When reflecting on the history of The Office, one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, we think about the ridiculous things Michael Scott says, the terrible choices that the Scranton employees make, and the hilarious pranks that are played on the NBC sitcom… but rarely do we actually think about the work. We typically look at the wide assortment of characters based on how funny they are, but how effective are they at their individual jobs?
It’s in an effort to address that question that we’ve put together this feature looking at 32 key characters in The Office cast and giving them a rating out of five to judge their job performance.
Michael Scott
Job Rating: 2.5/5
Michael Scott has his moments… but as far as being a branch manager at Dunder Mifflin Scranton is concerned, he is far from an ideal employee. He is talented when it comes to sales and demonstrates flashes of competence when it comes to getting the most out of his staff, but he is also a racist, a misogynist and, perhaps most importantly of all, a complete idiot.
Jim Halpert
Job Rating: 4/5
The big problem that Jim Halpert has is motivation. He is happy to goof around and do nothing if he doesn’t care, but when he actually focuses on his job and applies himself, he is a good employee. Evidence shows he is talented when it comes to sales and manages some pretty big clients, including Blue Cross of Pennsylvania (as seen in “Golden Ticket”).
Dwight Schrute
Job Rating: 4.5/5
There is no getting around the reality that Dwight is an abrasive jerk, but if you ignore how he gets along with his co-workers and his thirst for power and hierarchy, you’ll see that he does a lot of good for Dunder Mifflin. He’s one of the best salesmen in the entire company (he has the hardware to show it), and he is exceptionally dedicated to the health of the business.
Pam Beesly
Job Rating: 3.5/5
Pam Beesly’s score gets a bit dinged by her limited and super unsuccessful stint as a salesperson post-Michael Scott Paper Company, but mostly she is a Dunder Mifflin employee who can be said to be good at her job. While she is sometimes distracted, she proves an effective receptionist (often preventing Michael Scott from embarrassing himself), and she ultimately functions well as the office administrator.
Stanley Hudson
Job Rating: 4/5
If you’re looking for an employee who is super engaged with their job and lives to further their career, Stanley Hudson is not your guy. If, however, you’re in the market for a competent salesperson who has a hunger for good commissions as proper financial compensation for his effort, he’s a guy to hire.
Phyllis Vance
Job Rating: 3/5
It’s actually a bit of a challenge to analyze Phyllis Vance as a Dunder Mifflin employee, as her work as a salesperson is never really highlighted on The Office beyond her paired sales call with Karen Filippelli in “Traveling Salesman.” She does have her own loyal client list, however, and mostly stays out of personal conflicts (obviously the big exception being the Dwight/Angela/Andy affair).
Meredith Palmer
Job Rating: 2/5
Meredith Palmer’s duties at Dunder Mifflin Scranton cover purchasing and supplier relations, and she mostly performs the job well – a major exception being the scandal involving her relationship with a Hammermill employee (“Business Ethics”). Further hurting her score is that she is an unrepentant alcoholic who frequently drinks at work.
Angela Martin
Job Rating: 4.5/5
Angela Martin has a talent for rubbing people the wrong way due to her extremely strict values and unwillingness to keep said values to herself. She’s not a great employee to have in the general office atmosphere, but she is a good accountant who effectively manages the company’s business.
Oscar Martinez
Job Rating: 5/5
I don’t think it’s a controversial stance to say that Oscar Martinez is far and away the best and most competent employee who works in the Scranton Branch of Dunder Mifflin. He has a “know-it-all” smugness that puts some people off, but he is a smart and hard-working accountant.
Kevin Malone
Job Rating: 1/5
Sitting right next to Oscar Martinez is Dunder Mifflin’s most incompetent employee. When Kevin Malone first applied for a position in Scranton, he wanted to work in the warehouse, and he only became an accountant because Michael Scott put him in that position. He clearly hasn’t learned much on the job either, as he has Oscar do his personal taxes.
