Litigation value: ($500,000 when all is said and done, mainly to Phyllis and Kelly)
Wow, it certainly didn’t take the folks at Dunder Mifflin long to get into midseason form! And from a liability perspective, that’s not good.
When corporate initiated a weight-loss competition among all the branches, the Scranton branch sprang into action. While some people slacked off after a while, others like Kelly took the competition very seriously, even buying a tapeworm from Creed. (By the way, what was that if not a tapeworm? I’m guessing one of those worms at the bottom of a tequila bottle.) Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, Michael and Dwight took the competition too seriously, stepping over several lines on their way to certain liability and money damages. (And let’s not forget that Phyllis called Corporate to complain about Dwight making her walk five miles, and the response was to have Michael read an apology/clarification paragraph statement -– so let’s put a few bucks on them, too.)
So, was there anything in the episode that wasn’t improper? Maybe. The idea of a corporate weight-loss contest definitely raises some red flags, but it’s probably acceptable under the right circumstances. Corporate health initiatives are becoming quite common. I am actually getting a flu shot through a corporate program next week. The key is figuring out where the line is -– and not crossing it. I think the Weight Loss episode demonstrated where the line is pretty well:
Line 1: giving employees a hard time if they’re not participating or doing well in the corporate health program;
Line 2: encouraging any behavior that is not healthy (e.g., encouraging Jim to drop 65 pounds and/or observing Kelly passing out and not doing anything about it);
Line 3: singling out unhealthy employees and suggesting that certain employees get liposuction — on their own dime.
As with most things I write about here, common sense is usually a pretty good guide of what is, and what is not acceptable. Staying in tune with your common sense can help keep your company happy –- and healthy!
Kind of related but I’m hoping you can settle a bet. My husband says that companies are required by law to give employees a one hour lunch. I disagree, citing that I have worked at plenty of companies that only give 30 minute lunches. Am I right or have my previous employers been Dunder-Mifflin wannabes?
There are no federal laws requiring any lunch at all. Some states have lunch laws, but not all by any means.
Just an added note–I believe Michael having Kelly stand on a chair, then hugging her (and having his head be at Kelly’s breast level) would cost the company a few bucks, too.
Oh, and in answer to your question, “what was that if not a tapeworm?”
That’s what she said.
Well played, James.