- Title: Boss Swap
- Date: 20th January 2004
- Summary: You may trust someone with your dearly beloved, but how about your precious company? From the award-winning makers of Wife Swap comes Boss Swap , in which two MDs from very different fields are charged with the task of running one another's business for 12 days, implementing changes with the specific intention of improving the company's performance. The two brave bosses have never met and neither knows their new destination or who will be replacing them in their absence. Will fresh vision lead to greater success, or will inexperience result in downfall? Bruce Burkitt, a self-made millionaire, has run Lynx estate agency in south London for 12 years. The agency employs 18 people in three offices, and Bruce monitors them closely and works them exceptionally hard. "I love money," he admits unashamedly, "the more money the better." His dynamic approach sees him in the gym by 6:30am every morning, before a long, fast-paced day at work. Mike Porritt started Carshock, his no-frills car dealership, 18 months ago. There are now four branches in north-east England, employing a total of 40 people. His approach is more relaxed, revolving around lager and loyalty. Bruce is looking forward to the swap. "I think it'll make us better people at the end of it, and hopefully I'll walk away with a few friends as well." Mike is also optimistic. "I'm not nervous at all. I'm looking forward to it." Could it be that the two of them are in for a rude awakening? On his first full day, Bruce's all-action approach quickly becomes apparent. He is immediately suggesting changes to the Carshock forecourt in Newcastle. The next morning, he arrives at work to find that none of the cars have been repositioned, and none of his changes implemented. His opinion of staff deteriorates further on a visit to other showrooms, where he finds staff either absent or unenthusiastic. His conclusion? "A fucking shambles". In London, Mike's approach is to get to know the managers of the three Lynx branches. One of them, Debbie, is Bruce's wife. He calls a meeting where he has them sit psychometric tests to evaluate their personalities, and then outlines his concerns about the company. He suggests the working hours they demand of staff are unreasonable, and could cause burn out. Stuart and Debbie are unimpressed, and consider the meeting "a big waste of time". In Newcastle, meanwhile, Bruce has called the whole company together to explain how he feels they could improve their professionalism. His motivational speech impresses few of the staff, one senior member suggesting he has "a really quite bad management style". Already strained relations hit rock bottom in London when Mike dramatically asks Debbie to leave the company. She breaks the rules by calling Bruce, who is livid: "What's the guy doing? He's ruining my fucking business." Stuart agrees. "Mike is a business cancer... I want him removed." After a furious row with Stuart, Mike leaves Lynx early in the second week, and does not return. Meanwhile, at Carshock, with sales at an all-time low and morale even lower, a senior employee has asked Bruce to resign. When the request is refused, Mike is called on to sack him. Less than halfway through the second week, the whole swap has collapsed amid acrimony and disaster. All that's left is for the bosses, and their lieutenants, to meet up to discuss matters...
- Description:This series will observe what happens when two bosses switch places for two weeks. How do their management styles compare and how will their new employees react to them?
- Broadcaster:Channel 4
- Collection: Channel 4
- Genre:Entertainment
- Producer:RDF Media Ltd.
- Programme Episode:Episode 2
- Transmission Date:20/01/2004
- Rights:UK and Eire
- Decade: 2000s