Creed Bratton
Job Rating: 1/5
If there is any employee who challenges Kevin Malone for “Worst At Their Job,” it’s Creed Bratton. Unlike Kevin, the problem is not that Creed is incompetent; the problem is that he is a con man. He is technically in charge of quality assurance, but he doesn’t actually do anything, and in the one instance where things went wrong, he orchestrated a plan to create a scapegoat.
Kelly Kapoor
Job Rating: 3/5
Kelly Kapoor is arguably too good at her job to actually be considered good at her job. She really, really loves to talk, and her position in customer relations is well-suited for that gift of gab. She also has an extremely limited attention span, however, and that isn’t a great combo with her chatty nature.
Ryan Howard
Job Rating: 2/5
The big leg up that Ryan Howard has on everybody in the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch is his education, as he is the only one with a master’s degree in business… but he is also a big phony. He is a bad salesman, as illustrated by his inability to make a sale during his entire tenure in that position, and when his big move to modernize the paper business fails, he ends up committing felony fraud and goes to prison.
Andy Bernard
Job Rating: 1.5/5
There is a very small stretch of time in The Office when Andy Bernard proves himself to be a modestly talented manager (Michael Scott set a very low bar), but all that really goes out the window before the conclusion of the show – which includes a spell when he goes on a months-long boat trip without informing David Wallace. Lowering his score further is the fact that he frequently demonstrates himself as a terrible salesperson in his first few seasons in the series.
Toby Flenderson
Job Rating: 2.5/5
There’s a part of me that feels pity for Toby Flenderson, as trying to manage Michael Scott is a nightmare… but that failed management is also a pretty big indication that he is bad at his job. He’s not awful as a counselor, but he is frequently shown to be bad at conflict mitigation, which is a pretty big part of the gig when it comes to Human Relations.
Darryl Philbin
Job Rating: 4.5/5
Similar to Jim Halpert, Darryl Philbin has a motivation problem and really needs to be pushed to become enthusiastic about his job – but when he does make the effort and applies himself, he can make things happen. He has some good ideas (like the suggestion of having drivers be eligible to make sales in “Costume Contest”) and ultimately finds his happiness using his energy and creativity as an employee of Athlead.
Erin Hannon
Job Rating: 3.5/5
Erin Hannon is, to put it lightly, a dummy. That being said, there isn’t a great deal of brain power required for being the receptionist at Dunder Mifflin, and she is able to use what intelligence she has to get the job done effectively. She certainly does a lot better in the gig than when Kevin Malone is given the post in “Dream Team.”
Jo Bennett
Job Rating: 4.5/5
With the exception of her decision to hand her position as CEO of Sabre over to Robert California, Jo Bennett proves to be an excellent professional. She works her people hard, but she knows how to get the best out of her people and mostly proves to have strong business ethics.
Gabe Lewis
Job Rating: 3/5
Gabe Lewis is a toady, but at least he is an effective toady. He is willing to go the extra mile for his employer in his role as Sabre’s Coordinating Director for Emerging Regions (as evidenced by his willingness to regularly commute between Florida and Pennsylvania), and while he’s not great when it comes to projecting authority, I would argue he is better at conflict resolution than Toby Flenderson.
Karen Filippelli
Job Rating: 4.5/5
It’s been said time and time again that Karen Filippelli is too good for Jim Halpert, and that goes for her professional demeanor in addition to her personal attitude. She is serious about her work, and while we don’t get to see much of her work in sales, Dunder Mifflin demonstrates an appreciation for what she can do by making her the Regional Manager of the Utica branch.
Jan Levinson
Job Rating: 2/5
Some people do a really good job separating their personal and professional lives. Jan Levinson is not one of those people. When she has her life straight, Jan is effective in her role as Vice President of Northeastern Sales, but after she gets divorced, she basically loses her mind and becomes ineffective to the point of termination for cause.
