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As a manager, have you ever worried that your job title and company status get between you and what鈥檚 really happening on site? If offered the chance to check in your management persona at the site hut and walk on site as just another operative, would you take it?

Stephen Martin, chief executive of the 拢120m turnover Clugston Group, was given just such an opportunity when he signed up for Channel 4鈥檚 upcoming Undercover Boss series. It was a brave decision, especially as the Lincolnshire-based contractor had just made staff redundant and the order book was showing only low-value work coming in.

But the London Business School MBA was undaunted. 鈥業 thought it would be a great experience, we could find out at the grassroots what the real issues were, and what people think generally. I jumped in with both feet and totally immersed myself in it.鈥�

Immersion meant living away from home in a Scunthorpe B&B, swapping his suit for work clothes and PPE, and labouring incognito on a different site each day for two weeks. To explain the camera crew, the story was that Channel 4 was filming a documentary about an office worker who wanted a taste of the active, outdoors life.

The entertainment value for readers is matched by management value for Martin, who made discoveries about retaining older workers鈥� skills and training new recruits. However, he says the 鈥榦verriding theme鈥� was communication. 鈥業 found you鈥檝e really got to look at communication in a recession, you can鈥檛 over-communicate because you need absolute commitment from the people in the organisation.鈥�

Martin says he realised managers needed to be even more visible and accessible in a downturn than normal 鈥� or the vacuum is filled by rumours that sap morale. 鈥楳anagers weren鈥檛 giving updates because there wasn鈥檛 anything to say, but that鈥檚 exactly what they needed to get out and talk about,鈥� he says.

Understandably, the main concerns were about not winning work and redundancy.

If we can improve morale, it鈥檒l help us compete with the best in the industry

Stephen Martin, Clugston Group

鈥極n the whole, HR and legal teams are good at managing redundancy for people who leave, but we don鈥檛 give the full explanation for people who are staying,鈥� explains Martin. 鈥楤ecause people didn鈥檛 understand the criteria, they think 鈥渘ext time it鈥檒l be me鈥�.鈥�

He also found site noticeboards that were ignored because the displays never changed, managers鈥� 鈥榦pen-door鈥� policies that failed because workers felt the onus was on them to make a complaint, and briefing notes ignored because the language was too formal.

After filming, Martin initiated a company survey to find out how Clugston workers wanted communication and feedback. One outcome is the idea of regular 鈥榮kip level鈥� meetings, where managers meet the teams two levels below. 鈥業t鈥檚 a chance to raise issues that perhaps aren鈥檛 being addressed,鈥� says Martin.

The company鈥檚 quarterly news bulletin has also been abandoned. Instead, company announcements, such as new contract wins, will be made at site meetings.

A Worker Engagement Team, comprising representatives from board down to site level, has also been established to raise and communicate issues, while Martin has invited site workers to join him for a 鈥榖eer and sandwiches鈥� lunch in the boardroom. 鈥業t鈥檚 a relaxed format, and it鈥檚 already resulted in useful requests, such as for steel-soled boots.鈥�

In overhauling Clugston鈥檚 communications, Martin has never lost sight of the overall goal. 鈥業t鈥檒l help us to compete with the best in the industry if we can improve morale and demonstrate to the workforce how we can make a difference. In these difficult times, you need to show commitment and change your culture.鈥