fandomhigh | Business 102: Friday, Period 3, Class 2

"The single most important thing you have to do in an office is make sure your boss doesn't hate you," Jim said after the bell rang. "They don't have to like you and they don't have to respect you - although both do help a lot - but they can't openly hate you or else you might get fired."

"The best way to keep yourself in a safe zone is to humor your boss. If they make bad jokes, go ahead and laugh. If you're feeling a little punchy, maybe even joke with them. If they really don't like people coming in late, go ahead and show up right when the office opens. You don't have to show up early, just get there right on time. Whatever it is your boss really feels strongly about, go ahead and give a little bit of effort in that direction. That way they won't care as much about the rest of your performance."

"Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what exactly your boss really cares about. Other times, they make it really obvious, either by coming out and telling you or, for example, saying 'That's what she said' to anything that could possibly be innuendo. I've had that boss. He was interesting."

"Since I'm basically your boss for one hour every week, you're going to have to humor me. This will be your big semester project, so try to take it seriously. But I'm going to make it easy on you. This," Jim said, holding up a stack of handouts, "is a handout of things that I'm very serious about. Study it, ponder it, and use it to your advantage. I'm not going to tell you what you should do with any of these things. Points will be awarded for creativity. Even more points will be awarded for not getting me in trouble with my bosses. Think about it, bring in what you've got at any time before the end of the semester, and we'll see what happens."

"But since you're not getting a chance to do that now, it's story time. Stand up and tell the class about sometime you humored someone in a position of power just to get by. None of those stories can be about this class, though."

He was pretty sure someone would have made a point about humoring him by standing up and doing this discussion. He wanted to cut that off quickly.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Like a kiss-up.

There were some important notes in there, but the real key was the list Jim passed out.

THINGS MR. HALPERT IS SERIOUS ABOUT

*Basketball, especially the 76ers.
*Jell-O molds and what kind of things you can put in them.
*Pranks.
*Tetris.
*Reality television.
*Staying away from the squirrels.
*Students taking the camera guy into the hallway and telling him what they think about this school and my class. (Please note that I don't see the footage and that this isn't actually a project topic. It'll juat make me smile if you do it.)

Take that list and basically bribe Jim into liking you enough to not fail you before the end of the semester.

How have you humored a boss or a superior to make things easier on yourself?

When Bobby pings in.

Check in with the camera during (or MAYBE after) class. Tell him about class, your day, your love life, etc.

Camera guy is moddable, but doesn't talk to you. Although he will get questions to you.

Or just talk to Jim.

I'm so tired.

Jill McTeague

Bobby Drake

...Yeah, by the time he got to reading number three on the list there, Bobby was grinning a little smugly. Pranks? He could so do pranks.

Bobby had to think about this one. To be honest, most of the time he spent pushing Scott to see what he could get away with. But every once and a while...

"I've done the whole pretending-to-listen thing," Bobby admitted. "I'm pretty good at figuring out when to nod in the right places."

Bobby was here... looking all serious and TAlike.

Okay, he wasn't so much with the looking serious, but he was definitely around.

Jim looked very interested and nodded. "Go on," he said.

Yes, he was being a smartass.

Angela Martin

By the time she got to the second thing on the list, Angela was rolling her eyes. Jell-O molds? Really?

"I do my job," said Angela.

"I'm not here to make the teacher smile," Angela said, wanting to get this out of the way really quickly.

"I'm here because of this." She held up the list they'd been given, showing it off to the camera. "This is supposed to be a list of things he's serious about. Jell-O molds? It's not even possible to be serious about Jell-O molds, and if it is? Well, that's not a world I want to live in."

Within half an hour of starting my job, I was pulled aside by my supervisor and warned that I would hear the same stale, slightly inappropriate jokes from the owner and that I should work on looking like I thought they were funny.

I have gotten REALLY good at that fake laugh.

Mat Cauthon

Mat understood roughly half of the items on the list. Pranks, though? Pranks he could do.

Mat rolled his eyes. "I agreed to help him with his bloody love life. I don't recommend doing that."

Jack Burton

Jack boggled at the list. There were some things that he could get started on almost immediately.

"Mostly I just smile and nod," Jack said.

Funny thing, most people did that back to him.

"And what if your boss is so unproductive that he makes me look like a hard worker?" Jim asked. "What if you had a boss so bad that he actually encouraged people not to do any work? How would you humor him?"

"Yikes," Jim said. "Classic mistake. Letting yourself get involved in a boss's love life will cause so many more headaches than you can imagine."

"Always a good strategy," Jim admitted. "Unless your boss is upset. You have to be ready to frown and shake your head when the situation calls for it."

Angela stared at him for what may or may not have been a full minute.

Okay, it wasn't close to a full minute, but she hoped it felt like a full minute to all involved.

"I don't humor people."

Well, clearly.

"You have no bloody idea," Mat said, reaching up to rub the top of his nose. "He's also my best friend and seems to be dangling at least two women on his knee."

"Despite that, I think you'll do just fine for yourself," Jim said.

*****

Jim just smiled at the camera.

"Having a friend as your boss, too?" Jim asked. "You have my sympathies."

"That's why I am here and not bloody there," Mat replied.

"Well, yeah, it's the same thing. If they're not smiling and looking all angry, I'm not agreeing to anything." Jack had coping mechanisms.

Business 102: Friday, Period 3, Class 2

Sign In [Week 2]

Take Notes [Week 2]

Discussion [Week 3]

Talk to the TA [Week 2[

Talk to the Camera [Week 2]

Talk to Jim [Week 2]

OOC [Week 2]

Re: Sign In [Week 2]

Re: Sign In [Week 2]

Re: Take Notes [Week 2]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Talk to the TA [Week 2[

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Sign In [Week 2]

Re: Take Notes [Week 2]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Talk to the Camera [Week 2]

Re: OOC [Week 2]

Re: Sign In [Week 2]

Re: Take Notes [Week 2]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Sign In [Week 2]

Re: Take Notes [Week 2]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]

Re: Discussion [Week 3]