I'm a little late to the game, but I have recently fallen in love with the AMC series, Mad Men. There are many different reasons for that, one of which is seeing how the characters behave in work situations. Although I'm sure that many of behaviors are exaggerated for dramatic purposes, the whole show is an example of how much things have changed in the workplace.
Some of the more blatant behaviors are the smoking and drinking at work. I don't just mean a 3 martini lunch (although they do that, too). I'm talking about the bar that is a staple in every executive's office. Throughout the day you see the guys discuss, celebrate and stress out with a cocktail in hand. Not only that, but the liquor is supplied by the company! Certainly there are/were differences between types of work places. I have to believe that the amount of alcohol in an ad agency office would be very different than the amount in a government office, for instance. The constant smoking is also notable, but that is true in and out of the office.
The sexual harassment in the offices of Sterling Cooper is unbelievable. The women in the office are clearly servants and are treated horribly. They are objectified and dismissed at every turn. My favorite story line is one where Peggy Olsen (played by Elissabeth Moss, Zoey Bartlet from the West Wing) is the first woman in the office to break out of the secretary pool and into copy writing. She fights the sexist perceptions and behaviors with a subtle strength. For instance when the agency wins a new client, all of the execs decide to take the new client out to celebrate. They choose to go to a strip club and they don't think about how that excludes Peggy. In fact, they don't even consider that she may want to join them at all. Peggy decides to go despite the lack of an invitation, much to the surprise of her co-workers. Unfortunately, the client sees that as an opportunity to belittle Peggy by making her sit in his lap. Peggy reluctantly goes along with it, clearly out of her element.
I think that it would be a hoot to watch each episode in a room full of HR folks to hear everyone say OMG! in unison and to talk about what it might have been like to actually work in that kind of environment. Like I said, I'm sure there is much exaggeration in the show, but it does make for an interesting watch!
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