All Aboard
Its the most accurate workplace show we have.
Eat it,The Office.
The Bravoverse has given us so much.
But its greatest contribution to culture?Below Deck, by a mile.
They frequently forgo breaks.
When they do sleep, its together, in tiny cabins.
When they eat, its together, in the crew mess.
But almost all of us get a break.
We leave the office.
OnBelow Deck, there is no escape.
Crew members cant even take a walk to blow off steam.
They are surrounded by the open sea and the terrors that dwell within it.
Theyre also being filmed 24/7, even when asleep or not so asleep in their bunk beds.
In these tight quarters, small things pile up.
You make like chef Rocky Dakota and swan dive off the boat in protest.
You pull a Hannah Ferrier: Secretly take prescription(?)
Valium on the job, andbreak maritime lawin the process.
(Unfortunately for Hannah, it turns out that maritime law isnt just arunningArrested Developmentgag.)
Theres no need to up the stakes.
Below Deckis basically the Stanford prison experiment, but for work.
But none of these categories are suited toactuallycapture the crazy-making reality of working with other people.
to a managers counterproductive approach to motivating underlings (she responds best to praise!).
And then theres the reality of service work in particular.
Youll watch slack-jawed as guests berate the staff for no good reason.
Id like to see podcasts and airport books take a stab at fix the problems ofBelow Deck.
Every day, millions of people mismanage their employees, and millions more prove themselves to be unmanageable.
This article was originally published onNovember 17, 2023
