Depths of... Tension with Your Boss
Don't worry — we won't cc your boss on this email!
Hi!
I’m Annie Rauwerda, and I started @depthsofwikipedia on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to highlight my favorite Wikipedia rabbit holes. I partnered with Bullish Studio to round up the weirdest Wikipedia articles about a new subject every week. Next up: Tension with your boss! Here are the Wikipedia pages we're diving into:
Today's Entry: Tension with Your Boss
As pandemic restrictions were lifted, the US saw a “Great Resignation.” Record numbers of employees are clocking out for good — some in pursuit of better management.
In fact, 41% of workers globally are considering leaving their current employer this year, and a Harvard Business Review survey revealed 58% of people trust strangers more than their own boss. There are troves of Wikipedia articles about bosses, and here are some of my favorites!
🔑 Boss Key
A quick break at work can refresh your mind, but it's not always a good look to be drafting your fantasy football team when you have a work assignment. Wikipedia has an article on the boss key, a keyboard shortcut to quickly hide a program (usually a game) when your boss is nearby. Your screen will jump to another one that looks productive, like Excel or a fake video call. Here's the work-proof way to watch March Madness.
I'm not advocating for you to trick your boss! But if you need a quick discreet break, here are some programs with the same slack-off spirit as the boss key:
ExcelTrick has a huge list of games that can be played within Excel. Make sure you have macros enabled, though, or some won't work.
Caffeine simulates a keypress every minute in order to make your Teams icon "active"
The Wiki Game passes time and accomplishes nothing. You start from a random article and reach a specific destination just by clicking hyperlinks on the page.
📈 Peter Principle
As defined by the Peter Principle: "People in a hierarchy tend to rise to their 'maximum level of incompetence.' Employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another."
The idea was first developed by Laurence J. Peter in a 1969 book by the same name. Though it was published to be more satirical than scientific, recent studies have held up some of its principles.
The Peter Principle describes a worker like Michael Scott: A great salesperson but a terrible boss
A similar phenomenon is known as the Dilbert Principle: Promote the least competent employees into management where they can't hurt anything (aka failing upwards)
📺 My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss
Up next in crazy reality shows we all forgot about: "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss." The Fox Network show aired in late 2004 as a parody of The Apprentice.
A character named Mr. N. Paul Todd (an anagram of Donald Trump) led competitions for contestants who were all pining after prize money and a prestigious corporate job. Decisions were made by "the real boss" whom Mr. N. Paul Todd would regularly consult but viewers would never see.
The Big Twist: In the final episode, the fabled "real boss" was revealed to be a chimpanzee who responded to the name of "Mowgli" and made his decisions by spinning a wheel with the names of the contestants. The show was canceled after five episodes and never renewed.
You can view the entire season, including the final five episodes that were never aired, on Youtube with this link.
Interested in other forgotten TV shows? Dive into Wikipedia's list of television series canceled after one episode.
🔒 Bossnapping
It's not when your boss is napping, nor is it "napping like a boss," but it is a good read. According to the Wikipedia article, bossnapping is "a form of lock-in where employees detain management in the workplace, often in protest against lay-offs and redundancies." The practice has especially been carried out in France, where activists are known to go exceptionally hard.
Here are some examples of what bossnapping looks like:
In March 2009, workers held the CEO of Sony France hostage for a night to demand a better severance package for workers who had been laid off.
In 2010, workers of a Caterpillar Inc. plant in Grenoble took five managers as hostages for 10 hours over layoffs.
In another bossnapping incident in 2010, approximately 300 workers of a Toyota factory in Northern France blocked all entrances and hindered all trucks from leaving the premises