The choice of Scranton, Pennsylvania is ideal. A working-class city
which has already shouldered its share of deindustrialization would
provided a good stage for a series taking place just before and during the
economic downturn of the Great Recession. Additionally, Dunder
Mifflin, the company the show focuses on, is confronting
technological changes on two different fronts. Not only was paper
becoming less important for businesses as electric communication and
record keeping became more prevalent, big-box stores were stealing
market share from smaller businesses. In other words, The Office
takes place in a time and place where the exploitation of workers was
great and it provides an ideal canvass to portray working-class
problems. Mr. Gervais, if you’re ever unfortunate enough to read my
ramblings, I’d like to pitch a series about the Luddites. They
dealt with related problems. Well, at least they were contending with
exploitation and technology changes. I doubt they had as clean hair.
One
of the topics dealt with series-wide is embodied by the character,
Ryan. Ryan is a contract, or “temp,” employee. Temporary
employees are part of what is now referred to as the Precariate –
people whose employment exists in a precarious state (precarious +
proletariat = precariate) and, as a result are vulnerable to degrees
of exploitation against which regular employees are better shielded.
For example, members
of the precariate have lower compensation and little or no health
insurance coverage – making them more susceptible
to wage theft and other forms of exploitation because interruptions
to their income are much more destructive. Members
of the precariate typically have little to no savings
or safety net and are much less likely to be able to stand up for themselves
simply because, as individuals, they have little to no power over
their working conditions and can’t risk getting fired.
As
the viewers are introduced to Ryan, they are also made aware Dunder
Mifflin is downsizing. One would be right to ask, “Why is the
company downsizing on one hand while bringing on temp workers on the
other?” Good question. Does or
doesn’t the work need to
be done? Truth is the work needs to be done but Dunder Mifflin
doesn’t want to pay for it. By contracting out temp employees
instead of maintaining it’s workforce or hiring another employee,
they free themselves of having to pay health insurance, unemployment
insurance and other things afforded to regular employees under labor
law. Plus, disposing of temp
employees they might find
problematic, for whatever reason – trivial or serious, is almost as
simple as replacing a used printer cartridge. Humans
become an expendable resource. Protections
were won for workers by unions and through a history of conflict between the working-class and capitalists who seek to exploit their
labor. Dunder Mifflin is looking to take its workforce back to the
state experienced during the “Golden Era” (of exploitation) when
capitalists like Andrew Carnegie treated their employees like chattel
with few or no protections. People had to die for there to be an eight hour work day.
On-the-job
abuse is distinctly evident. Although he would go on to be developed
into a more likable
character, Michael, the Branch Manager, is revealed to be an abusive
boss. While job-site abuse
can take many forms – and will throughout the series – Michael’s
misogyny is front and center in the pilot. When Michael introduces
the receptionist, Pam, her response to his sexist and insulting
behavior clearly indicates she is not in a position to correct it nor
does it appear he’d be willing or able to hear the criticism. If
the office was unionized all the workers would have had means to take
collective action on Pam’s behalf. Whether through a grievance
process or direct action, she and her fellow workers would be able to
confront Michael and ultimately put an end to it. His misogyny isn’t
confined to his subordinates, either. We learn he has a problem with
having a female superior during his meeting with Jan (which includes
a call from the character, Packer, that includes the portmanteau
“Godhillary”). I’d
certainly be negligent if I also didn’t point out Michael
misgenders someone as he’s initially introduced to
the audience. For women,
having him as a supervisor must be a nightmare. Regrettably, the
women in office suffer from an endemic problem.
Another theme throughout the entire series is what I like to call the “friend-boss.”
Michael reinforces multiple times how he wants to be perceived as a
friend before he’s seen as a boss. While the idea of a friendly
supervisor is appealing, a friend-boss is often used tactically to
prevent improving working conditions, solidarity actions, or
unionization. Various
forms of the friend-boss range from so-called “open door”
policies to outright emotional manipulation. In Michael’s case, we
observe invasion of personal space, inappropriate jokes, and
confusing informal/interpersonal venting about pay
as a work-related discussion – to which he reacts poorly. In The
Office, Michael is seen as someone who doesn’t recognize
boundaries. In the real world, when boundaries between work and
home-life are blurred, rarely do things work with the home-life
creeping into work-life. It always goes the other way. Ask anyone who
telecommutes,
has to carry
a company phone, or is
required to answer calls and respond to emails regardless of time of
day or what they might be doing (not
to mention those ensnared in the “gig” economy).
Friend-bosses
see no problem in invading their employees personal time. After all,
aren’t they all family? This dynamic is significant in the series.
While it makes for entertaining television, it isn’t good for a
healthy work/life balance.
Racism and institutional sexism also rear their ugly heads. As there
are ample opportunities to discuss them further in other episodes,
I’ll only mention their presence. I’ll also point out both can be
protected against through worker solidarity and unionization. If you
see something in the episode you feel is noteworthy or if there is
something you would like me to focus on for other episodes, feel free
to contact me at @unionlegion on Twitter or email me at
union.legion (at) nym.hush.com.
Up next: Diversity Day
Up next: Diversity Day
