The average New Zealander will spend a third of their lifetime working and up to 160 hours commuting every year. They're a business' greatest asset. To get the best out of this human resource requires a human connection. So we're about to drop a range of New Zealand bosses into an experience that will show them what life is really like for their workers. Will this experience inspire the boss to make meaningful change for their workers? And will employees see their boss through new eyes? Tonight ` founder and CEO of New Zealand company Just Water Tony Falkenstein takes on the challenge to live for a week with delivery driver Isaiah. This is gonna be one crazy experience for both me and the other person. For this 72-year-old businessman, life as he knows it is about to change drastically. Wow! (ISAIAH LAUGHS) There'll be many surprising revelations on his journey. I'll be straight up with you. What sucks is that it makes us drivers look bad. But will this boss be affected by the experience? Will it make him want to improve things for the 120 employees at his company? I have been living with an employee for the last week. (EMPLOYEES EXCLAIM) www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2020 (PHONE PLAYS GENTLE ALARM) My name is Isaiah. I live in South Auckland in Otara, and I am a driver for Just Water. (REFLECTIVE PIANO MUSIC) I get up at 5 o'clock in the morning. I get ready, have a shower, brush my teeth. And then after breakfast, about 5.30 in the morning, I leave home to walk to the bus stop,... catch my bus from Otara to get to Otahuhu train station,... catch the train to get to Penrose, and then from Penrose train station, it takes me about a 15-minute walk to get to work. The hardest thing in my job is some days, it will be quite hectic. In my busiest day, I would deliver over 200 bottles. (POIGNANT MUSIC) The job also gets tough when you have a big delivery and it's also a busy day. Traffic does really kill time, and time is really important when you need to do your job. If I don't make my deliveries on time, I pretty much go into overtime. Still gotta keep on going until all your deliveries are completed. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Isaiah's workday is well underway by the time his Tesla-driving boss arrives. I'm Tony Falkenstein. I'm 72 years old. I'm the founder and chief executive of Just Water. Why water? Well, it goes back to 32 years ago when we started. And if you'd asked someone, 'Would you pay for water?', they would've said, 'You're crazy.' But here we are, 32 years later. We've got tens of thousands of water coolers out in the marketplace. At Just Water, we have about 120 employees, and they come from all walks of life ` lots of Indians, Pacific Islanders, Maori and Europeans. Most of them are under 30. I lift up the age group at my age. I am a person who really cares about our employees, because, I mean, they really are like family. Many of our staff have been here over 20 years, and most staff like being here. Tony is as ambitious for his staff and their well-being as he is for his business. The sort of thing we aim for is by 12 to have everyone at about 60%, so we're going OK. From my employees, I get great feedback on what they're doing in the job. I don't really get feedback on, hey, what's happening at home ` what challenges have they really got at home? So Tony has agreed to live with delivery driver Isaiah for a working week. I have a stranger coming into my house, and, yes, he's my boss. This is gonna be one crazy experience for both me and the other person. You know, I'm not worried about it. In fact, I'm really, really keen to find out where I'll be living. And that's how I like life. Life is exciting, and what's gonna be the next thing that happens in your life? WOMAN: Is that how you roll? That's how I roll, baby. (LAUGHS) Sorry! The first day of the social experiment has arrived. OK. Daddy's gonna go away. Today, Tony Falkenstein is swapping his privileged lifestyle in Remuera for something a bit more modest. See ya later, Pretzel. This chief executive is going to live with delivery driver Isaiah for a working week... Morning! ...to see if there are ways to improve working conditions for everyone at his company. I've got no idea where I'm going. (CHUCKLES) I am totally in the dark. I've always liked things like going into the unknown and surprises, so I'm sure there might be some. Tony is leaving Auckland's richest area for one of its poorest ` Otara. I know I'm in Otara, cos I've been here before. And, uh, yeah, this is gonna be even more exciting than being in Remuera. (CHUCKLES) Out here, most people are renting their home, they live further away from their place of work, and household incomes are well below the national average. What's freaking me out the most is Tony's opinion on me. Yeah, I'm worried that he might look