The Office has made a whole generation of audiences laugh with awkward comedy and sarcastic jokes, and it continues to entertain long after its finale aired in 2013. Jim’s overly convoluted pranks, Michael’s embarrassingly inappropriate jokes, and the hilariously talking head scenes are the main attraction. However, many fans forget that The Office is, in fact, about an office.
The employees of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin might not be seen working very often, but they do have real jobs assigned to them. And yet, the Scranton branch’s employees were actually accustomed to less work and more play, even if they had big titles like Regional Manager or Office Administrator. From Pam and Dwight to Meredith and Creed, many Dunder Mifflin employees rarely did their job, leaving fans to wonder how the company managed to be successful in the first place.
16.Michael Scott Is A Great Boss On Rare Occasions
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Regional Manager | 59 | Steve Carrell |
Michael was one of the most tenured employees at Dunder Mifflin, and even if some might disagree, there is proof that he was a great boss. He began as a salesman at the company and climbed the corporate ladder. Eventually, he was promoted to Regional Manager of the Scranton branch. Michael wasn’t really great at his job, as Jan Levinson pointed out, but there were certain situations that showed him in a better light.
In Season 6, Michael had to share this position with Jim Halpert as Co-Regional Managers, but Jim did not stick in the position for too long. Michael kept his job until Season 7 when he left Dunder Mifflin to go to Colorado. Michael Scott would return for the series finale, where he played the prestigious role of Best Man at Dwight’s wedding.
15.Pam Beesly Fulfilled Various Roles At The Company
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Receptionist/Salesman/Office Administrator | 45 | Jenna Fischer |
Dunder Mifflin could not survive without Pam Beesly, who fulfilled many roles at the company. She began as the receptionist at the Scranton branch and also helped Michael through professional and personal hurdles. Although she occasionally resorted to automating her job, Pam would always check her messages and make sure that everything was running smoothly.
As a receptionist, Pam and Jim had one of the best friendships in The Office, which turned into an iconic romance. After leaving Dunder Mifflin for The Michael Scott Paper Company, Inc., Pam returned as a salesman, which didn’t work well for her. She then fashioned herself into the role of Office Administrator. According to the NBC website, Pam later “merged her mural business with a local art gallery in Austin,” where she moved to with Jim and her kids.
14.Jim Halpert Had A Rather Curious Career Trajectory
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Salesman | 46 | John Krasinski |
Jim had a curious career trajectory. He began as a salesman at Dunder Mifflin, which he seemed to excel at. That is, when he wasn’t too busy holding office olympics and crafting deliriously crafty schemes to trick Dwight. When Jim moved to Stamford, he was promoted to Assistant Regional Manager of Sales. However, his return to Scranton was imminent and ensured.
Jim was promoted to Co-Regional Manager with Michael but found that the responsibility was not worth it. Although he was pretty reluctant to accept a demotion, he realized he made better commissions as a salesman, so he went back to this position in Season 6. Jim later started a sports marketing company known as Athleap with Darryl and a few others. He was then given a position as the President of New Acquisitions, which presumably paid a lot more than his job at Dunder Mifflin.
13.Meredith Palmer Has Held A Couple Of Ambiguous Positions
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Accountant/Purchasing | 64 | Kate Flannery |
Meredith Palmer was typically either inebriated at work or getting involved in some wild antics. It isn’t completely clear what Meredith did during her time at Dunder Mifflin, but she held a couple of roles in the company. At first, she was an accountant but was later moved to the Purchasing and Supplier Relations team.
Meredith also came under fire for trying to solicit better rates using sex with a supplier, which she was surprisingly not terminated for. Whatever she did, she did it well because she was at Dunder Mifflin for a long time. That said, Meredith is best remembered as the resident klutz, having suffered numerous accidents over the years. This must have caused a serious dent in her health coverage at Dunder Mifflin, but fans never got to see the outcome.
12.Dwight Schrute Is Probably The Hardest Working Employee
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Salesman/Regional Manager | 54 | Rainn Wilson |
Dwight may have contributed to many of the cringiest moments in The Office, but he was the most hardworking employee at Dunder Mifflin. Like his idol Michael, Dwight was the top-earning salesman of the company. He was also the Assistant to the Regional Manager, although this wasn’t a real role and only served to temporarily satisfy his greatest desire.
