The HR office, 8:45 AM. The coffee machine is sputtering. JANET (45, pragmatic, seen it all) is reviewing a policy manual. Across from her sits MARK (28, earnest, new to the role). The phone rings. Janet answers.
"A literal wall?"
"Employee Relations. Yes, Linda… Slow down. The breakroom? Again?" employee relations episode 2
She listens, nods, hangs up.
"Worse. Someone built a wall."
The “broken window” theory of workplace culture—small, unaddressed disrespects escalate into structural dysfunction.
"Let me guess. Someone took the last oat milk?" The HR office, 8:45 AM
"Between the coffee station and the sink. Out of shipping pallets and packing tape. Engineering says it’s a 'fire hazard.' Linda from accounting says it’s 'the only thing keeping us from civil war.'"