Let’s face it, even for those of us who are fortunate enough to love our jobs; working can be a real pain sometimes. That being said, one thing that certainly makes our day jobs bearable is having an excellent boss. Conversely, a bad manager can make a less than desirable workplace, downright dreadful.
Over the years, many of our favorite television shows have featured some characters that would be amazing to work for. Of course, there are also a ton of popular program which features bosses that would have most of us running toward the exit.
With that in mind, here are five bosses we would love to work for and five we defiantly wouldn’t.
Would Love: Michael Scott
He’s quirky and can sometimes be downright offensive, but The Office’s Michael Scott would a lot of fun to work for. The top paper salesman turned manager loves to throw parties, tell jokes, and seemed to care more about office morale than anything else. Scott even tries to give back to the community at times with misguided endeavors like a marathon to cure rabies.
Sure, no one really gets a lot of work done when he’s around, but his branch always performed well – so he must have been doing something right. Moreover, with Scott the helm, the workday would never be dull.
Would Not: Montgomery Burns
Montgomery “Monty” Burns is a person that few people would enjoy working. In fact, the nuclear power plant owner is downright villainous. With the exception of his loyal assistant Waylon Smithers, Mr. Burns is almost universally despised by the good citizens of Springfield.
The billionaire business owner doesn’t care about his employees and spies on them with cameras that are placed throughout his plant. When the elderly entrepreneur appears on The Simpsons its rarely good news for the other characters. To make matters worse, he’s been known to bribe city officials – including safety inspectors – which could allow a potentially unsafe work environment to go unnoticed.
Would Love: Mick Foley
Mick Foley is a legendary professional wrestler who is perhaps best known for getting thrown off the top of a steel cage by The Undertaker. Over the years he has also served as an on-screen general manager, which makes him the man in charge in the fictional world of sports entertainment.
Foley was a loveable boss who generally tried to do the right thing. If you were the kind of wrestler who played by the rules, then the former Hardcore Champion would usually make sure you got a fair shake. Unlike other WWE authority figures, Foley didn’t abuse his powers and tried to make sure the right man or woman got a shot at championship gold.
Would Not: Tony Soprano
It’s fair to assume that if one decides to dabble in the world of organized crime, finding a kind-hearted boss will be a difficult feat. Tony Soprano was many things, but pleasant to work for certainly wasn’t one of them. While other head honchos on our list are unpleasant, most of them won’t end you – the same can’t be said for The Soprano’s lead character.
Throughout the series, the Jersey-based mob boss eliminated several of the characters that worked for him. As an employee, if you become any sort of liability while working under Tony Soprano, things could get real ugly.
Would Love: Charlie Townsend
Despite the fact that hit 1970s (and early 80s) television series was called Charlie’s Angels, Charlie Towsend was actually a relatively minor character. For the most part, he gave the girls their mission and generally got out of the way.
It’s been said that good leader doesn’t micromanage and Towsend certainly didn’t do that. He also didn’t hog the spotlight. In fact, his face has never even shown in the original television series. Moreover, he also seemed to care about his employees well being, which is always a plus and is good for workplace morale. Overall, being one of Charlie’s Angels seems like a pretty good gig.
Would Not: Mr. McMahon
WWE’s Mr. McMahon was a character that had just about every bad trait that we would commonly associate with a horrible employer. He was arrogant, had a bad temper, and seemed to enjoy firing his employees. These traits helped Mr. McMahon become one of the top heels (bad guy characters) in pro wrestling history.
The evil billionaire was so vile, he quite literally made certain employees kiss his backside. Not to mention, if one got on his bad side, McMahon would often send his henchmen to inflict bodily harm. The WWE CEO most certainly did not foster the kind of healthy work environment most employees are looking for.
Would Love: Joe Caputo
Working in prison isn’t anyone’s idea of an ideal job. That being said, those who do making a living in this challenging industry would be lucky to have a boss like Joe Caputo. The Orange is the New Black warden does his best to run an ethical prison and is generally fair with his subordinates. In fact, he even helped stopped the prison he’s in charge of from shutting down – saving his workers jobs in the process.
Caputo has a big heart and even seems to care about the well being of many of the prisoners he encounters. He’s not perfect, but Joe Caputo is a competent leader who treats others fairly for the most part.
Would Not: Don Draper
Don Draper is one of the more complex television bosses. One the one hand, he’s a self-made man who is great at his job. However, he wouldn’t be the best person to work under.
First off, he’s self-absorbed and has a tendency to disappear for extended periods of time without telling anyone where he is. Moreover, Draper is a moody guy who can be unnecessarily cruel to well-meaning employees like Peggy Olson. There would be times when he’s pleasant to work with, but being his subordinate would be something of a rollercoaster ride and not in a particularly fun way either.
Would Love: Roger Sterling
He’s not as talented of an ad man as Don Draper, but Mad Men’s Roger Sterling would a lot more fun to work for. Unlike the other office managers (Draper and Bertram Cooper), Sterling seemed to enjoy interacting with the folks around the office. He also comes across as a good-natured guy who doesn’t take life too seriously.
The former WWII vet is the kind of boss you could have a drink or two (or several) with after work and enjoy good conversation. As with some of the other characters on the show, he could be impulsive – like when he married his secretary, but as bosses go, one could do a lot worse.
Would Not: Sam Malone
While not necessarily a bad character in the traditional sense, Cheers’ Sam Malone did come across as a bit sleazy at times. The former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher had a reputation as a womanizer and tended to be overly flirtatious with female employees – particularly his waitresses, Diane Chambers, and Rebecca Howe.
Chambers eventually fell for the former major leaguer, and they had an on-again, off-again relationship. However, he continually made moves on her replacement, Howe – even though she turned him down on numerous occasions. In truth, Malone was a human resource worker’s worst nightmare and a harassment lawsuit waiting to happen.