at me differently, and hopefully that doesn't happen. This boss is about to experience what life is really like for working-class New Zealand, where the bottom 30% have just 1% of the wealth. It will be crazy. I mean, it will be a crazy week that I'm gonna be going on, and I'm really looking forward to it. Wow! (LAUGHS) Isaiah, how are you? Whoa! Hey, Tony. (LAUGHS) Hey! I don't really know anything about him. I mean, he's a confident guy, and, uh, I remember the first time I met him, he actually introduced himself to me. Just come` come over. Um... Thank you. Take my shoes off? Yes, of course. I'm feeling nervous. I feel happy. I'm feeling all sorts of emotions right now. (CHUCKLES) Mum, this is my boss Hi. I'm Tony. Hi, hi. CEO. How are you? Nice to meet you. My hand's a bit wet. (CHUCKLES) Yeah, my mother, she's the CEO of my family. Right. (LAUGHS) And what's your name again? Tahakitira, but you can call me 'T' for short, if you'd like. T. That sounds a lot better. Yeah. (ALL LAUGH) The boss is actually living with us. I mean, I'm quite amazed that he actually met me, and having him coming into our humble home. I'm gonna carry on with showing you the rest of my house. OK. Yeah, so... Here's where all the notices go? All the invoices? Yes, all the invoices. I think Tony lives in a mansion. Of course ` he's successful. It's not a mansion; it's not the biggest house. But from his reaction, he seemed happy. He seemed like he was really comfortable, and to me, that means a lot. And then it's time for a tour of Isaiah's humble sleep-out... This is my... my whare... ...where the Just Water CEO will be camping out for the week. Over here, we've got our kitchen, we've got the microwave. You've got everything here. This is like a house in itself, with everything you'd ever need. Yeah. So, do you ever go into the main house? Uh, I only go in there if I'm hungry and there's no food. And I'm gonna show you the best room, which is my room. OK. And it's over here. This is it? This is it. Ah, great. Yeah. He seemed to be very confident about showing me around and very proud of his house. Yeah, it was all great. This will be... your room in here. Decent` And I've got a room with a view too (!) Yeah, you got a view with a beautiful fence... (LAUGHS) ...to look at outside (!) The new flatmates must work together to assemble a flat-pack bed. 14 of them. Along with the instructions come some questions that'll help them get to know each other better. What's the first job you ever had? I used to work under an agency that would help me look for jobs in building and construction. Did you ever work while you were at school? No. When I was at high school, all I mainly did was dancing. So you're a pretty good dancer? I enjoy dancing. See, I've got no... I've got no musical... talent at all. No rhythm at all. When everyone else is going` is clapping,... I'm looking at the next person, I'm trying to catch up with them. You're trying to synchronise with everyone else. Yeah. Yes. And I've just got no... no musical talent at all. Wha`? Hey, what happened there? (LAUGHS) And that's not the only weak point for this boss. I am hopeless at flat-packs. In fact, I never buy flat-packs. If I see something in a showroom, I say, 'I'll have that.' They go out to the` As they're going out the back, I say, 'No, I want that one.' Unless they can give me that one, I won't take it. What are the best and worst things that happened to you? The best decisions I made was leaving New Zealand. Because it got me to my worst point in life, where I wasn't around my family. I knew no one overseas. Right. Everything was all on my shoulders. It can be a lonely place, can't it? Yeah, so I was` Yeah, I literally had no one. I had to learn the hard way of actually looking after myself, and... that made me really humble and really grateful how easy I had it back at home. Uh, yeah, it was the start of a big life changing for me. Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. My father had always said` Probably the biggest thing he always said to me was, 'You have the do the things you don't wanna do.' And he always put that into my head, and so I said, 'OK, I'm gonna go.' And I felt as nervous as coming up to your front door today. (BOTH LAUGH) (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) With Tony and Isaiah beginning to connect, it's time for them to explore the neighbourhood. And, so, have you been to Otara before? I've certainly been to Otara before. I'm not sure if I've been to this shopping centre before. Oh, OK. I've been out to the, uh, Otara markets a few times. Oh yeah. I want him to know that Otara is not a hood, but it's a place for everyone. So have you ever had pig's toes? Hmm, no. I've never had pig's toes before. I don't think I have either. Not bad ` a dollar each. Yeah. Do you want some? No. (LAUGHS) So, I think