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The sound of phones ringing intermingles with the low hum of a printer and the occasional “glub, glub” of a water cooler. The air is perfumed with multiple perfumes, Axe body spray, and the scent of slightly burnt coffee. You don’t even receive a glance from the people who are busy reviewing folders, rummaging through their desks, and staring lazily into their computer screens. This is the American workplace.
Welcome to the Scranton, PA branch of Dunder Mifflin, a distributor of paper products. Meaning, if you are part of a company that needs paper products, you just might have found a new provider for those products. If you are like the new temp, Ryan Howard, this could be your first exposure to what it is like working within an office. If so, then we must introduce you to the office so you can decide if this is the right job for you.
So you are your potential new colleagues? We meet Jim, Stanley, Phyllis, and Dwight who are all part of the sales team. They represent perhaps the most important piece to the office of a company like Dunder Mifflin. They are responsible for selling their products to customers and thereby making revenue. Each salesperson will have their individual clients that they routinely process purchases for; additionally, they are also responsible for taking on new clients. This can be done by either reaching out to potential customers unprompted, known as “cold calling,” or by taking the call from a new caller who specifically reached out to the company.
We also go to meet Angela, Oscar, and Kevin who are all part of the accounting team. Dunder Mifflin uses their accountants in a very broad sense in that they are responsible for payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, auditing, and most likely any other financial needs. This would certainly explain why we have three accountants for an office of around one dozen people. Larger companies will typically have many of these duties dispersed between different departments. The difference being that they actually have on-sight accountants rather than having these duties diverted to the corporate office.
And we have what can be referred to as the first impression of the company, Pam Beasley the receptionist. Her duties primarily consist of assisting any visitors to the office, answering and directing phone calls, sorting and sending out mail, and occasionally processing faxes.
And, of course, you have the Regional Manager, Michael Scott. You might consider yourself lucky as there are very few managers out in the world like Michael Scott. For reference, it is not very often that you will find a manager who can perform a Three Stooges impression, a Six Million Dollar Man impression, can sexually objectify a colleague, and do a Hitler joke all on your first day. Ready to leave? Considering you have made it this far you must be in desperate need for a steady paycheck so I think you’re just intrigued enough that you are going to stay.
If you thought your first day was officially over, I’m sorry to disappoint you but we have only just begun. The only more exciting than getting a new job, is finding out on your first day that is that this branch is at risk of downsizing. Now unless you have been through downsizing before, you might be asking yourself the same question that Phyllis asks, what exactly is downsizing?
According to Indeed, downsizing means a company is reducing their size and number of employees. To best do this, they typically evaluate the employees and departments which offer the least value to the company and will then eliminate them. There are a number of different aspects which can prompt downsizing to be seen as a necessary means. These include: financial considerations, change in management, company merger, and new technologies. 1 Based upon the language we are given, you can assume that this has to with financial considerations and that the company cannot justify having as many branches as it does.
Thankfully, we have not formally be downsized yet. Evidently it is down to your new branch of Scranton, or our colleagues up in Stamford. And if you were still worried, Michael Scott tells us that we have nothing to worry about because he is not going to let us down. Now you can trust him implicitly, or you can start planning for the future. Oscar is certainly the most prepared, he goes right to “update your resume” because he doesn’t have confidence that this will be resolved so he is a true believe in being prepared. And this is not a bad thing. At the end of the day, employees like us just do not have control over stopping the company from downsizing. You can certainly do your best to try to prove that you should be considered one of those beneficial to the company, but it is difficult to know what criteria they are looking for.
So, who exactly seems to have the best taken on how to handle this shocking news? You should take the time to research to find what should be done to prepare for being downsized, which can certainly include seeking a new job. For those who hope to stay, AARP recommends several things you can do. These include examining your finances, including trying to build up an emergency fund to help you get through the possible difficulties that may come. Additionally, Oscar is certainly right that you should take the time to update resume and start looking at what your options are. 1
Thankfully, we still have coworkers who can find the humor in the day. A perfect end to a perfect day, we are able to experience some gelatin-themed pranks at the hands of Jim Halpert. Starting with Dwight’s stapler and ending with Michael’s coffee mug, he has immersed them in a platter of Jell-o. When an office is under stress, we truly get to see the different personalities can handle these situations. We have Oscar who is pragmatic, Phyllis and Stanley who panic, and then we have Jim who approaches the matter with humor. When finding those colleagues to become close to, it is important to note how these personalities will impact your time there.
With your first day at Dunder Mifflin complete, what are your impressions? Are you prepared to rise to the challenge with a company facing downsizing? Have you already found your work bestie who will be your rock as you face each day? Have you started keeping tally of how many cultural references Michael makes in a day?
Well if you choose to stay, I can promise you that you will not be alone. One those days where you cannot make sense of the day, remember that I’ll be there with answers. You’ll always find me here, in the breakroom.
