God’s Favorite Idiot (in the Workplace?)

In God’s Favorite Idiot, Netflix puts a new spin on the workplace comedy. The show begins with a seemingly normal midlevel tech employee, Clark (Ben Falcone), getting struck by lightning while searching for his cat. Clark is surprisingly OK and blissfully unaware that strange things are happening around him—stop lights are turning green for him, and “Sign of the Times” keeps playing on the radio. Clark will soon find out that God has a very special mission for him: Prevent the apocalypse while keeping his day job. 

Clark’s delightfully abrasive coworker and secret crush, Amily (Melissa McCarthy), is the first to notice something is amiss when she spots Clark literally glowing while working late.  Initially, their coworkers do not believe Amily. The fact Amily admitted to accidentally drugging herself beforehand raises some serious questions about her story. But then, a video of Clark glowing in a restaurant goes viral, and things quickly spiral for Clark and his coworkers. 

In true Office fashion, the show also includes its own bumbling middle manager, Frisbee (Steve Mallory). However, there may be more than meets the eye when it comes to Frisbee.  While Clark may have a divine mission and even a workplace angel or two, it looks like his tech company employer could also use an HR manager to provide some pointers, such as:

• The company might want to consider implementing a drug-free workplace policy and testing, given that Amily is quite open about her extracurricular activities.

• The company may also explore whether it would be beneficial to implement a policy regarding office romances, as things with Amily and Clark are quickly heating up.

• Adopting productivity standards and disciplinary policies might be a good idea, as it appears none of Clark’s colleagues does any actual work.

Of course, with the fictional world on the verge of an apocalypse, the employer may soon have bigger problems on its hands than a lack of internal processes and employee accountability.  Let’s just hope that God has picked the right idiot for the job.

Kristen Starnes Gray is an attorney at FordHarrison LLP.

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  Kristin Starnes Gray, FordHarrison
  Kristin Gray represents management in labor and employment matters in the courts, in arbitration, and before government agencies, including the EEOC, the U.S. Department of Labor, the South Carolina Department of Labor, the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, and other agencies at the federal, state and local level. She concentrates her practice on representing management in matters related to employment issues including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims under Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, and state law. Kristin also assists management with issues related to HIPAA compliance, employment policies, handbooks, the FMLA, contracts, separation agreements, wage and hour, and other workplace matters. Find her on LinkedIn here.