

This experience will change me
forever going forward.

Announcer: Find out next
on Undercover Boss.

== Sync by elderman ==
== for www.addic7ed.com ==

Announcer: Operating in
29 countries around the globe,

Belfor is the largest property
restoration company

in the world,

providing
post-disaster relief

and reconstruction
services after fires,

hurricanes, earthquakes,
and other natural disasters.

Working around the clock,
overseeing the 6,000 employees

at this $1.5 billion business
is one man.

I am Sheldon Yellen,

and I am the Chief
Executive Officer of Belfor.

Belfor is the largest
property restoration company

in the world.

In the event of a fire,
a hurricane, a tornado

we come in and repair
your property

to the pre-damage condition
it was in.

We get involved
with small losses,

from $200, all the way on up
to major, major losses,

like hurricane Katrina.

The damage
caused by Katrina

is indescribable.

The company started out
in '46 as an awning company.

And then my father-in-law
got into

the insurance restoration
business

back in 1979 or 1980.

And I joined the company
in 1984.

As I was growing up,

my dad was not around
as we were kids.

Every once in a while,
he'd show up

for a day or two or three,
or a week,

and then he'd be gone again.

My mom raised
four boys alone

on welfare benefits.

It was pretty difficult times.

I've been working since
I'm 11 years old.

My brothers and I
all worked hard

to help contribute
to the family.

We would just work, and whatever
money we made along the way

would go for one for all,
and all for one.

What's going on in Chile?

Everything's wrapping up.

We should be out of there--

two people are gonna stay
till the end of the year,

on the Iron Mountain job...

When the economic crisis hit
a couple years ago,

we immediately at Belfor
put out a wage freeze

and a hiring freeze

to make sure that our people
can feel they have a secure job

and that they don't
have to worry about

will they have a job
in two weeks from now

or four weeks from now.

We were on a short rope
for a little while, there.

But we got over it
and we continued on.

And the rest,
as they say, is history.

I enjoy the fact that I have

a little financial security
today.

I am in the process
right now

of purchasing
a private country club.

And I definitely have
a few additional liberties

that the average person
doesn't have.

Well, what do you guys think?

This is Tom Kelly.

[Laughter]

Look how cute you look!

It does not look
like Sheldon.

You look a lot younger.

I think by him
going undercover

that he will get along with
everybody, and they'll love him.

I don't know
how good a job he'll do,

because when he went
into the construction business,

I don't even know if he knew
what a hammer was.

How could you have
a gray beard

when your mother doesn't have
any gray hair?

I think mine's
a lot like yours.

So I think...

All right, you can't take
any of your, like,

Gucci stuff,
or stuff like that, Sheldon.

You need, like,
work boots, right?

Yeah, I guess.

Sheldon's a big spender,
all right, yes.

He likes clothes.
He likes shoes.

And if you go up
in his closet,

you'll see how many shoes
he actually has.

That's rugged, okay.

- Is that good?
- I'll take that, yeah.

I want to go undercover
to make sure.

Are there issues that
I need to be aware of

that do affect
the bottom line?

Is some equipment not returning
back to our shops?

Are some of our employees
doing side jobs or not?

All right, I will see
you guys in a week.

As I go undercover,

I will be Tom Kelly
from Phoenix, Arizona.

My employees will be told
that this is a show

where a man and a woman
compete against each other

to get a job at Belfor.

Well, my first day
on the job here.

Oh, great,
how do you do this?

It's been a long time
since I've done anything

that involved manual labor.

I just hope I can
keep up with the guys.

Don't want to embarrass myself
if I can help it.

This should be
an interesting day.

I'm here today
in Norfolk, Virginia,

and I'm looking forward
to going undercover

and doing some demolition work.

Hi, I'm here to see Joe.

- Come on in.
- Okay. Thank you.

I'm not sure what
I'm gonna find here.

Hopefully the damage
isn't too severe.

Hi. Joe?
Hey.

- Hi. Tom Kelly. How are ya?
- Hey, Tom.

All right, okay, look,
here's the uniform.

If you change into it,
I'll get you to work.

Okay, great. Thank you.

We got a newbie.
[Chuckles]

- Okay.
- Hey, you're back.

