Work environment as portrayed in the show The Office

The TV series “The Office” is an amazing watch and probably already on top of your list. It is also a prime example of how workplaces should not operate. It literally embodies workplace dysfunction, topped off by a narcissistic and immature boss, an ineffective, confused human resources department along with a side of petty coworkers. It is hilarious to watch and is definitely exaggerated, but one thing real employees cannot deny is, the show is not completely unrealistic. It has elements that exist in every work environment.

The main thing that “The Office” got incorrect is, the real working environment is never that fun and when disputes happen, it is never that easy to solve them. It takes time and lots of effort to make up for even one mistake. Also, in a real working environment, people have to face the consequences of their wrong moves and severely pay for them. In a real working environment, you can also sue your boss for any inappropriate behavior or comments.

In an episode when Michael, the boss, makes racist and sexist comments, the human resource department forces everyone into diversity training. This is not correct in such a situation as the real problem needs to be recognized and that behavior should never be tolerated.

Romantic relationships with coworkers are often discouraged as it tends to disturb the work environment as a whole. One thing the show got really correct is the romantic relationship between the characters Pam and Jim. They were acquaintances and coworkers for years before they got together. They portrayed an essentially normal romantic relationship between two coworkers.

In a lot of episodes of the show, people have been often told to cool down before confronting any issue or any person who has offended them. In an episode, the character Elster even said something along the lines of calming down and speaking to the authority later so that the problem can be put forth clearly. This is a very valuable lesson to learn and utilize in a real work environment as losing your cool in a workplace can backfire and make you look like an irresponsible worker.