Why The Office’s bad bosses continue to resonate
Dr. Paul Donovan is a leadership expert and author of the book Bosses Behaving Badly. Here, he explains why we laugh at bad bosses on TV, even when they represent some of our deepest frustrations at work.
Through my two decades of experience as an executive coach, I have worked with hundreds of real-world equivalents of managers and bosses like The Office’s David Brent, Michael Scott and—with the brand new Aussie version of the show—Hannah Howards.
Why are we still obsessed with these bad bosses? And more importantly, why do we laugh at them when they represent some of our deepest frustrations at work?
Let’s break it down
Bad bosses hit close to home. The recent independent report into Nine Entertainment, Australia’s largest media company, found systemic abuse of power, bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment across the organisation. The toxic behaviours detailed in the Nine Entertainment report—public humiliation, belittling comments, and aggressive leadership—are shockingly common in many workplaces. It’s the real-life equivalent of the worst traits we see in characters like Michael Scott or David Brent.
