Authored and directed by Mike Judge in 1999, Office Space is a comedy film that reveals how a big software corporation unethically lays off its employees. In addition, the movie satirizes the everyday work life of individuals that are fed up with working for Intech. In a nutshell, Office Space skewers banality in corporations that exits due to management focus on trivial issues. Besides employees such as Peter, Samir, and Michael Bolton are work in small offices facing their computers all day. The working environment is monotonous and does not motivate employees. Intech decides to downsize and hires two consultants to help with the process. Based on the film Office Space, the abrupt laying off of employees without notice and on discriminatory grounds is not only illegal but also unethical.
Analysis of Unethical Behavior
The first unethical behavior imposed by Office Space is a lay off that was unfair on the basis of wrongful termination and promotion of the wrong person. The former is revealed by the termination of top engineers of the company and discrimination. Michael Bolton and Samir are the best software engineers at Intech but were terminated. According to the law, it is unethical to terminate an employee due to the existence of an implied contract (Caldwell & Peters, 2018). Usually, an implied contract is determined by the court by looking at issues such as the history of positive performances, duration of employment, and assurances for continued employment. Tom worked for Initech Corporation for 30 years, and his termination takes him by surprise.
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Notably, an employer is required not to fire employees for illegal reasons. Discrimination is illegal. The termination of Tom was on the basis of discrimination. Having worked for the software company for 30 years, Initech may have felt that with the constantly changing technologies, they may not need old employees. Laying off employees based on discrimination is not only a violation of the federal anti-discrimination laws but also an unethical behavior.
Lumbergh, Initech’s vice president, together with the Bobs promote Peter. Based on the film, Peter was the wrong person to promote because he is unmotivated and claims to be frustrated for working at the company. Besides he takes part in stealing money together with Michael, Samir, and Milton. Peter was promoted for his exemplary performance following a hypnotherapy session. The Bobs left out and terminated a person such as Tom who not only had experience but also positive performance reviews and gave the promotion to Peter who did not have the interests of the company at heart (McCann, 2015). It is unethical to promote employees based on their performance.
It is also worth noting that the termination of employees at Initech was involuntary. The company did not give its employees an advance notice or warning that termination would take place at a particular time. Instead, employees learned of the termination at the time it was happening. The organization did not have a written lay off-plan. The Bobs were hired and even the most important engineers in the organization terminated. Organizations are required to not only have a written plan but also to inform their employees of an upcoming layoff.
Alternative Actions
Instead of engaging in unlawful and unethical behaviors in the process of termination, there are other actions that the organization would have done. First, it would have offered voluntary retirement to its old employees such as Tom. Alternatively, the company could train him to suit the needs of the constantly changing technological environment. The company should also have focused on the efficiency of its employees. Office Space, reveals that Lumbergh is always monitoring his employees and focusses on trivial things other than the competency and efficiency of organizations. The final alternative would have been laying off employees in a fair manner. This could be done by giving employees a notice a month or more prior to the termination, promoting the right person, and having a legally written plan for the layoff process. Upholding ethics and complying with the legal requirements of the process of termination is important.
References
Caldwell, C., & Peters, R. (2018). New employee onboarding–psychological contracts and ethical perspectives. Journal of Management Development , 37 (1), 27-39.
McCann, B. J. (2015). Proletarian Blackface: Appropriation and Class Struggle in Mike Judge's Office Space. Communication, Culture & Critique , 9 (3), 362-378.
