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Photo Credits: Stéphanie Branchu/Netflix
I’m in the midst of watching Emily in a Paris for the second time (balancing the show with the Season 3 release of The Gilded Age.) It’s uncanny, how a second watch can help you attend to different story lines and overall themes. There is little doubt that the series lives in some sort of cheerful alternative universe and that likely plays a big role in the attraction. But, as a work life strategist, the things that struck me about Emily’s foray into life in Paris the second time around — were not the colorful clothes or her apartment’s perfect view. It was her Cinderella themed work life. In fact, there were a few highly valuable lessons to be learned from all of it, addressing situations that we could all experience in our own lives. All in all, the foundation for a happy work life was quickly damaged, and continued to take on water, day after day after day. Yet, Emily forged on with a plucky type of grace and fortitude, which is more than most of us might muster.
Most salient to me, of course, was the office dynamic that hit Emily squarely in the face, as she optimistically approached her new life in Paris. How she was treated as a newcomer and how her relationship progressed with her core work group, were particularly interesting. And yes — they made a plethora of mistakes that we should never make outside of a television series. Yes, Emily was a last minute replacement for someone who did supposedly speak French. But what happened to Emily, went much further than that. Her experiences were much like Andy’s in The Devil Wears Prada (who was referred to as “Emily” for a good part of the movie); disrespectful, painful and sometimes hard to watch.
Here are my quick thoughts:
- How We Treat Newcomers. It’s amazing how quickly the hopes & dreams of newcomers can be dashed within organizations (the research bears this out). The first weeks are a particularly important time, and need to be grounded in core topics such as respect for expertise, personal goals and yes, making them feel welcome. Building the right foundation is imperative. This group just didn’t give a damn. Her boss was comically awful, doing so while oozing French sophistication.
- Office Mores. Emily pacing in the front of the office for hours, because she had absolutely no idea what time the office actually opened, was clearly a cultural reference about work — but does illustrate how vulnerable we are at the start of any new work experience. Getting to know the pace, tenor and even the specific vernacular of a work group are a huge part of the on-boarding journey. Should she have asked about the start time? Yes. Should they have already told her? Double yes.
- The New Idea Allergy. As far as I know, a social media strategist (even if they fail to speak French), remains an important role, even in the luxury product space. Somehow deemed ridiculous by her colleagues, an American viewpoint was what she was there to deliver, and they were committed to remain closed-mind. How often have we dismissed a viewpoint because we just would not make a space in our brain, that might challenge what we feel we already know, from a perspective that is solely our own?
- Yes, Relationships Do Take Time. It was heartwarming how the team began to see the strengths that Emily brought in a broader sense. But, of course, it was entirely self-serving. They reached that point, while kicking and screaming, all the way through the bad behavior department. Heartwarming in a sense. Traumatizing in a sense. But of course, this is the nature of fantasy. Things can miraculously resolve — without any long term fallout.
I would have quit — after sharing a few choice words. In French.
How about you?
Marla Gottschalk, Ph.D. is an I/O Psychology Practitioner who explores core stability and the dynamic nature of work life. A charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program, she speaks to teams & organizations on how to build stronger foundations through the practice of core stability. Her thoughts on work life have also appeared at the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, BBC Work Life, Quartz and The Huffington Post.