What’s your favourite workplace sitcom? Or do you prefer a drama? How about a blockbuster epic? Do you ever find yourself asking ‘what would HR do?’ No? Really? Just us then.
We all love to get away from the stress of real life by diving into a brilliant TV show or movie. But actually, lots of our pop culture favourites highlight real-life scenarios we often deal with in the workplace and in our experience saying that’s not what HR would have done.
Here are six of vivoHR’s excellent watching recommendations, which can also help teach us how not to have an HR nightmare.
1. Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is an essential skill when managing a team … but it’s really tough!
The Office U.S. has a hilarious episode actually called “Conflict Resolution” which is definitely a lesson in what NOT TO DO when trying to dispel conflict in the workplace.
The episode is a cringe-fest wrapped in awkward silences and passive-aggressive Post-its. Michael decides to take over HR’s role for the day. (What could go wrong?) He opens up employee complaint files and starts reading them … aloud … in a meeting … with zero confidentiality. From an HR perspective, it’s a total disaster. From a viewer’s perspective? Comedy gold.
But underneath the chaos there is a real workplace truth: ignoring conflict doesn’t make it go away, it just makes it worse.
It’s essential to encourage open communication and active listening to address issues before they have a chance to escalate. Management will often have to act as mediator to reach an acceptable solution for everyone involved. It can be helpful to have a conflict resolution policy, as this backs up the management team’s actions and ensures staff know what is acceptable and what is expected of them. And remember, you should NEVER share employees’ grievances with other team members!!
2. Pay Gaps
We couldn’t talk pop culture without Friends!
Season 9 Episode 15, “The One with the Mugging”, highlights the subject of pay transparency and gender equity. Whilst Monica and Chandler don’t work together, Monica is still disappointed to learn that he earns more than her despite her important role as an Executive Chef. This conversation might definitely remind people of awkward moments over a morning coffee, when someone mentions a salary not in line with other team members.
This Friends episode is a light-hearted reminder that awkward conversations around money often reveal bigger structural issues. Fixing them starts with openness, equity and an attitude of fairness around who’s getting paid what and why.
If you are worried about people finding out about each other’s pay – and that’s because you know you have disparities – this can be resolved by ensuring fairness in your salary arrangements. Talk to us if you’re not sure where to begin.
3. Training
“Fire!”
In The IT Crowd, Season 1 Episode 2, a literal fire breaks out in the basement IT department, but instead of calmly evacuating or following any real safety protocol, the team tries everything except calling for help (unless you count emailing the fire department)!
It’s a reminder that even the smartest employees can fail spectacularly without proper training.
In the original UK version of The Office, Series 2 Episode 2, there is a fire drill. David Brent and his assistant Gareth begin to carry out Brenda – who uses a wheelchair – but abandon her partway down the flight of stairs as it’s too much effort for ‘just a drill’.
Without the right training, employees won’t know what to do. This applies to all sorts of things, not just what to do in a fire! Do your people know how to do their jobs properly and to the best of their ability? Have they received the training that is appropriate to their roles? And is there any further training they would benefit from? What more opportunities for training will be available to them as they progress in their careers?
And whilst we are most definitely not Health & Safey or Fire Safety experts we can give you a bonus tip: don’t put the fire extinguisher behind reinforced glass!
4. Burnout
The episode of Scrubs titled “My Lunch” focuses on a very difficult few weeks for the Sacred Heart Hospital team; after dealing with a tough time, the characters start to experience burnout as they struggle to keep going on as normal.
Now, we know most of you reading this article won’t be doctors dealing with life or death every day, but the episode is an important reminder to take care of yourself during and after demanding situations and to offer support to your colleagues when possible.
Burnout isn’t just stress and it won’t go away on its own. It diminishes wellbeing and can severely impact physical and mental health in the long run if not dealt with properly. Employers have a duty of care to look after their staff. This means taking active steps to stop burnout before it starts by:
- Encouraging conversations around mental health
- Addressing the root causes of workplace stress
- Leading by example and role modelling healthy workplace behaviours
- Setting realistic expectations, deadlines and workloads
- Managing people effectively and fairly – paying attention to how they are dealing with their workdays
Mental Health UK’s Burnout Report 2025 found that 32% of workplaces have plans in place to prevent burnout. This is a 3% increase from last year, but it still leaves 68% of organisations without this necessary support.
5. Culture Change
Ted Lasso is an HR dream. He is a manager dedicated to improving his team and he’s willing to put in the hard work to create a strong, positive company culture. Season 1 Episode 3 is when the dejected club starts to come around and realise Ted might have everyone’s best interests at heart.
A toxic workplace is more than just unpleasant – it’s built on damaging behaviours, attitudes and practices that erode morale and performance. This type of workplace is often underpinned by a bullying culture. While bullying might not be a criminal offence in itself, it’s certainly unacceptable – and harassment can cross the legal line under the Equality Act 2010.
You and your senior leaders must lead by example, bringing honesty, transparency and open communication to every interaction. This is what Ted does! He focuses on creating a culture of respect and support, where people feel safe to grow and contribute. He has a clear vision for what he wants the club to stand for – do you have the same for your workplace?
Building a strong set of values is essential for developing a positive, high-performing culture. It will ensure your team is aligned, motivated and working towards a common goal.
6. Data privacy and Duty of Care
Everyone’s new favourite show! Severance.
The programme presents an extreme version of duty of care, where employees undergo brain surgery to separate their work and personal identities. While we’re not seeing any real-world employers offering memory-splitting procedures (!!!) Severance forces us to ask: where is the line between supporting employees and controlling them? It challenges the idea of who owns your time and your attention once you enter the workplace.
Employers have both a legal and moral duty of care to protect their teams. This includes providing a physically safe environment, and also a psychologically safe one where people feel respected, supported and free from undue pressure or intrusion. A key area where this responsibility plays out is data privacy. Employees have the right to know what data is being collected about them, why, and how it’s stored and used.
The show also brilliantly explores work-life balance – by obliterating it. Severed employees live in a state where their “innie” self knows only work, with no life beyond the office. It’s a powerful metaphor for workplaces that ignore boundaries and expect constant availability. In reality, managers and leaders must actively promote healthy boundaries, encouraging employees to log off, take breaks and truly disconnect.
Conclusion
We hope that this blog has made you think what would HR do? about how your workplace deals with some different scenarios. Next time you are watching your favourite show or a new recommendation and it reminds you of work, maybe ask yourself, is this telling me what not to do? Or perhaps you can learn from it?
When it comes to discussing incidents like these with your staff, using a pop culture reference might actually help get the conversation started. But please PLEASE don’t tell everyone to email if there’s a fire like the IT Crowd’s Maurice Moss!!
If in doubt think wwHRd (what would HR do) and take this as a sign to hire a proper HR consultant and not let a David Brent take charge of your people matters. Give us a call on 01252 757359 or drop us an email at hello@vivohr.co.uk to chat to us about your HR queries.