What Apple TV's 'Severance' tells us about the modern world of HR: A timely thriller that takes the "right to disconnect" to the extreme.

In a world where the lines between work and life are blurrier than your colleague's Zoom background, Apple TV's 'Severance' tells us everything we need to know about the modern working world - from siloes and standardisation to work perks and 'wellness' sessions.

And in light of recent legislative changes in Australia that champion the "right to disconnect" for employees, it's never been more pressing to carefully navigate the balance between business demands and employee wellbeing.

The show's premise

The premise is simple: to overcome that pesky issue of trying to strike a healthy work-life balance, employees at the mysterious 'Lumon' industries consent to a procedure that splits their 'work life' from their 'home life'. At work, one can only remember information and memories relevant to their work. Meanwhile at home, the opposite is true, one can only access memories relevant to their personal lives and they have no recollection of their 'working day or persona'.

Sounds scary (or dare I say idyllic!) right?

While the series is far from a sitcom, its dark themes offer a sobering reflection on the challenges faced by today's workforce. Let's take a more serious look at the parallels between 'Severance' and the evolving landscape of HR:

1 - Work-life boundaries; bring your 'whole self' to work.

The most obvious message behind Severance - to leave one's personal life at the door - is at odds with modern trends in workplaces to "bring your whole self to work."

The so-called splitting procedure has both pros and cons for employees at Lumon. Sure, they're productive (when they're not exploring those white-walled hallways), but they lack any kind of human interaction. They muse with each other about their real, outside selves - as one employee contends: "Do I have a family? You'll never know".

It's creepy to imagine a work reality where all interaction on a personal, human level is removed. This forces the 'severed' characters to seek meaning in their work lives, with some resorting to workplace romance, and others begging to hear more about their 'outside' selves'.

What Severance does well is create a portrait of a grim corporate reality where all essence of humanity is lost, making us value modern trends towards the integration of home-life with work (within reason, of course).

2 - Siloes and standardisation

'Severance' brings to light the impact of standardisation and siloed work environments on employee experiences.

The departments in Severance are many miles apart, and employees are forbidden from talking to each other. Even when they do connect, they're combative and at odds with each other, mimicking the classic example of workplace siloes infighting when their goals are in conflict.

The work in Severance's 'Macrodata Refinement' department too, is standardised, specific and boring. Efficiency is rewarded above all. Task specificity takes the lead. There is no consideration for work design that considers their skills and what would be motivating.

In 2024, we must ask ourselves, how can we design departmental goals to enhance collaboration over conflict? And how can we leverage SMART Work Design to create roles and experiences that aren't just efficient, but enjoyable.

3 - Corporate control and conformity (vs. employee autonomy)

The series also delves into the extreme control exerted by the fictional company Lumon, underscoring the real-world struggle for employee autonomy in an era of increasing corporate influence.

One line that stuck out for me was when protagonist Mark Scout (played by Adam Scott) seeks to speak to senior leaders, only to be met with the reply: "Did you fill out the request for supervisory interaction?".

Hierarchies dominate traditional workplace structures, with seniority and authority ruling the roost. But should this be the case? What other structures and cultures could be cultivated in this modern working world that empower employee autonomy. Are adaptable organisations with skills-based structures part of the solution?

4 - Technology-driven detachment

'Severance' turns work into a high-stakes game of hide and seek, with employees relying on technology for communication. This leads to a sense of detachment amongst Lumon employees, perhaps best exemplified by the ominous Board being represented by a speaker and a remote call (Teams, anyone?).

With technology tools proliferating, modern workers find themselves Slacking, Teamsing, and Zooming each other, and meeting in person less. Remote and hybrid work is here to stay, no matter how many bosses are urging the return to the office .

Technology is also strengthening and accelerating what we do at work. ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot herald the 'Age of AI', and are likely to see people replaced with people who use these very tools. What's needed though, is places to play around with this new technology , so we can make the most of it in our working lives.

5 - Work perks and wellness: a table tennis table counts, right?

I mean, who doesn't love a melon party? For the uninitiated, this is one of the 'work perks' employees at Lumon receive to welcome newcomer Helly to the team.

And it doesn't stop there. Staff receive a range of gimmicky gifts for exceptional performance, from finger traps and trophies through to gift cards and even a 'waffle party'. It's cringey to watch, as we all reminise on the types of superficial rewards we receive for going 'above and beyond' in a work context.

As one employee laments:

"It's fine, I got a gift card [for exceptional performance]."

Another team, Optics & Design, emerge from an egg-dropping contest, exclaiming: "A tight team like us has to keep our synergy up."

And then there's that wellness room...

Fruit bowls and table tennis tables arguably dominate corporate approaches to 'wellness' (*rolls eyes*), although there has been some progress towards proactive assessments of Psychosocial Hazards which is not just a 'trend'...it's the law!

In 2024 and beyond, I urge companies to integrate wellness into their business design - by redesigning work for wellbeing, rather than creating reactive policies, procedures and interventions that treat the symptom, not the causal foundations of burnout (and other workplace related illnesses).

So, what does this mean for us?

As we binge-watch 'Severance' and laugh nervously at the eerie similarities to our own work lives, let's remember that it's our role (as business leaders and HR professionals) to shape the future of work.

'Severance' serves as a reminder to approach HR challenges with a thoughtful, measured and evidence-based perspective - and above all, a human lens. This is especially true of a working world that is increasingly becoming dominated by data, automation and technology.

In short, unlike at Lumon, we are not dealing with fictional corporations and mysterious procedures, but instead, the very real dilemma of the need to enhance the employee experience and create a workplace that values both productivity and wellbeing.