- I'm back. What happened?
- Oh, man.

A terrible thing
happened here.

The upstairs leaked
on the roof.

The drywall got wet
up in here.

The wall is all wet
behind that.

So what we're gonna do is
we're gonna take down

the rest of the drywall,

strip the entire walls
all the way off.

Let's start with loading out
all of these.

Fit as many in there
as you can.

Okay, great.

And, uh, hop to it, because
we gotta get this job goin'.

You think you got a handle
on that?

- Yes, sir.
- All right.

That's what I want to hear.

Aha, that's called
52-card pickup.

You did it.
[Laughter]

Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What are you doing?
You're killing me.

- What's that?
- No, no, no, no, no.

Holy moly.

Look, this box is gonna bust
down in here.

Yeah, just don't--
just don't Chuck it in there.

I thought, going into this,
that packing a box

would be relatively easy,

and I'd have a hard time
messing it up.

But I managed
to do it somehow.

They're gonna wonder
what kind of people we are.

Is the homeowner here?

Yeah.

She let you in.

- Oh, that's the homeowner.
- Yeah.

Oh, okay.

- Yeah, Mrs. Howell.
- Good.

And Mr. Howell, they've been
here for quite a few years.

That's enough, buddy.

[Drill whirring]

I've only been with these guys
four months.

- Really?
- Yeah. Yeah.

I've done quite
a few things.

What'd you do before this?

- Before this?
- Yeah.

I am a general contractor
in the state of Virginia.

I worked for a fella
for three years.

And then I said,
"well, you know what,

I think I can do it
on my own."

And that was 14 years ago.

But with the economy,
the profit margins are down.

It's like beating your head
against the wall.

See, look, I'm 50, right?

How many more years do you think
my body's gonna hold out

doing this kind
of heavy labor?

Let's get these boxes
out of here.

We gotta get this going,
guys, come on.

Okay, time.

I got something
for you to do.

But it's the new guy's job.

What's that?

There's a critter.

You know what happens,
they fall down in the ceiling,

and they can't get back up
the crawl space.

- Wow.
- Yep, put it in there.

And we're gonna give him
a good burial

out there in the dumpster.

Well, I was a little shocked
when Joe decided

to tell me to go behind
the wall there

and scoop up a dead animal
that's been there for years.

But I guess the new guy
on the job gets that job.

It was different.
I didn't expect that.

By the end of the day,

we've gotta have
this whole place down.

And there's insulation
up in there,

so we gotta suit up, okay.

We've gotta have jackets,
eye protection, hats.

All right, now,
you ready for the fun stuff?

Let's do it.

I'm out of breath
as I'm wearing this mask

and the goggles.

And your goggles fog up
while you're on a ladder

trying to pull down a ceiling.

Let's get this out
to the truck,

and then we can take
a little breather.

There you go.
You got it.

Whoo!
All right, good job.

All right.

Now, let's eat.
I'm hungry.

One week,
I worked 74 hours--

74-1/2 hours at
the military housing base.

We had a flood
come through here,

and all the roof collars
leaked.

What motivates you
for all that?

Here, these are
my two kids.

That's Natasha. 14.

And that's Hunter.
He's nine.

My daughter Natasha, I said,
"make me lunch every day.

I'll give you a dollar
a lunch pail."

But you know what,
if I had to go out

and pay lunch every day,

that's eight, nine bucks.

You were in
your own business, you said.

- Yeah.
- 14 years.

Yeah. I was doing over
$500,000 a year in sales.

I went in the hole 20 grand
on one job.

And then in the fall,
I got hit again

with a $10,000 shortfall.

Well, that's 30 grand.

But you gotta maintain
the debt.

Then I kept buying into
the home equity line

to keep going.

So how much work
is there here, though?

What if there's not
a leak tomorrow?

Then I'll--I'll hustle.
You know?

So you run more
than one job at a time?

Oh, yeah.

Well, when I heard Joe
was doing side jobs,

I had a pit in my stomach
for a moment there

because it's really not
something

that we like
to have happen.

It would affect potentially
the response time

that they would have
in the even of an emergency.

We gotta get back--we gotta
get back to what we're doing.

We're sitting here--
I could chitchat all day.

