Litigation value: Nothing in this episode, but Dwight is perilously close to civil and criminal liability for his computer activities.
Jaclyn West wrote about this episode, Doomsday, two months ago when it originally aired. Her post discussed “motivation” and the inevitable sexual harassment of warehouse Val, either at the hands of Gabe or Darryl.
Dwight’s “Accountability Booster” raises a different employment law issue. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 prohibits, among other things, intentionally transmitting a code or program and causing damage to a computer system. Dwight’s doomsday program would have sent information to Robert California that was harmful to the Scranton employees. This likely does not violate the CFAA, but it reminds us that Dunder Mifflin needs an acceptable use policy to govern computer use by its employees.
For a change, the Scranton branch did something an HR manager would approve of. Darryl led safety training for the warehouse employees. Kudos to him, but maybe Kevin should have been invited as well. But for Pam’s soft spot for Dwight, our favorite beet farmer may have been brained by Kevin wielding that frying pan.
And, finally, we cringe when we hear statements like this from Andy: “Your breasts are enourmous. That could help us.” That’s what Andy said. What do you say? Let us know.
