15 Times Michael Scott Really Should Have Been Fired
Michael Scott might be one of the funniest bosses in television history, but working for him would probably be an absolute nightmare. As regional manager of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch, he constantly crossed professional boundaries, ignored basic workplace rules, and turned ordinary office days into complete disasters. Somehow, he managed to keep his job despite an impressive collection of questionable decisions that would have landed most managers in serious trouble. His employees put up with an unbelievable amount of nonsense, and honestly, HR had more than enough reasons to step in. Here are some moments when Michael really pushed his luck.
The Diversity Day Incident
Michael organized his own diversity training after being reprimanded for repeating a Chris Rock routine, then made employees participate in an exercise involving racial stereotypes and offensive impressions.
He Hit Meredith With His Car
Michael accidentally hit Meredith with his car in the office parking lot, then became more concerned about how everyone would react than taking responsibility for the accident.
He Started the Michael Scott Paper Company
Michael quit Dunder Mifflin and started a competing paper company, taking Ryan and Pam with him and actively trying to steal customers from his former employer.
He Made Everyone Participate in a Fake CPR Training
During a CPR training session, Michael allowed Dwight to destroy a CPR dummy, then turned the exercise into a chaotic singalong and an impromptu attempt to remove the dummy’s face.
He Publicly Humiliated Toby for Years
Michael repeatedly bullied Toby Flenderson simply because he disliked having an HR representative in the office, making his professional life miserable through insults, harassment, and constant attempts to get rid of him.
He Created the Golden Ticket Disaster
Michael secretly placed discount coupons inside shipments of paper without considering that all five could end up with the same major client, potentially costing Dunder Mifflin a fortune.
He Invited a Convicted Criminal to Speak at the Office
When employees complained about their working conditions, Michael responded by dressing up as Prison Mike and giving an absurd presentation about prison life instead of addressing their concerns.
He Kissed Oscar in Front of Everyone
During a workplace discussion about homosexuality, Michael kissed Oscar on the lips in front of the entire office, putting his employee in an incredibly uncomfortable position.
He Took the Office to a Chilly Hotel Conference Room
Michael organized a beach-themed competition to decide who would replace him as regional manager, forcing employees into humiliating challenges instead of handling his management responsibilities.
He Used Company Resources to Plan His Wedding
Michael photoshopped himself into a family Christmas card featuring his then-girlfriend Carol and her children, then proudly displayed the result at work despite having barely met her family.
He Threatened to Fire People During a Performance Review
Michael regularly turned performance reviews into uncomfortable personal conversations, making inappropriate comments and struggling to separate his employees’ professional performance from his personal opinions about them.
He Held a Fake Employee Auction
When the office had a surplus budget, Michael decided to spend the money on unnecessary purchases and a completely improvised auction, treating company funds like his personal entertainment budget.
He Abandoned His Job to Follow Ryan to New York
Michael became obsessed with Ryan’s promotion and repeatedly visited the corporate office in New York, disrupting his own work and making it difficult for his branch to function without him.
He Revealed Confidential Company Information
During Jan’s wrongful termination lawsuit against Dunder Mifflin, Michael gave a deposition that exposed confidential company information and repeatedly made the legal proceedings more difficult for his employer.