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.)

read more…

The new season of The Office starts Thursday. The first episode is entitled “Weight Loss,” and the promo features Michael in some sort of fat suit. I can already see we’re going to have some issues.

On the bright side, Michael and the new HR gal Holly are apparently going to continue developing their friendly relationship. It’s about time that the good people in human resources get some love. Of course, Holly’s taste in men makes me question how good of an HR role model she can ever be, but that’s another issue altogether.

read more…

Wall Street is taking a beating. Still. AIG’s collapse is just the latest in a series of events that is increasingly having an effect on our lives and the companies we work for.

Dunder Mifflin has encountered its share of financial problems including layoffs and even a branch closing. As you recall, the gang in Scranton didn’t handle the possible branch closing with much class or composure. Meredith propositioned Michael, Dwight and Michael drove up to the CFO’s house to protest, and Creed sold his work computer.

Hopefully the company you work for doesn’t have a reduction in force or any significant financial trouble, but if it does, you would all be well served to keep your head about you and handle the situation with thought and consideration. Keep everyone informed, as much as possible; ensure that any decisions made about cutbacks are properly made and lawful; and help alleviate the tension around the office. Maybe suggest a trip to a beet farm, or maybe just bring in beets for everyone to share and enjoy. You know, beets are an excellent source of fiber, potassium, and manganese.

read more…

It’s hard to escape all of the political news right now. If you keep an eye out, you can take something away from all the talking heads that you can use at work.

Take some of the stories about vice presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin. The one that grabbed headlines recently was the story that Palin told the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner to fire Palin’s brother-in-law. She wanted him canned, the story goes, because Palin heard her sister arguing with him, and may have heard that he wanted to harm Palin’s dad. The Commissioner declined to fire the brother-in-law, so Palin got rid of the Commissioner. Palin denies firing the Commish for this, or that he was ever pressured to fire her brother-in-law, but the matter is currently under investigation.

What can we take from this? Well, how about perception is everything. Think of The Office “Did I Stutter” episode in which Michael tried to fire Stanley. Not only did Michael make his usual inappropriate racial comments (calling Stanley a beautiful, sassy, powerful black man, for instance), but he created such a scene that Kevin was calling it the clash of the titans. Not ideal. And not so different from the Sarah Palin brother-in-law issue.

read more…

Labor Day has come and gone. Our summer vacations are over, and it’s almost time for things like the NFL (your company isn’t sponsoring a betting pool, is it?) and the fall TV season, including The Office.

In advance of the new season, now might be a good time to review your HR policies and procedures. Since I’m a lawyer and adviser for companies, I see outdated and incomplete company policies on a regular basis. Does your company have a policy about Internet usage? Are the FMLA procedures up to date? What about spud guns — do your policies cover them?

read more…