it's gonna be chicken thighs... and chicken breast. Sounds good. Yeah? They're cheap, aren't they? I mean, that's not bad. I'll come out here to buy my chicken. Yeah. And a lot of people do just this ` travel to Otara to buy affordable produce. A lot of people come from all over the place ` from Tauranga; the North Shore. They come here for their meat because it's cheaper. Really? Right. So that's $17. Take care. Bye. Bye. The food around here is quite easy to get. Well, there are plenty of food places. Yeah, there's plenty of food. Got the fish and chips and pies... Fish and chips, pies, takeaway. ...and everything. (LAUGHS) Not good for you every day. Do you eat at home or...? Yes, I eat at home. I walk to grab my groceries` Catch the bus, grab my groceries and I make it at home. Tonight, Isaiah is going to welcome Tony to his family with a special dinner featuring his favourite dishes. Where are we cookin' it? We're cookin' it right here. (BAGS RUSTLE) You got a pan or...? Nah. I use a pot. A pot. (CLANGING) Wow. Yeah. So you're gonna boil it? Yeah, pretty much. OK. So, we're just throwing it in? Yeah, we're just throwing it in. And then we cover it in water. Yes, pretty much. Have you ever cooked chicken like this before, Tony? Sometimes I boil chicken if I'm putting it on the barbecue. But not on a daily basis, no. Oh well. Welcome to my world. (LAUGHS) OK. Well, let's put her on. So, how long's this take to boil? Uh, about 10 to 20 minutes. (LID RATTLES, WATER GURGLES) I imagine Tony's dinner parties being a lot of people with a lot of food. Not just boiled chicken but roast chicken and all sorts of chicken. So it's gonna be quite different. I'm gonna show him reality. I'm gonna show him what it's like to have a standard feed. Coming up ` dinner is served. CHUCKLES: Wow. I haven't had pig's head before. And Tony gets a taste of how the other half live. When was the last time you caught a bus? * Founder and CEO of Just Water Tony Falkenstein wants to truly understand the challenges faced by his workers, so this boss will eat, sleep and work like them. He's on a mission to figure out ways to improve the lives of all 120 of his workers. For the next week, he will live in a sleep-out in the South Auckland suburb of Otara with delivery driver Isaiah, who is 50 years his junior. Tonight, Isaiah is putting on a flash dinner for his boss. Bless us, O Lord, and these, thy gifts, which... I was sitting down at a very simple table. Mother, Isaiah, grandmother and me. And so out comes, proudly, the chicken. This is the best chicken you're ever gonna get from me. Excellent. 'Tonight we're having chicken ` just boiled chicken and nothing else. 'There's no vegetables except taro. And I have had taro before; it's not the most exciting vegetable. But no greens at all. Now, I'm not used to having no greens. I love my greens. And to honour their house guest, a very special delicacy is on the menu. I would like you to try one of Mum's favourite dish. Right. And it's a pig head. All right. OK. So, I'm looking at this pig's head, and I'm thinking, 'Wow. I haven't had pig's head before.' Mmm. Very nice. Would you like some crisp as well to go with it? Yeah. It is a bit shocking to see the pig's head just sitting there, lookin' at ya, (CHUCKLES) but, uh, I'm here for the adventure. (UTENSILS CLINK) (UNEASY MUSIC) This is great. I mean, it's almost` The, uh, pig's head is almost like lamb, actually. (LAUGHTER) Yeah, it wasn't the sort of dinner party that I'm used to, but I'm used to... My mother always used to say, 'Be able to walk with kings, and don't lose touch with the common man.' The after-dinner conversation turns to the topic of work. I started really young, so I learnt how to make a buck. Right. And that was working on the milk run. I was only about 8 years old when I started working, so I know what it's like, and I wanted to teach my boys what it's like to work. So you've got a good work ethic that you've passed down. Because Isaiah ` he's got a good work ethic. I'm really proud of him, and I hope he does even better. Yeah. With inequality increasing and New Zealand's richest 10% owning more than half the wealth, is it realistic for this millionaire boss to truly understand the challenges facing his workers? I think I can put myself in the shoes of an employee. I know how tough it is. I've been in that as a business, having virtually nothing. I mean, like Isaiah, I'm the optimist, and he's certainly an optimist. Um, it's whether you can put some action behind it. Tony's going to need a good night's sleep, because tomorrow a hard day's work awaits him. (KNOCKS ON DOOR) Yo, Tony. Yo. Rise and shine, man. Never expected my boss to be in my sleep-out, but I'm getting used to it. It's pretty chill. Tony, are you almost ready? Yep. I'm ready. Hopefully he was comfortable. If not, then, well, that's something