David Wallace
Job Rating: 3.5/5
David Wallace has a bit of a mixed record. He’s not a terrible boss and demonstrates a lot of tolerance for foibles, but the overall up-and-down success of Dunder Mifflin as a company doesn’t say a whole lot about his effectiveness as a CFO. Also, he’s the idiot who thought it was a good idea to reinstate Andy Bernard as regional manager over Nellie Bertram.
Charles Miner
Job Rating: 4/5
How far could Charles Miner have gotten at Dunder Mifflin if not for the incompetence and interference of Michael Scott? That’s a question open for debate. He doesn’t make a great choice trusting Dwight Schrute as his second in command, but the guy is smart and quickly earns the appreciation of just about everyone in Scranton. He might have done very well for himself had the Michael Scott Paper Company’s hollow business plan not screwed with his efforts.
Nellie Bertram
Job Rating: 3/5
Oh, look! Another Dunder Mifflin-employed grifter! The big difference between Nellie Bertram and Creed Bratton/Robert California, however, is that she doesn’t have any other outstanding flaws as an employee (her outrageous personal debt and issues don’t totally count). She is a satisfactory branch manager who most come to tolerate, and she actually does make some efforts when it comes to her position as Special Projects Manager.
Josh Porter
Job Rating: 4/5
As evidenced by his work managing the Dunder Mifflin Stamford branch and the confidence that corporate has in him, Josh Porter is clearly a good and talented employee. His score, unfortunately, gets dinged because he is also selfish and notably disloyal – leveraging an offer from Dunder Mifflin to take a job at Staples in “Branch Closing,” letting all of his employees either get fired or transferred.
Robert California
Job Rating: 2/5
Like Creed Bratton, Robert California is basically a con man, though he happens to be much, much smarter than Creed, and he uses that intelligence to become the new CEO of Sabre. Intelligent and confident as he may be, however, he is unfortunately also a bit of a slave to his own Id, and it drives him to make some terrible business decisions.
Todd Packer
Job Rating: 1.5/5
Todd Packer is a terrible human being in many respects and arguably the most despicable character on The Office. He’s an extreme misogynist with a disgusting sense of humor. I give him an extra half point because he must be doing something right to keep his job as a traveling salesperson for Dunder Mifflin, but he is an offensive and awful employee in every way presented.
Roy Anderson
Job Rating: 3/5
The assault of Jim Halpert is a blotch on Roy Anderson’s work record, and the guy doesn’t demonstrate much of a respect for authority (or at least the authority of Michael Scott). That being said, he seems to do a fine job working in the warehouse when he is employed by Dunder Mifflin.
Holly Flax
Job Rating: 4/5
Because she works in human resources, Holly Flax can most easily be judged against the work performance of Toby Flenderson, and she unquestionably comes out the winner in that comparison. She has a very silly sense of humor and can be Michael Scott-level inappropriate at times, but she is mostly a reliable professional with strong ethics.
Hank Doyle
Job Rating: 2/5
Hank Doyle is not a good security guard. He’s good at sitting at a desk and observing things, but not to be ignored is the fact that there are multiple crimes that occur at the business park where Dunder Mifflin Scranton is located (assault, fake arson, drug use, robbery, etc.) and he is doesn’t really get involved in any of it.
Pete Miller
Job Rating: 3/5
It’s a bit difficult to judge Pete Miller’s job performance, as there isn’t much that he actually does at Dunder Mifflin Scranton (one of his big duties is filing customer complaint cards that have already been digitized). He’s not particularly outgoing, creative, or ambitious, but given the crew he works with, he gets a solid score because he’s not out of his mind or a criminal.
Clark Green
Job Rating: 3/5
Clark Green exists on the wrong side of unpleasant, as evidenced by his downright creepy attempt to photograph Erin Hannon… but this article is about job performance, and the big thing that Clark has in his corner is the fact that he is ambitious. He wants to make sales and make a name for himself in the business world, which makes him not the worst guy to have on a staff.