Dwight always wanted to be Regional Manager, which he eventually achieved in Season 9. He had a long and arduous journey to his dream job, but he deserved it the most. Thankfully, Dwight has since learned to be much better at treating his colleagues and subordinates, proving that he just needed a chance to flex his managing skills. He’s currently still the Regional manager for Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton Branch.
11.Angela Martin Did Her Work With Honesty And Clarity
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Senior Accountant | 49 | Angela Kinsey |
Fans initially disliked Angela for her numerous idiosyncrasies, many of which were full-fledged instances of bigotry. However, she gradually softens over her tenure at the company. Angela was good with numbers and extremely organized, which was why she was the Senior Accountant at Dunder Mifflin. In addition to her official role in the office, she also headed the Party Planning Committee, which was usurped by Phyllis.
Angela also acted as the Safety Manager of the Scranton branch. Although she was abrasive and sometimes mean to her colleagues, she was one of the best characters in The Office. Dwight briefly mentioned that she was his “former accountant,” which suggests that Angela has since left her job at Dunder Mifflin.
10.Kevin Malone’s Long Tenure Ended On An Abrupt Note
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Accountant | 55 | Brian Baumgartner |
Kevin Malone was lovable and goofy, but he was truly one of the worst workers in the history of the company. In fact, there was no reason for Kevin to be a part of Oscar’s accounting team at Dunder Mifflin because he was so prone to making huge errors with numbers and office work in general. For instance, he “accidentally” committed fraud by inventing a number called “Keleven.” Still, Kevin stayed at his job for a number of years.
He spent most of his work time watching unsavory things on the Internet, as he’s constantly terrified of people finding things on his office computer. As such, when Dwight became Regional Manager, he sacked Kevin for his poor performance, which ended his long tenure in accounting. On a positive note, Kevin and Dwight later made amends and became friends once again.
9.Oscar Martinez Quit His Job To Focus On Running For Senator
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Chief Accountant | 51 | Oscar Nuñez |
Oscar was the third and final member of the accounting team. He was also probably the most intelligent and sensible member of the Dunder Mifflin group. He was very good at his job and had little to no interest in any of the antics of his coworkers. That said, Oscar once referred to himself as “an accountant at a failing paper company in Scranton,” suggesting that he didn’t think much of his company.
Oscar was later promoted to Chief Accountant of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, but he did not stick around at the paper company for too long. Instead, he quit his job to focus on running for senator. Oscar apparently won, making him a Member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from the 22nd District and the only member of The Office to go into politics.
8.Kelly Kapoor Progressed Quickly Within The Company
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Customer Service Representative | 44 | Mindy Kaling |
Kelly Kapoor, who’s very passionate about fashion, somehow ended up at the paper company as the Customer Service Representative. She was naturally talkative and knew how to sweet-talk customers, which made her a perfect fit for the job. While she wasn’t really seen working all the time, it’s clear that Kelly was better than many of her colleagues.
However, Kelly progressed quickly within the company. After the Sabre merger, Kelly got the chance to train and become a Minority Executive, which was a considerable leg-up from her previous position. Unfortunately, Ryan ditches his baby with Kelly’s fiancee so they both of them can run away together. That said, given their previous attempts at a relationship, it doesn’t seem likely that they’re going to last this time either.
7.Stanley Hudson Worked At Dunder Mifflin For Nearly Two Decades
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Salesman | 72 | Leslie David Baker |
Stanley was a permanent fixture at Dunder Mifflin and had worked there for nearly two decades. He was also a salesman at the company, and it seemed like he did reasonably well because he earned good money. More importantly, Stanley was there to do his job and nothing more, explaining why he constantly refused to partake in the group’s time-wasting activities.
Stanley is often seen doing a crossword puzzle, getting annoyed at Michael’s antics, and being grumpy. He found Dunder Mifflin incredibly stressful — mainly because of Michael’s silly actions — which led him to suffer a mild heart attack in Season 5. At the end of The Office, he retired to go to Florida. However, Stanley was seen in the series finale, where he mentioned that he had recently taken up wooden bird-carving.
6.Creed Bratton Is A Strange Man With Stranger Secrets
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Quality Assurance Manager | 98 (allegedly) | Creed Bratton |
Creed Bratton was one of the strangest employees at Dunder Mifflin. He said some things and seemingly had terrible secrets, which was why it was surprising that he managed to get a corporate job. Officially, he was known as the Quality Assurance Manager at Dunder Mifflin, but he was hardly seen doing any work. And he most certainly didn’t know the first thing about Quality Assurance.