he's gotta get used to. That's the lifestyle I live in. We're gonna take the bus, then, are we? Mm-hm. So we eat this quick and just leave it on the side, and then my mum will come and clean the rest. Really? Yeah. You lazy bugger. (LAUGHS) Eh?! So bloody Mum comes and picks it all up? Yeah. Well, she gives me a lecture, though. (LAUGHS) I get ready in 10 minutes, because it's my normal pattern from Monday to Friday. But with Tony ` oh, man, he's quite slow. I expected more from a CEO, eh. (LAUGHS) Do you ever miss the bus? Uh, I have sometimes. Sometimes the bus comes a bit early than its time, and you can just see me running` OK. Well, we better go. Yeah, we gotta go. Tony's morning commute takes him around 10 minutes. In contrast, Isaiah, like 10% of people in Otara, has no access to a car, so his journey involves a walk, a bus ride, a train journey and another walk, arriving at work 90 minutes later. This is what I do Monday to Friday. And then after work, I do the same thing from work to home. Wow. So does my life look easier? Easier being the boss? Yeah! Ha-ha! Of course. (LAUGHS) You know, maybe he's right. From a physical point of view, he does a lot more work. 'I'm responsible for 120 people in our company, and that's, I suppose, 'a brain journey and a bit more stress.' Ahh. 'I can't just walk out and leave it.' And something can always happen, and something always does happen. When was the last time you caught a bus? Well, it might surprise you, but I have probably in the last... About a month ago, I was in the city,... What? ...and, uh, yeah, I'd had a bit too much to drink, so I left my car in town... (BOTH LAUGH) ...and I took the bus. It's never what I expect a boss to tell me ` that he drinks and catches public transport to get back home. I feel like we could get along quite well. (LAUGHS) In terms of your wages and things, couldn't you buy a car in a period of time? Couldn't you save enough money? Yeah, I could, but it gets kinda difficult at times, especially when I've got family things going on. Roughly, I'm in debt in thousands. I got in so much debt because I didn't have a job for a while. It feels like a lot on my shoulders until I get this debt out of the way. So do you think you will get a car? Oh yeah. Of course. I just... I just can't at the moment, because I really wanna pay off my mum. What's your hourly rate? 19.90. If you didn't have the loan to your mother, you could save something? Yes. Right. Yes. A lot of people probably have that debt thing, which is... it's tough, and it's tough when you're on lower wages, when you're unskilled. Um, yeah, it's a... it's a tough gig. (CHUCKLES) Coming up ` What are the challenges you have? Tony gets a reality check out on the road. Why don't you have a trolley? Not all of our trucks have trolleys. And Isaiah's got plenty more feedback for Tony. Oh, so that's frustrating, isn't it? Yeah, it can be really, really frustrating. That was a big one for me. We have to get that one right quickly. * Founder and CEO of Just Water Tony Falkenstein is on a mission to improve working conditions for his 120-strong workforce. In order to truly understand the challenges faced by working-class New Zealand, Tony's been eating, sleeping and is about to work like one of them. Today, Isaiah is in the driver's seat, showing the boss how it's done. So, what are the challenges you have? Traffic. Traffic, yeah. Traffic is the biggest challenge. Well, then, what about the app? I mean, it's funny, cos we've been through, over the last three years, gone from virtually paper to using your phones and having this big printer sitting on your belt. Yes. And now we've got to this app. Is that good? I'll be straight up with you. The app can confuse you. Sometimes when I'm just in a hurry and I press to get directions, and I wanna go there straight away, it just gives me another address. Oh. So that's frustrating, isn't it? Yeah, it can really, really frustrating. I hadn't heard anything about the app, because everyone inside has been raving about it. It's fairly new. We had it tested and we got a lot of the bugs out. What sucks is that when customers don't receive their water, it makes us drivers look bad, especially when the app is not working right. Right. That was a big one for me. We have to get that one right quickly. So, uh, what we do is we look on our phone the quantity of their order. So obviously on the red, it says they only order one Aqua fortnightly. It can go up. Want me to take it? Uh... Build up a bit of muscle. Yep. So, where's it going? Up the stairs? I hope not. Nah, we're not going upstairs. So we just go straight along over here. Yeah. OK. I've never told my boss what to do. It's odd. It's... Yeah, it's very odd. And then we pull these caps off the bottle,... (POP!) ...like that. OK. Place it inside,... we close it, and then we're on