Fox TV and Endemol USA are teaming up to turn company layoffs into reality TV. The new show, "Someone's Gotta Go" will take small companies facing staffing cuts and let the employees decide who should be the one cut. To "help" with this process the producers will open the company's books to the employees, including individual pay information and personnel files.

"We're always trying to find the next thing that is topical and timely in the zeitgeist," said Endemol North America topper David Goldberg. "What could be more current than the financial crisis and dealing with the realities of losing jobs? This is an extension of that real-life experience."

"For a lot of people, it takes the pressure off them," Goldberg said. "As a boss myself, I don't want to have to make those decisions. It's safe to say that it hasn't been difficult to find companies willing to participate." (Foxreality.com)

Does Goldberg really believe they're doing these companies a favor? Any business owner that thinks this will solve his problem is nuts. This show will mark the beginning of their problems, not the end. I wouldn't be surprised if it ultimately destroys the business.

Do they really think that after revealing all of the company's secrets, turning the employees against each other, and displaying all the resulting drama on television their employees will be able to just get back to work, business as usual?!

Do they think the production team won't be doing their best to foment conflict, even if the employees have the best of intentions in their selection process?

Do they really think their customers will be so willing to keep patronizing their business knowing what has been going on there?

What I suspect is that many of these companies will be going out of business completely shortly thereafter. The one who gets voted out during the show will probably be the lucky one.  Perhaps the owners will benefit, too, as they'll be able to fire the rest of their staff for the inevitable performance and disciplinary problems rather than economic reasons, avoiding having to pay severence packages at all.

"Someone's Gotta Go", like most reality series, promises to provide what reality viewers want most: a train wreck. But as a strategy for downsizing I can't imagine the show providing any useful information for small business owners. Except perhaps what not to do.