Despite this, Creed somehow became the Acting Manager of the branch when Michael left Dunder Mifflin in Season 7. In the series finale, he is arrested for his still-unknown crimes, although he attempted to evade the police for at least a year before that. That said, it appears that Creed soon went on the lam and is currently in hiding from the cops, yet again.
5.Phyllis Vance Was Fiercely Protective Of Her Clients
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Salesman | 58 | Phyllis Smith |
Mild-mannered Phyllis was usually seen working at her desk, and she was presumably a good worker. Like Jim, Dwight, and Stanley, she was a salesman, and she was quite satisfied with her role in the office. Unfortunately, she had to experience a lot of hateful commentary at work, particularly from Michael, who made her cry on no less than five occasions. Despite being in the same high school class as her boss, Phyllis proved that she was far more mature than him.
Phyllis took a small break from work when she married Bob Vance but came back to Dunder Mifflin almost immediately. She loved her job and was fiercely protective of her clients and sales. Phyllis also had a heartwarming friendship with Erin, which developed in the later seasons. She presently offers knitting lessons while living in St. Louis.
4.Andy Bernard Was Fired And Then Rehired By Dunder Mifflin
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Salesman/Regional Manager | 51 | Ed Helms |
Andy was one of the few Stamford transplants who stuck around at the Scranton branch, but he wasn’t a very good salesman. Along with Pam, Andy was one of the poorest performing workers at Dunder Mifflin. And yet, he somehow also became Regional Manager for a brief period due to Robert California’s involvement in Season 8.
This promotion was probably because Andy was an affable person, but he was just as terrible at this job. He skipped out for a month and got fired as a result, but he was later rehired as a salesman at Dunder Mifflin. Eventually, Andy is once again fired due to his uncouth behavior, forcing David Wallace to drop the ax for the final time. He then decided to commence his singing career which had an equally disastrous result. Ultimately, Andy became the Admissions Director for Cornell University, his alma mater.
3.Erin Hannon Was Introduced As Pam’s Replacement
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Receptionist | 37 | Ellie Kemper |
In Season 5 of The Office, Erin stepped in as Pam’s replacement at Dunder Mifflin. When Pam became a salesman, Erin was hired to become the receptionist, and she did a great job because she truly loved her work. Erin’s real name was Kelly, but Charles Miner decided to call her Erin — her middle name — so she wasn’t confused with Kelly Kapoor.
Erin was a little silly and naive, forcing many of her colleagues to walk on eggshells around her. At the same time, her lighthearted attitude and optimistic demeanor explained how she managed to do her tasks well. Her friendly personality made her well-liked among her colleagues, and she was a very enthusiastic worker. After the show ended, Erin created an anti-bullying puppet show that she later took on a national tour.
2.Ryan Howard Completely Ruined His Remarkably Promising Career
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
Temp/Vice President Of Northeastern Sales | 44 | B.J. Novak |
The most interesting career trajectory in The Office was Ryan’s, who had a promising future that was ruined by his haste to make a quick buck. He was even going to business school at night, demonstrating a real go-getter attitude that initially worked in his favor. Ryan had a storied rise from temp to salesman and then to Vice President of Northeastern Sales for Dunder Mifflin, but that was where he started messing up.
Ryan got promoted further to Northeast Regional Director of New Media, but his fraudulent activity got him arrested. Michael did bring him back to Dunder Mifflin after he was released, but Ryan was only rehired as a temp. From that point forward, he just had to deal with Michael’s uncomfortable behavior until Steve Carrell left the show.
1.Toy Flenderson Remained Michael Scott’s Work Nemesis
Role | Current Age | Portrayed By |
---|---|---|
HR Representative | 61 | Paul Lieberstein |
Michael Scott’s greatest enemy was the HR Representative of Dunder Mifflin. This is mostly because Toby tried to keep him in check for his rogue behavior and strange antics, leaving Michael constantly annoyed and upset. Toby left the office after a mortifying experience with Pam and went away to Costa Rica, where he was planning to stay.
For better or worse, an injury in Costa Rica made Toby shift back to Scranton, and he resumed his HR duties at Dunder Mifflin. However, in Season 9, Toby was fired by Dwight. The exact reasons for his firing remain unclear, but it seems likely that the documentary showed just how incompetent he was at controlling his unruly colleagues. Toby has since shifted to New York and hopes to become a mystery novelist.