to the next delivery. (FUNKY MUSIC) During the height of summer, the Just Water delivery teams travel to up to 80 businesses in a day, delivering over 3000 litres of water. It's heavy, gruelling work. Isaiah, where are we off to now? We are off to Otahuhu. To be sent out to Otahuhu now at quarter to 3, you're gonna come back and you are gonna be in... Traffic. ...peak-hour traffic. Yes. It makes it real difficult. Especially when you haven't completed your run and your delivery's on the main road, it can really... it can really kill you. I was nervous at the start, but then it's actually quite relaxing having my boss next to me, getting him to listen to what I say. One thing I wanted to say is, uh... I feel like... (SIGHS) the drivers need more encouragement. The drivers are the face of the company. Absolutely. I think he's been fairly brave. I mean, he's been very, very open in what he's been saying. I mean, it must be tough for him, having the CEO with him. He's been an employee probably only about seven or eight months. Delivering bottles, I didn't realise it was gonna be quite difficult, especially when a... when a company orders about 150 bottles... and you've got no trolley to support you on lifting these bottles. Why don't you have a trolley? Yeah, that's another problem. Not all... Not all of our trucks have trolleys. You have a meeting weekly and daily. Do people bring things up then? From the meetings I've seen, hardly anyone's spoken about how we could improve, except for one person, which is Cheryl, you know? Right. She always says what she... She's amazing. She's amazing. Well, she's been here 18 years, delivering water. She's amazing. Do you think you'll be here in 18 years? Uh... Nah. (LAUGHS) Gonna be honest. No. The work on a truck delivering water is tough. I mean, you're carrying those two big 15-litre dumb-bells around all day and delivering, you know, up to a couple of hundred bottles, so I know that is really tough. But we do some things that try and help, but the fact is, that's the job that you take on. And at the end of every working day, Isaiah heads to the gym, which means 72-year-old boss Tony has to head there too. I'm off to the gym with Tony. I want him to experience what I do when I exercise and train. This is how I usually train. Tony keeps fit playing tennis several times a week,... We're just gonna drag ourself all the way up. ...but that's not sufficient to get the level of fitness Isaiah requires to carry 3000 litres of water a day. Are you OK? I'm OK. Just hanging a bit. (LAUGHS) I didn't realise how much muscle and how much body weight he had. Whoa. That's... That's amazing. And I suppose I take credit for it, from lifting up those 15-litre bottles. You gotta at least do two. OK. Yep. Jump! One. (GRUNTS) One and a half. Nah, one is good. I actually thought it was quite funny, eh. (LAUGHS) I wanted to laugh so many times. Yeah, there we go. I don't know. It felt funny, actually trying to support my boss. (LAUGHS) I never thought I would be in a situation to support my boss on something. (CHUCKLES) After a day of physical work, you'd think the last thing anyone would do is head to the gym for two hours. But this is about more than just fitness. So, when did you start exercising? Four years ago. Yeah, when I was 19. What got you on to that? Uh... I saw it as a... a gateway for me to... stay out of trouble. Right. Were you in trouble before that? Yeah. I was in trouble. I was just going down the wrong path. I was hanging around with the wrong crowd. I was to the point where my relationship with my family was breaking. My friend and my cousins were the ones that inspired of, you know, going to the gym instead of going out there, and happen to fall into trouble. What Isaiah said about exercising and how that changed his life, I mean, that is fantastic. You know, it is a state of mind. He said, 'I'm outta here,' and I think he's gonna succeed in that. And Isaiah is not just determined and motivated. This young driver is also ambitious. And the days he's spent with his boss have clearly inspired him. Yeah, I'm interested in how he started, because I wanna get a vision of me opening my business in the future so that it gives me, like, a way of getting out from the bottom and having an easy future. But Tony wasn't always successful, so he's taking Isaiah to his old high school to show him where he came from. And right here, that's the same hall that was there when I started. So I'd been` I went there 57 years ago. Oh. That's... That's ages! I know. Long time ago. Tony's story is one of an immigrant child. So, my parents came out from Germany before the war. And they got out here, they had virtually no money, and my mother had never worked in her life. And my father had come out` So, although he had done a law degree, he couldn't practice in New Zealand, so my