Don't let it get the best
of you.

Ooh, doggies!

Announcer:
Coming up...

The boss gets familiar
with power tools.

Announcer:
And later...

I don't think I'm supposed
to do this,

but I've got something
to tell you.

Announcer:
Sheldon Yellen,

the CEO of Belfor
property restoration,

is a boss undercover
within his own company.

His employees think he's part
of a reality show

where men and women
compete to see

who does the better job.

Charlotte,
let's get started

on this over here, okay?

Announcer: His journey
continues in Colorado.

I'm here today
in Denver, Colorado.

Today I'll be working
as a carpenter.

Is Drew here?

Yeah, that's me.

- Hey, Drew.
- How you doing?

- Tom. How are you?
- Tom, nice to meet you.

Basically, what we got
going on here

is final stages.

We had a fire
in this apartment.

We're gonna start
in this room here.

We've got some sheet rock
to put in.

I'm looking forward
to see just how

we put things back
to their original condition.

Okay, we're gonna go
straight up.

Up over the head.

Okay, hold the screw.
Hold it a little bit.

Let it get it going.
Let it bite.

Okay, you need to
push straight up.

Let's do it.

Jeez.

[Grinding]

Here you go.

Don't give up on it,
though, my man.

His screwing performance
was definitely subpar.

Straight up.

You gotta go
to your left.

Drew, there's gotta be
a better way.

This is stupid already.

- You're all right.
- I'm not all right.

Yeah, you are.
Don't let it get to you.

I'm getting frustrated.
Hanging drywall

is much harder
than I ever imagined.

Ah!

All right, why don't you
come over here and get this up,

because this is stupid.

- You're in good shape, man.
- I'm in good shape, eh?

Don't let the sheet rock
beat you up.

That's all you're doing.

You're letting it get
in your head.

Tom's biting at me, saying,
"this isn't working.

You finish it."

I mean, on a job site, that
just--I mean, it wouldn't fly.

We'll get back to this piece,

and then we can
finish out the rest

after we chow.
All right.

We're gonna go up
to the fourth floor

where the--there was
another fire up there.

Grab a bucket.
All right.

You got me pissed off
down there.

- I did? Why?
- Yeah.

Don't seem like
I'm making much progress.

You shouldn't
sweat it, man.

Why do you do this?
You're a young guy.

You could do anything.
You go to school?

I got my bachelor's degree

and my master's degree.

- In?
- Business. Got my MBA.

- You got an MBA?
- Yeah.

Master's in Business
Administration.

- So why you doing this?
- Student loans.

I owe a lot.

I pay over $500 a month.

I mean, I can't take
off of work

to find other work.

Ideally, I would like
to get into

some kind of marketing.

People, when they have
a tragedy,

they don't know about
restoration companies.

Unless they have a close friend
or somebody in the business,

and kind of know about it,
they don't.

So you said you were
into marketing.

You should be selling it,
right?

One day, maybe.
We'll see what happens.

Until then, I don't want
the boss coming in

seeing us sitting down.

[Drill grinding]

Pull it out, stop.
Pull it out.

[Drill grinding]

[Clatter]

This is stupid already.

You're gonna have to put one
in the cabinet.

Okay, you're gonna have
to hold it.

Push on the back of the gun.
You gotta keep it real--

see how you chewed that?
- Okay.

That's what we don't want
to do.

Okay, you're not even in.

Put yourself in a place
that you can see it.

You're not even--
you're not even in, dude.

All right, I got a great idea.
Finish this up.

That ain't gonna help you
at all, man.

No, it ain't,
but you know what--

- Well--
- This is nuts.

We are kind of
on a downward spiral.

We're not really connecting
or meshing as a team would.

Did it bite?

I hope it did 'cause it stripped
the hell out of the screw.

It's in.

- That was fun, wasn't it?
- Yeah, a lot of fun.

[Chuckles]
You know what, Tom,

I think we're at
a good stopping point.

- All right, that's it?
- Appreciate the help.

- Have a good rest of the day.
- I will.

You do the same.
Thanks.

I was close to worthless.

In fact, I might have been
less than worthless.

I'm not used to failing,

and I really didn't like
this experience today at all.

