Oriental Trading Company

Why I went on Undercover Boss

I went on Undercover Boss to get a first-hand look at our fulfillment center operations and discover just what it takes to deliver thousands of orders to our customers on time and accurately every day, at the lowest guaranteed prices. Through this experience I hoped to gain a greater understanding of our front-line employees and to see if they had the tools and equipment needed to complete their important tasks successfully. I also wanted to hear how our employees truly feel about working at our company - what they like and what we need to improve. Since I was in disguise undercover, I knew our employees would give me the straight scoop!

What I learned from going undercover

I learned several invaluable lessons from my Undercover Boss experience. First, I learned that our front-line employees are really good at what they do, focusing on being productive and taking care of our customers. We have the best employees in the business! In addition to providing world-class customer service, our employees have good hearts, loving families, and challenges in their everyday lives. Second, I learned that two-way communication throughout our company is critical. Our employees have great ideas on how to increase productivity and improve customer service, but sometimes their ideas don’t make it up through our extensive communication channels. We have taken steps to improve this process throughout our company.

Lastly, I learned that nothing beats rolling up your sleeves and working alongside your employees to really see what it is like to do their jobs and get to know them personally. I was able to determine which tools and pieces of equipment work well and which ones need to be improved. I received unfiltered, honest feedback from our employees and have never been more proud to work with such a talented and dedicated group of people! Since my Undercover Boss experience, we have addressed the opportunities and issues raised by our employees. I now require every member of our senior management team to spend time each year working alongside our front-line employees throughout the company so they may get a taste of the phenomenal experience I was fortunate enough to receive.

Background:

Taylor has nearly 20 years of E-commerce, catalog and retail experience, working for Hewlett-Packard, Best Buy, Lands' End and Disney before joining Oriental Trading as CEO. He received an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University.

Why the Boss wants to go undercover:

At Oriental Trading Company, selling fun is a priority. By going undercover, Sam hopes to see that the message of selling fun is reaching his frontline employees.

Jobs he will do undercover:

Large Item Picker, Night Shift:

Under Sam's leadership, Oriental Trading Company has invested a substantial amount in cutting edge technology to ensure that orders are filled as efficiently as possible. Will the new technology help the boss get the products to the right place or will it get lost in translation?

Truck Loader

Packing a shipping truck is all about using every inch of space to maximize efficiency. Will the boss be able to take the heat in this high pressure environment?

Small Item Packer

Accuracy is key in the role of a packer at Oriental Trading Company. Will the boss be able to meet the same quotas and standards he places on his employees?

Inductor

Inductors at Oriental Trading Company use one of the fastest machines of its kind to sort thousands of items a day. Will the boss feel the need for speed when he faces it head on?

Employees:

• Troy, Large Item Packer
• Andrew, Truck Loader
• Kim, Small Item Packer
• Julia, Inductor