mother was the breadwinner. So it's funny, because, you know, I never realised... You just don't realise that` never realised that we were poor, for example. So from my point of view, I had a really happy childhood. Yeah. The I went... That's me, all dressed up. And, uh... Oh. Is that your brother and sister? That's my brother and my sister. Oh yeah. So, I wasn't that good at school. I just didn't really like it. I liked playtime a lot better than the teaching time. Yeah. (LAUGHS) And so when I came to Onehunga, I just wasn't good at my studies; I wasn't too good in the exams. Like, they used to have a thing called School Certificate. I didn't pass that, but all my mates did. I'm surprised that he failed through school. I thought you've gotta be` you know, you gotta ace your grades in order to be where he is. The people who had to struggle ` and I sorta hadn't realised I was struggling ` but you're more likely to be successful, cos you say, 'I wanna be like that,' or, 'I wanna do that.' 'Izzy wants to be me, I think.' And I think if his eyes are opened, I really see him` he could really do something. He's got a lot of skills, and he probably doesn't know how to use them. He probably just needs a mentor or something to show him. And so if he was really determined, I think he could go a long way. I never expected Tony to start from the bottom. It gives me encouragement and, you know, motivation to keep striving. Are you ready to Zumba? Coming up ` (CHEERING) Tony sees what life is like in Isaiah's shoes, literally. And later ` the boss reveals all to the team. I have been living with an employee for the last week. (EMPLOYEES EXCLAIM) * Founder and CEO of Just Water Tony Falkenstein prides himself on treating his 120-strong workforce like family. So to really experience what life is like for his workers, he's been living with driver Isaiah and helping him out on his delivery round. Hey, that's one of our bottles, isn't it? Is that our bottle? That's definitely our bottle. I reckon I should pick it up, eh. I have never seen this house before. He's even found a unique way to increase profits. That's $15 we've saved. It might never have come back. (DOOR SLAMS) They might have a pot plant coming out of it next time if I hadn't picked it up. (BOTH LAUGH) And he's quickly found out about the number one problem. So, what happens when you wanna go to the toilet? To be honest, uh,... there's hardly any public toilets where I do my deliveries, so I just use the tree. Really? And the bush. Oh dear. If I gotta go, you know, I gotta go. If I don't, then, like, well, then I can't do my job properly. Yeah. The official Just Water policy is to use public toilets, and this CEO is keen to toe the company line. I don't wanna be had up for indecent exposure. (LAUGHS) These ones look very locked to me. No, they're open. They're open. OK. Hey, that's great. Thanks. No worries. Yeah, I'm going a bit posh for Tony (!) Luckily there is a public toilet around here. How was that? Good. I feel much better. Let's go! (BOTH LAUGH) So you kinda understand what us drivers go through? (REVERSE ALARM BEEPS) Yeah. Not much that can be done. I suppose that happens with courier drivers, everyone who's a driver. Yeah. We could give you a hose with an empty 15-litre bottle. (BOTH LAUGH) It's lunchtime, and Isaiah's packed one of his no-frills $3 lunches. Wow! (LAUGHS) Yeah. I don't think I've had lunch like this before. 2-minute noodles. Do we boil them or what? Oh, well, we can't boil it. We're gonna just eat it raw. Eat it raw? Yeah. And a banana. That's... And a banana. This is the reality of what me and the majority of drivers go through. At least it gives you energy. So you like these noodles? Yeah, I don't really like them, but, uh, it's cheap. It's easy to get. It's got, a three-star health rating, which ain't too... which isn't very good. Do you reckon it's good for you? Well, hopefully it's good for you. (CRUNCH!) And does this save you a lot of time? It saves me heaps of time instead of going to the bakery or the takeaway shop. I suppose it's cheaper than going to the pastry shop and having pastries. Yeah. That's a personal thing ` you know, not being able to afford very much for lunch. But probably for similar money, he could probably get a better diet than those things. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Tonight Isaiah is taking Tony along to the local leisure centre. Isaiah has found another way to make sure he stays active and connected to his community ` volunteering at a dance class. Are you ready to Zumba? (CHEERING) My father always said, 'Do the things you don't wanna do,' and this is something I really don't wanna do. I think it'll be entertaining for everybody else. I know it'll be entertaining for me. Zumba may not be suited to Tony's two left feet, but for Isaiah, it's the perfect fit. (UPBEAT DANCE MUSIC PLAYS) (CHUCKLES) Wow. That was fun. Not what I expected, but, in fact, it was better than expected. Once I heard it was Zumba, I thought it'd be much more dance moves. Man, that big group ` 40 of them. All sorts of people ` every nationality, every size. I mean, I'm amazed that all those people come out at 6.30 at night and do an hour of this. It'll certainly keep them fit. (REFLECTIVE AMBIENT MUSIC) It's Tony's last night in Otara, so the flatmates celebrate with takeaways. So, Tony, have you ever thought of becoming a billionaire? A billionaire? Mm-hm. I think as you go on, you just don't, uh... you just don't think in money terms. In fact, I never really have. I think I have created a special bond with Isaiah, and despite our ages, he and I are good mates now. We've... For the last few days, we've been together and... we could be good mates. So, Tony, we are going to play some games tonight. I understand that you are the boss in the business game, but this time, we are in the gaming world, and this is the time where I become the boss. If the generation gap was ever more evident,... OK. Can you hear me? Yes. ...it's tonight on game night. I never used one of these. That's the whole point. Is that why you can beat me? Yeah. (LAUGHS) Ooh! No. Ah! Oh, you nasty bugger! (FRANTIC DANCE MUSIC) Yeah. Ooh! Nice. Nice. (GASPS) What does that mean? I win? Yeah, you won. (LAUGHS) How could I have won? Usually I win, but... Really? Yeah. Well, should I give you some lessons? (BOTH LAUGH) But there's a job to be done tonight. Tony needs to think back over his unique week and see if he can turn it into something meaningful for everyone at Just Water. Yeah, what do you think we could do to help drivers, you know ` in fact, help all the staff? I feel like the first thing to do is to understand the small things. They talk about the problem rather than solving the problem. Right. OK. Yeah. Obviously, like, with the apps. So the app is one. Yeah. Yeah, app was one. There is no doubt that Tony has been affected by his time spent with Isaiah. It's made me think of things that we could be doing, things that we` might be better ways that we can` we could, uh, help some of the staff. Anyway, I'll mull over some of the ideas and things that I've seen over the few days and we'll... we'll see what happens. All right. Cool. No, been a great experience, and I'm looking forward to a great night's sleep tonight. In less than 12 hours, Tony has to stand in front of his entire staff and announce changes that hopefully will be meaningful to them all. (LIGHT CLICKS OFF) Let's do it. Coming up ` Tony's flatting days are over. I thought you were only gonna last a day with me. (LAUGHS) And as he addresses his staff, is he really in tune with their needs? Now, wouldn't it be good for people in a necessity if they could borrow some money interest-free? * (AMBIENT MUSIC) It's the final day of the experiment. Today, Tony is swapping his Otara sleep-out for his Remuera home, and he's returning to his role as the CEO of Just Water. (GRUNTS) Early riser Tony heads out for a morning walk to try and finalise exactly what he will deliver to his workers. It's tough... to think of something meaningful to offer the whole workforce, but we always wanna make our company a better place. You know, I often say, 'If you're not in business for fun and profit, what the hell are you doing there?' So we expect people to work their day, and we expect to give them good resources, good facilities to enjoy their day. Obviously, you know, costs are important. We have to watch our costs. But, you know, over these few days, being immersed in this, I think there are some things that, hey, we could improve. Constant improvement ` what it's all about. It's been a big week for Tony, who came into this experience with an open mind and the idea of making improvements for his 120-strong workforce. Let's do it. Let's do it. But will his time spent with Isaiah deliver something they need or even want? So that's been an interesting few days. Yeah. Back to reality now, eh? Yep, back to reality, unfortunately. How are you feeling about this, Tony? Well, I'm... a bit nervous, excited, but I'm quite happy. This is gonna be... it's just gonna be fun. I wonder if their reaction is laughter or whether they're just astonished. I think the other employees will be quite shocked and` but probably say to themselves, 'Gee, yeah. Well, Tony could do that. I can imagine it.' Now I can't believe I spent a whole week with you. Yeah, I can't believe too. I thought you were only gonna last a day with me. (LAUGHS) (CHUCKLES) Nah, it's been fun. I've had a great week, and it's been really good to, you know, learn from Isaiah, how he lives and what's happening, and I know it's tough out there. But I think overall there's been benefits. I think the staff will see benefits from