It was a terrible,
terrible day for me.

I couldn't perform
any of the tasks

he was asking me to do.

And the longer
it went on,

the more angry I got
at Drew.

It wasn't Drew's shortcomings.
They were my own shortcomings.

And I'm not used
to falling short.

I've had a wall or a bubble
placed around me at times,

and I've realized that
I'm probably just not as good

as I've been told by everybody
else in my business life.

Today I'm in Indianapolis,
Indiana

with one of our most efficient
and most profitable operations

in the country.

And I'm looking forward
to going undercover today

with one of our cleaning
technicians.

I'm here to work
with Brenda today.

Our clients' first impressions
of Belfor

are formed by the relationship
that they develop

with our cleaning technicians.

I want to see just
how spot-on we are

with our customer service.

- Hi.
- Hi.

- I'm looking for Brenda.
- How you doing?

- Good. How are you?
- Good. I'm fine.

I'm here to work today.
Okay. I got your uniform.

Oh, okay. Great.

Just start grabbing
some of this stuff,

and we'll load the truck.

So we're going to a house.

Yep. Light fire, they said.
Very light smoke.

Light fire.

And the key thing is
make the homeowner feel safe.

You know, like, trust you.

Yeah, and they'll be okay.

But we don't really talk
to the homeowners

though, anyway, do we?

Yeah. I get to know
a bunch of homeowners.

[Car door slams]

[Knocking on door]

Hi.
Hello.

How are you?
Just fine.

- I'm Brenda, from Belfor.
- Mm-hmm.

- Hi. How are you?
- Hello.

We're gonna be here
cleaning up your house.

Anything else you need cleaned
while we're here?

Take the opportunity.

[Laughs]

I'll show you what kind
of a mess we've got.

Oh, right here in--where--
the furnace.

How'd it start?

Went--it was starting
to go up the stack.

And I just come in
and call 911.

And they said,
"get the heck out of there."

Yeah, you're lucky it didn't
go worse that what it is.

We're gonna chem-sponge
the whole ceilings.

I'll show you--
we'll put these on a pole.

We're gonna do it
in every room.

Then we're gonna come back
and do the walls.

He's gonna do the kitchen,
but not yet, okay?

We didn't want nothin'
to fall in your pot pies.

[Laughter]
No, we're done with this.

I've been watching Brenda,
and her interaction

with the customers--she just
eases in the conversations.

Just automatically puts
the customer at ease.

Do you two live here
together?

- No, I come up--

when she's got problems,
I usually am here.

That's what daughters do,
huh?

- Yes, that's what daughters do.
- Ah, yes.

We're very close.

I suppose I'm supposed to know
which one's the mom

and which one's the daughter,
right?

[Chuckles]

That makes her feel bad.

Uh-oh, you better watch it.

I guess that's why
Brenda tells me

I should just
do my job and not talk.

And keep your mouth shut.

That's one thing
you don't never mess with,

is a woman's age.

I was just trying
to be personable.

I was trying to be
as nice as Brenda.

I guess sometimes
you just gotta think

before you talk.

[Coughs]

See, you look like you fit
right in already.

You got smoke
all over your face.

That's a good sign. Yeah.
I do?

How did I do that?

[Laughing]
I don't know.

We're gonna take a water break.
Okay.

- You probably need one.
- Yeah.

You'll be needing
some Ben gay when you go home.

Those are nice people,
though.

She live here
36 years, and...

She's glad--she's lucky she's
got a daughter that cares.

Some people's kids--
I've been in family houses

where kids talk to their parents
like, oh, my God.

I've seen the rich, and I've
seen the poorest of poor.

And I'd be
with the poorest of poor

before I would the rich.

Because the rich
don't have no heart.

They don't care.

A poor person,
they care about each other.

So I was homeless
for a little bit.

And I lived in a boxcar
from a train.

Imagine that.

What do you mean,
you lived in a boxcar?

Yeah, I stayed
in a boxcar. Mm-hmm.

How long you live
in a boxcar?

Baby, till I was,
like, seven.

- Really?
- Mm-hmm.

No bathroom, no tv,
and no bathtub.

My grandma would boil water,
and we'd take a bath

in one of them big old
black kettles.

Did you go to school?

