In a bid to tackle a recruitment crisis, a businessman from Maidstone will tonight don a disguise and go undercover in his company to see the business through his employees eyes.

Mark Taylor, the managing director of Pickfords, Britain’s largest and oldest removal company, will appear on ITV's Undercover Big Boss.

Watch the trailer for Undercover Big Boss. Credit: ITV

Each episode follows some of the nation’s biggest business leaders to see how they cope when they are on the bottom rung of the ladder and step into a life they had long ago left behind.

The reason Mr Taylor, who has been working at the company for 35 years, went undercover was to unearth why it has been difficult to recruit the next generation of staff.

Pickfords, which has a £50 million turnover, was founded in the 17th century.

It has coped through the Napoleonic Wars, helped equip the frontline in the first World War and even moved NATO, but is currently fighting it’s biggest battle – trying to overcome a recruitment crisis after a pandemic.

Unlike many companies, the pandemic actually boosted Pickford’s business - the stamp duty holiday encouraged many house buyers, but the increase in workload also highlighted the lack of new boots on the ground.

The episode sees him spending the day with Frankie, one of the company’s longest standing employees to find out why he has stayed loyal for so long, in the hope that he can use what he discovers to attract newbies.

Instead, he learns that Frankie feels undervalued and taken for granted and is shocked when he stumbles upon the living conditions some of his employees are forced to face when working on overnight jobs for the company.

Mr Taylor, 54, said: "I had met Frankie in the past but he didn’t recognise me which shows you how good my disguise was.

"He is an experienced guy with good ideas for the business going forward. I learned that there are so many ideas from those on the shop floor which could make the business a lot better.

"I want to put in place a way for me to pull those ideas from the operative teams.

"There were some welfare conditions I wasn't entirely happy with which we made some changes too and those are part of the reveal."

Reflecting on his visit, Mr Taylor said: "I’ve always known the kind of job they’ve done because I’ve experienced it myself but it was almost a bit of a reminder to go back there.

"Really the biggest purpose for doing it was to look at recruitment because we have got an ageing workforce.

"Our average age is about 42 and less than 10% of our workforce is under 30 so it’s really about the next generation and what I could discover to attract new people to the business."

Pickfords currently has around 60 vacancies across the company.

When asked why he is struggling to attract new recruits, Mr Taylor, who previously coached the youth team at Maidstone United, said: "Covid hasn't helped but I think it’s more that with this industry, once you join it you either love it or hate it.

"Nobody sets out to have a career in removals but it’s a fantastic job to have and we want people to see that."

The show, which was filmed in June, took four weeks to shoot in locations across the UK including Lincolnshire, Hampshire and even some scenes in Maidstone.

For his last undercover mission, he joins forces with Anthony in Newcastle – one of the company’s newest recruits.

After a hard day’s moving, he learns that although Anthony loves his new job, his colleagues are less than enamoured with the rate they are paid and feel they could be earning more in less skilled work elsewhere.

"Nobody sets out to have a career in removals but it’s a fantastic job to have and we want people to see that..."

While his talks with those on the ground prove vital, Mr Taylor says one of the highlights of the show was his disguise.

He explained: "It was a permanent disguise so once it was done, it was done.

"I had to spend four weeks over the filming period not trying to bump into anyone I knew or going into my office.

"I was due to go out with my boys who are 22 and 24 to watch the football with them but they decided they would rather not go out with me.

"I was worried my hair wouldn’t grow back but it’s nearly there now."

Off the back of his undercover journey Mr Taylor has been spurred into making a number of changes which will be revealed at the end of tonight's episode.

While he is looking forward to the show airing, he says he will find it difficult to watch himself on the TV.

He said: "I am going to sit there with my hands over my eyes.

"It was hard work, and I certainly realised I'm not fit enough to do it on a daily basis but I remembered what it was like to be a part of a team.

"The comradery that you get is fantastic and part of me felt quite emotionally tied to the crews I went out with.

"I’ve made a number of changes off the back of it and if I have to watch a couple of embarrassing moments for that message to get across then so be it."

Head to our business page for all the latest news about business in Kent

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone