Most American workers are checked out, and like ‘The Office,’ their bosses are the last to know

Bad managers can simply be confusing rather than cruel. Yellow Man/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Michael Scott, the hapless regional manager at the center of the American version of “The Office” played by Steve Carell, believed he was the world’s best boss. He even had the mug to prove it.

Meanwhile, for most of the show’s 2005-2013 run, his employees endured pointless meetings, cringed through his speeches and quietly counted the hours until they could leave. The joke worked because so many viewers recognized something universal: the gap between how bosses sees themselves and how workers actually experience them.