Grandma tried to teach us
what she could down there.

Like home school.

- And you're smiling every day.
- Yeah.

You have a great attitude.

I'm glad I'm here.

I could be under a bridge
again.

And you want to make
them happy.

Yeah. Yeah.

'Cause that's all
I got to offer.

[Crying] I've been blessed
in my life, financially,

to be where I'm at.

And I have had
an opportunity this week

to meet people

that are working harder
than I ever have.

And I can't help but think,

what is it that I can do

for people like Brenda?

How long you been doing this?

Six years.

Six years.

Why couldn't you pass it?

Because I don't
have education.

All them numbers, and...

And I couldn't.
I couldn't get it.

You know,
if he would have said,

"tell me what you do
when you go on a water loss,

the first thing..."

You do the work.

But I couldn't read it.
Yeah.

I couldn't...
Pass the written test.

Yeah, I couldn't get it.

How'd you feel that day?

Like that big.

When you're in a room
of people

and everybody's raising
their hand but you...

But you know what to do,

but you can't...

When my grandkids ask me,
"grandma, could--" psh.

"I can't help you
with nothin'."

Okay? Ready?
You ready to go back in?

Time to get back to work.

All right.

We got that furnace room.

With Brenda today,

and listenin' to her story...

To have survived all of this

and have that zest for life
that she has,

the positive feelings
that she gives off to people,

she's just
an incredible person.

Ready for me to check it?

I'm ready.
I think it's pretty good.

You did really good.

Yeah. Not so bad.

I'd hire you.

- You'd hire me?
- Yeah.

Well, I like that.

Perfect.
I sure would.

You got to be kidding me.

Wow.

This is unbelievable.

Yeah.

[Groans]

This is a tight crawl space.

Oh, my God.

Announcer: And later,
Sheldon's employees think

they're coming to company
headquarters to cast their vote.

I'm a little nervous, yeah,

but I feel confident
in who I'm picking.

Announcer: But how will they
react when he reveals the truth?

I'm Sheldon Yellen,
the CEO of Belfor.

Announcer:
Sheldon Yellen,

the CEO of Belfor
disaster restoration

is a boss undercover
within his own company.

His employees think
he's part of a reality show

where men and women compete
to see who does the better job.

Get you
into a outfit here.

Announcer: His journey
continues in Virginia.

Today I'm
in Chesapeake, Virginia,

and I will be entering a home
that has had a water loss.

Today I hope to find out

if our crews
and our technicians

are providing the services
in a timely fashion.

Hi.
Is, uh, Jen here?

Yes. Hey.
I'm a water tech.

How you doing?
Yeah, hi.

I'm Tom. How are you?
Good.

So we have a water damage.

Started in the bathroom,
I believe the toilet,

overflowed out
into the living room.

Because this water damage
just happened,

we're not
in a mold threat yet.

Mold will start to grow
after 72 hours.

That's kind of
our golden window.

If we can get things dried out

in the first three days,
we're good.

Are these people
here in the house, living here?

Yeah, they'll stay here,
because there's no significant

damage which would impede
their living.

Now, the next step
is going into the crawl space

to see what insulation
underneath here

needs to come out.
All right?

Okay.

All right, let's do it.

- All right.
- Let's get suited up.

You're upside down.

- What's that?
- Your mask is upside down.

- It is?
- Yeah.

All right.

- You got to be kidding me.
- Nope.

This is the most glamorous
part of our job.

You're serious?

I am absolutely serious.

When I see that opening,

I had a little bit
of a gulp in my throat,

and my stomach
was a little bit in knots.

It's low, so you have
to stay as low as you can.

Wow.

This is unbelievable.

Yeah.
[Groans]

This is a tight crawl space.

Welcome to the day in a life
of a water tech at Belfor.

Yeah.

It is so tight down there,

you can't lift your head.

You can't lift your body.

I don't--I don't think
I'm claustrophobic,

but I can tell you something,

that is not a comfortable
feeling being down there.

All of this insulation...

- Yeah.
- That's all soaking wet.

The insulation that's wet
underneath the house

will allow for mold to grow

on the beams that are basically
below the subfloor.

Oh, my God.

Can't believe
this is what I'm doing.

