While in California recently, I saw a reality program called "Undercover Boss," in which the president of a company disguises himself as a new hire and works beside his frontline employees. The boss thus comes to appreciate how important those people are to the success of his business. At the end of the segment, the president, having revealed himself to his astounded charges, was weeping and giving each person he worked with a raise or a promotion.

Though I don't question the show's integrity, its effects are purely sentimental, and I doubt it will make any difference in the prevailing corporate attitude, which increasingly sets the bottom line above the people at the bottom. In America right now, corporate profits are higher than ever, and so is unemployment.

Not long after, I saw a similar reality show on NHK called "Shigoto Hakken-den." The title is a play on words that mixes a famous samurai legend with a term commonly used to describe temporary workers. A famous person toils in a specific occupation for a limited period and learns that jobs we take for granted require skill and experience. The manifest aim of "Undercover Boss" is that a worker's value is recognized and then properly rewarded. In "Shigoto Hakken-den," no reward is expected. Recognition is enough.