I watched the first season of Severance, to get ready for the second one that is already on. Watched the 20 episodes in a couple days, and could not stop. I do binge TV a lot, that is not strange at all. What was different this time was how close it felt to home.
If you have not watched it, the show's premise is workers that have agreed to have a chip implanted, that allows the complete separation of their consciousnesses while they are at a particular floor in their work building. They have no memory of who they are in the outside world while at work, nor do they remember anything from work while they are at home. As the show moves on, you see how the company manipulates the workers in the inside, to keep them in line, and in jobs they really don't even understand.
The story has many complex themes, that I am sure are better explained by the many indie writers out there. For me, it was mostly about the separation between your self and the person you are at work. The separation is always there, and it feels like you are missing a limb, or part of your soul, constantly. The whole concept of "being professional", and how you behavior is controlled in subtle and no so subtle ways, using you desire to keep your job (what ever your reasons are).
In larger corporations, the behavior management is a responsibility of the Human Resources division. You can call it people, development, or what ever name you want. The objective is the same: manage the risk that employees can create for the company. I am not bitter or sarcastic when I say this, I am just explaining what the purpose of this division is. Most people don't realize it, mostly because they don't think in terms of the board of the company. For some, they get to see it only when you are at a top level leadership position.
That said, it is important the employees feel safe but not too safe, free but not too free. You want them to be able to perform well, but to not create risks for the company. And as you understand this, as an employee you learn not to create any risks. Not to talk about certain things, not to make anyone uncomfortable. For me its specially hard, for I do not believe in obedience. I follow rules because I know that they allow society to work, so I understand that following rules is good for me in the end. I follow rules with conviction, not because I value obedience. I challenge rules that make no sense, anywhere I find them. But I don't at work. Work is not a democratic environment, where employees get to vote. The board sets a goal, the C level define the strategy, and then everyone aligns to meet the goal. That is how companies work. As an employee, you align, or bring in improvements. If you can't align, you are then in the wrong place.
And many times, alignment feels like obedience, for I have to follow rules that not only don't make sense, even when they actually produce the opposite effect leadership was looking for. Yet, since I am not in a leadership position, I don't get to say it, not even in private. If I do, I am perceived as creating risk for the company. So I wish I could just leave the part of me that questions when I go to work, and leave at work the ugly feeling I get from obeying. Maybe I could be less unhappy in both worlds.
I would sign in for the severance job. Sadly, I think I would.
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