And then
I had the thought of...

Are we the only two creatures
or critters down here?

You just feel that
your whole world

is closed in on you.

It's not a comfortable
feeling at all.

So, all right.
Well, we've assessed it.

Let's go ahead
and go back out.

Tom definitely was not liking
being in there.

It's a very tight space,
and it's gross,

and he complained
at every turn.

So he definitely, um,
needs to buck up a little bit

if he's gonna do this job.

It's unbelievable.

You get the award
of, uh, big fat baby.

Of big fat baby.

For crawl spaces.

I'll take it.
Wow.

I'm not real happy right now
about what I just did.

I know we ask a lot
of our people.

This might be going overboard.

Thank you.
You're welcome.

You do this every day.

It's unbelievable.

This one's actually
kind of easy,

compared to ones
that I normally do.

You must get paid okay
to do this,

or you wouldn't be doing this.

How do I answer that?

When I came to Belfor,

I was hired as a cleaner.

I got hired in at
a certain salary for that job.

I got a promotion
to be a water tech.

It's a promotion.

You should be getting a raise
with a promotion.

I'm still waiting
for that raise,

and that was almost
a year ago now.

If corporate says
there's a raise freeze,

there's a raise freeze.

Nobody gets a raise.

But we're still out
doing what we do every day.

I don't have to stay
at Belfor.

I stay at Belfor because I have
a passion for what I'm doing.

It's not the homeowner's fault

that I get paid peanuts

for the amount of work
that I do every day.

I can't walk in there
and because I may not

have been able to make a payment
of some kind the night before

and let them see that.

They have enough
to worry about.

You said "corporate."

I wonder. I wonder
if corporate would trip over me

and know who I was.

Probably not, but, I mean,
that's just the way it goes.

I put this pay freeze
in place.

My intention was
to protect everybody.

And to think that
there are people out there

that believe corporate
has no care or concern for them

really bothered me.

I just--
I really appreciate it, Jen.

- No problem.
- You're terrific, and...

And, um...

I don't think
I'm supposed to do this,

but I got something
to tell you.

My name is Sheldon Yellen.

I'm the CEO of Belfor.
Oh!

And I've been working
undercover.

No!

I don't think
I'm supposed to do this,

but I got something
to tell you.

My name is Sheldon Yellen.

- I'm the CEO of Belfor.
- Oh!

And I've been
working undercover.

No!

- And, Jen...
- No, come on.

You're getting your raise.

You're getting that raise
that you want.

And thank you for representing
us the way you do.

Thank you.

Oh, my God.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I'm totally, totally blown away,
but thank you.

I had to do this
after being with you today.

It's been an absolute pleasure
working for Belfor,

and I wouldn't--I can't imagine
working anywhere different.

No matter the circumstances,
I can't.

And I don't want to.

So...

She's an incredible person,

and what she does every day

just affected me in such a way

that I just--
I had to do what I did,

and--and I don't regret it
for one minute.

And this was a life-changing
experience here today.

- Well...
- Thank you.

Jen,
I just want you to know,

I got to think about what all
this means and what I can do,

but I'll be seeing you
at the end of the week.

Thank you.

And don't give up.

Well, it was a pleasure
to meet you...Finally.

It was a pleasure
to meet you,

and I promise you,
from corporate,

we will no longer ignore you.

Thank you.
Thank you.

I'm, like, completely
just blown away right now,

completely blown away.

I never thought in a thousand
years that would ever happen,

so...

Yeah.

Well, this is the end
of my journey,

and it's been an incredible
experience, to say the least.

After just finishing up
a hard day at work,

I can't help but think,

here's a woman who spends
her days working so hard,

and an hour after leaving her,

I'm sitting here
on a private plane heading home.

I have lived my life
in a bit of a bubble

and/or have had a wall
put up around me.

I thought that I was very
in tune and in touch

with so much more
than I actually was.

And the more I reflect
on the people

I have just recently met,

the more I question
what I do with money,

whether
the five-star hotel stays

are necessary for me
anymore at this point

and how I conduct and operate
my own life going forward.

Well, uh,
we got a lot to go over.

We here at corporate
have a disconnect.

