How Toby From “The Office” Ruined HR’s Reputation

Let me start by saying this: I never thought I would sit down and write a piece about The Office for work. Yet here I am — and I don't think I could be more prepared for anything if I tried.

Malcolm Gladwell talks about how ten thousand hours at something makes you a master of the craft. I don't think Gladwell had "consuming a sitcom about a manager and his employees" in mind as a case study. But let's just say I've put in my ten thousand hours on my favorite show of all time.

So here we go.

The Stereotypes We Absorbed

A lot of what I believed about the workplace can be traced back to episodes of this show. I spent an embarrassing amount of time in high school, college, and honestly still now, watching it.

I didn't think my boss would literally act like Michael Scott. But the workplace stereotypes the show conveys are, uncomfortably, a little accurate. If any of these offend you, I apologize in advance:

• The accountants are uptight, rigid, and not tremendously social.

• The sales team is loud, obnoxious, and convinced they're better than everyone else.

• The receptionist dreams of any other job that doesn't involve answering the phone.

• The manager thinks he's the greatest leader since Abraham Lincoln, when in reality he offends more people than he helps. He also gave himself a "Best Boss Ever" mug.

Stop me if none of that is even slightly true about your own office.

And Then There's HR

The most obvious workplace stereotype in the show is the depiction of Human Resources. HR is defined here as the rule-following police, whose mission is to suck the fun out of every room they enter.

If you think I'm exaggerating, here's Michael Scott on Toby: "Why are you the way you are? Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not that way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be."

So when I entered the workplace, that actually was my perception of HR. I assumed every HR manager wore a brown suit and an overwhelmingly vanilla shirt and tie, and spoke in a painful monotone, because that's what Toby is like. I thought the job was to make sure rules were followed and fun was terminated.

I believed all of that. And my own mother speaks to large groups of people on the topic of — you guessed it — HR.

It Isn't Just Michael

Here's the part the writers do cleverly. Everyone else in the office is fine with Toby while they're just coworkers. But the moment someone becomes the boss, they turn.

When Andy is manager, he develops the same hatred. When Jim is acting manager, he's irritated by a simple request from Toby and describes him as "a little bit much."

The implication is that the boss is supposed to be at odds with Human Resources, purely by virtue of being the boss. Michael says it outright: "Thanks to Toby I have very strong prejudice against Human Resources. I believe the department is a breeding ground for monsters."

Hilarious writing. Rough for HR.

Why This Actually Matters

You might think I'm overstating how many people took a sitcom seriously enough to let it shape their expectations of work. I don't think I am. Millions of Americans have done exactly what I did — seen it through six times, watched the bloopers, and quietly begged Greg Daniels for a reunion.

And I think a lot of them genuinely view HR as the boring, rule-following, sad people of the workplace. A lot of that traces straight back to Toby Flenderson.

What HR Actually Is

In my opinion, HR is close to the opposite of what Toby represents.

I'll admit compliance with guidelines and work protocols is not the most exciting thing in the world. But Human Resources is far more than rule-enforcing robots.

The job of HR, especially in a small business, is to create a culture where people love where they work. It builds environments where a team becomes something like extended family, and where people are trained in the values and mission of the organization.

HR works as a partner to the leader of the business, taking the people problems and the paperwork problems and handling them. Your HR team should be helping you retain and hire the best staff you can get, and building the plan for how to keep doing it. They should be giving your employees real feedback about what they're doing well and where they can grow.

I could go on for days about the role HR should be playing in your business.

If your small business views HR the way Michael views Toby Flenderson, rather than any of the above, grab a free 30-minute session with our team — I'd love to change your mind.