my week with Isaiah. The staff have been called to an urgent meeting, but they have no idea what it's about. You might be wondering why we've put on a big feed today, which we normally only do at end of month. And I'm gonna tell you, cos there's a big secret that I'm gonna let you into now. (LAUGHTER) So, the secret is that I have been living with an employee for the last week. (EMPLOYEES EXCLAIM) Living in their home. In fact, I've been living in the sleep-out. I've been living in South Auckland. I've been living in Otara. (LIGHT CHUCKLING) And that employee is... Here he is ` Isaiah! (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) MAN: Eh? I'm actually really amazed by that, cos I know that Isaiah lives in Otara, and I know that that's a totally different lifestyle, like, for Tony. I was wondering where he was for the last week. (LAUGHS) Pretty cool, eh? That's` Yeah, no boss lives with their employee, so pretty awesome, eh? And we've been doing things like going to Zumba class. (LAUGHTER) I don't know if anyone knows ` I've got two left feet. We've had chicken dinner ` boiled chicken with taro. CHUCKLES: Ooh. Yum. And we've... we've been out delivering on a very, very wet day. So I've really experienced both the work life and the... the life of Isaiah. So the first thing I asked Isaiah was, 'What really pisses you off about work?' He says, 'Oh, there's this app.' So he says, hey, listen, he's going off to Queen St and it takes him to Queen St, Lower Hutt. And so you wonder why he gets back late. So... (LAUGHTER) Now, that shouldn't happen. I mean, there's a bug in the system. But we've fixed it. So what happened was, Eri, with his magic, has put the suburb in, and so now you won't go to Queen St, Lower Hutt. The next thing. It doesn't matter what you earn; you need more money coming in than going out. And if you get into that debt cycle, it's really hard to get out. And so I'd like to set up a programme where you can learn and be mentored on budgeting. Sometimes, um, you get into trouble and you need a loan. Now, wouldn't it be good for people in a necessity if they could borrow some money interest-free? So we're gonna set up a programme where you can take small loans if you want to, but you have to tell us why, and so there'll be restrictions on it. But part of it is we want to get you out of the debt cycle. (APPLAUSE, CHEERING) I'm a young mum of two, so... money's a struggle, so it's definitely gonna help out. They all sound really good, useful for all the employees. Everyone struggles with whatever, and it's just awesome to find out that there's ways that this company supports their employees. We have gyms that you can pay in trade dollars. But even if you have your own particular gym, we pay 50% of it in trade dollars. We have another programme that I'm sure Isaiah doesn't know. Everybody, when they join the company, are allowed a water cooler in their home Everybody, when they join I think Tony is really trying to make this place better, and that's the direction I hope Just Water keeps striving towards. I'd like to thank Isaiah. I mean, we've become good mates over the last week. I mean, it's been real fun. We've got our own handshake now. I've had a great week, and it's been really good to learn from Isaiah. And I know it's tough out there, but you have to make good with what you've got, and that goes right through generations and generations. So, hey, thanks for coming along here. Can't believe this is the end now. Quite sad. But... I'm just` It feels good to create a bond with Tony. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) I think we treat our staff like family, and we really wanna encourage them. I want, you know` As a employee philosophy, we say, 'Hey, we want to take you and make you a better person.' That's always been our objective. And then we say, 'Hey, if we can't provide you with the next opportunity, 'we'll be very proud, as a company, if you say, "Hey, Just Water was part of my journey."' Next time ` founder and CEO of Allstar CheerSPORT Kimberley Ramsay heads to the Waikato heartland to live the life of regional cheer coach and dairy farmer Dania. Yeah, I think they're gonna think I'm a prissy Aucklander, but, you know... But what will this Auckland businesswoman learn about her provincial branch? And how will she cope with life on the land? Moo, moo! That's cool. It will be a journey of surprising revelations. So that must be tough. Yeah, no, it makes things interesting. But will this boss be affected by the experience? Yeah, I feel a bit emotional, to be honest. Will it make her want to change and improve things throughout her national business? It's not just about making great athletes; it's about making great business people. And so... (APPLAUSE) www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2020 Made with the support of NZ On Air.