If we want to stay
at the top of our game,

we got to be more in touch
with our people--

have to be.

Side jobs are an issue.

Some of our people
may not be making enough money.

And if our employees
aren't getting the opportunity

for overtime
or to make commissions,

they're gonna go find it
on their own.

This guy Joe, who's doing
all the side work--

in my heart, I believe
he doesn't want to be doing it.

He wants to give 110%

of his time and effort
and energy to Belfor,

and we're not smart enough
to have recognized it.

That's something
we got to deal with.

When we put the wage freeze
in place,

we did it with the intent

of protecting
6,000 Belfor families,

but maybe it's time
to get away

from a solid wage freeze.

I think it's something
the three of you

should collectively look at

and get back to me
and let's talk about that,

'cause it's a huge issue.

There's no doubt that

there are some issues
out there in the field.

And we do need to get closer
to our people,

and we do need to understand
our people's challenges,

and we have to be aware of it,
that's for sure.

- Let's do it.
- Okay.

Thank you, guys.

All the employees think they've
been called to headquarters

to cast their vote

for myself or the woman
I competed against.

- Hello.
- Hi.

I'm Joe.
I'm here to cast my vote.

Sure.
Go ahead and have a seat.

They have no idea
what they're really here for.

To vote for one person
over the other,

I guess it would be safe
to say that, with Tom,

we didn't click very well.

- You can go in now.
- Thank you.

Hi.

What are you doing here?

Do you know who I am?

You look like the guy
that I worked with,

but you don't have
a beard anymore.

I think last week
you knew me as Tom Kelly.

I did indeed.

- I'm Sheldon Yellen...
- Sheldon?

The CEO of Belfor.

Are you--really?

Oh, my God.

You look like you lost
a little weight.

- Good to see you again.
- Good to see you.

Drew, you aggravated me
so much.

- [Chuckles]
- I was so mad.

In fact, I don't think
we clicked at all.

- I was mad.
- I could tell.

I hope you're not gonna fire me.
[Chuckling]

Drew, I know I'm not
the easiest person to work with,

and I do owe you an apology.

[Chuckles]

It's not often that I go
about my business and fail,

and leaving there,

I was blaming you
for my failure.

It wasn't you.
It was me.

Drew,
I heard you loud and clear

that you wanted
a marketing opportunity.

I'm gonna put you in touch

with one of our top
marketing people in the company

and see what you got.

I'm blown away.
I'm completely blown away.

Well, I know how hard you
worked to get through school.

I know it took
a huge commitment

to work, go to school
at the same time.

And I'd like to give you a check

for $15,000
toward your student loans.

Get out of town. No way.
Are you kidding me?

- Yes, sir.
- Oh, my lord.

I got the chills right now.
I'm just...

I got the chills, man.

I can't even...

I can't even
thank you enough.

It just helps me
in every way possible.

I mean, if I could give him
a big kiss, I would do it,

but it would just look awkward,
you know?

Joe, I know you've been
with us a short while,

but I see the talent in you.

Uh, however, I know
that you're doing side jobs,

and I'd really like you to spend
your time and energy

securing work for Belfor
in the future.

And so I would like to promote
you to project manager.

Uh...

I'm in.

I've watched you.
I've listened to you.

I've observed you,
and as a result of that,

I want to advance you $10,000

on your commissions
that I know you'll be making

as a project manager.

That's amazing.

In addition,
I would also like

to help you
jump-start the process

of paying down
some previous debts,

and I would like to give you
an additional bonus

of $10,000
for yourself as well.

[Sighs deeply]

Thank you.
I don't know what else to say.

This opportunity that Sheldon
has presented to me

will definitely change my life.

[Sighs deeply]

Did that just happen?

Brenda, being with you
was an honor.

Let me share with you why.

You made me feel comfortable
the minute I met you.

I was so impressed with
your spirit and your passion.

I heard you tell me how you
were robbed of an education.

Yeah.

Well,
we're giving you $10,000

toward the education
of your grandchildren.

Thank you.

Brenda, I'm not done.

I know how important it is

for you to get
your water-damage certification.

And I am putting you
directly in touch

with our head of training
and development...

Mm-hmm.

Who is going to walk you
through the training class,

and there won't be
no written test.

Oh.

There will be a verbal test

and a test of skills
on the job site.

I'm certain of it,
with your skills,

that you will pass,

and you will stand
among your peers

with your head tall.

And I thank you
from the bottom of my heart

for letting me
get to know you

and for allowing me...

It was my pleasure.

To now tell you
that I'd like to give you

an additional
$15,000 bonus check for you...

Get out of here.

To do with
whatever you'd like.

And you didn't even know

I was about ready probably lose
my house or nothing.

I never told you anything.

I don't even know
what to say.

For somebody like you
to even notice,

'cause no one ever does.

They always say,
"why don't you go back to school

and learn how to talk right?"
Or...

Don't you change a thing.

Somebody says
you're pretty smart.

And you're 50, and you never
heard that in your life,

it makes me feel proud.

That's pretty crazy.

That's--it's amazing.

That's what it is.
It's amazing.

It's good to see you again.

Great to see you.

Thanks for coming in.

Oh, it's a pleasure.
Thank you.

You look...

Better.
[Both laugh]

Jen, watching and observing

the passion that you have,

the integrity,
the character that you have,

I had no choice
but to take off my hat

and let you know who I was,

and when you said to me
that if somebody from corporate

were to have tripped over you,
they wouldn't even notice you,

I had to reveal myself to you
right then and there.

I wouldn't let you go home that
night thinking that anymore.

And as a result of that,

I want you to know I am making
a personal commitment

from this day forward

to have six
town hall meetings a year

with hundreds
of our people at a time,

and letting them know
that I want to get to know them.

I do care.

I think that that will go
such a long way

with the people
that we work with every day.

I would like you to take
a week's paid vacation.

[Chuckles]

And from the date
of your promotion,

I am gonna give you
that back pay retroactive

for all of the hours
that you've worked

since February to this day
to get your current.

Wow.

I heard you so clearly

tell me that the night
before you were with me,

you couldn't pay your bills.

I would like to additionally

give you
a $15,000 bonus check...

And hope that that will help.

But never in a million years
did I ever think

that anybody would take the time
to sit down with me,

and just to even just tell me
that you see it.

I'm not used to that.

And it makes me love
this company more.

And it makes me want to do more
for this company

and be here for as long
as I possibly can be here.

We are a better company
because of you.

I don't think
it's hit home yet.

I don't think
it's gonna hit home

until I'm laying down
to try to fall asleep tonight,

and I realize I'm not falling
asleep tonight,

because it's all still going
about a thousand miles an hour

in my head, so, yeah.

Yeah.

Thank you.

[Sighs]

I'm feeling just a little bit
nervous right now.

I'm very excited
to share my journey

with our company.

[Cheers and applause]

Hello, everybody.

I'm Sheldon Yellen.

I'm the CEO of Belfor.

I've spent the last week

going undercover
throughout the company

for Undercover Boss.

[Cheers and applause]

Our people just knock it
out of the park

every single day for everybody
all over the world.

Their stories
are unbelievable,

and I can't wait
to share my experiences.

Whoa.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What are you doing?
[Laughter]

You're killing me.

[Coughs]

You got smoke
all over your face.

[Laughter]

[Drill whirs]

Did it bite?
I hope it did,

'cause it stripped
the hell out of the screw.

[Laughter]

[Applause]

This experience will change me
forever going forward.

It woke me up
and made me realize,

that as I started out
on my journey,

just how wrong I was.

I really believed that sitting
in Birmingham, Michigan,

at a desk,
I had the right

to stand up and say,
"we take care of our people."

And I've learned firsthand

that the people
take care of this company.

I may not have lived up
to your expectations...

But I promise you
I'll do better going forward.

I've got to thank my mom...

For holding it all together...

With no money,
raising four boys alone.

Thank you.

[Cheers and applause]

I wound up
getting very emotional,

and I don't regret any of it.

In fact,
I hope that my boys today

were able to see their dad

standing up there,
showing his emotions,

and I hope they know
that's life,

not the material things.

Take down the walls.

Don't live in a cocoon.

And just be out there
and enjoy it.

Some of us weren't smart enough
to learn that earlier on.

== Sync by elderman ==
== for www.addic7ed.com ==