Benevolent Boss/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.



Basic Trope: A boss, who cares a lot about his employees and their well-being.

  • Straight: Mr Daniels wants to see his employees feel happy and be in a positive mood, even in the middle of stresses of a hectic workplace.
  • Exaggerated: He also praises them over the slightest improvements whenever he happens to come across them, frequently asks for opinions, suggestions and constructive criticisms, likes to share cups of cocoa, encourages them to collaborate and brainstorm together, orders them to take a good breather if they seem to be too stressed and out of breath, gives them helpful advice if they come to ask for it and helps sort out budding conflicts between co-workers in a peaceful way.
  • Downplayed: Mr Daniels may not seem like the kindest man on earth, but it's obvious in a subtle way that he does care for those working for him.
  • Justified: Mr Daniels values an empowering workplace atmosphere and as well as positive people relations in general. He also knows that real leadership comes from compassion and people skills, not bullying and control-freakery.
  • Inverted: Mr Daniels is a Bad Boss, who bullies, intimidates, verbally abuses, coerces and psychologically manipulates (even at best neglects) his underlings and doesn't care if they suffer for his agenda.
  • Subverted:
    • Then someone disappoints Mr Daniels and he turns out to be quite nasty.
    • Turns out his apparent caring only applies to the workplace where they can be of use to him. He is, directly or indirectly, looking out for number one, after all.
  • Double Subverted:
    • So it seems at first. He simply gives as short and compassionate as possible a talking-to, even if a bit downbeat, and instructs the screwed-up employee on how to avoid a similar mistake from then on.
    • Looking-to-further-his-agenda-by-pulling-wool-over-everyone's-eyes -thing is actually a misunderstanding. How can you worry after everyone else, especially when you need your own home break, too? No one can go on with full batteries 24/7, so why would Mr Daniels be different?
  • Parodied: Mr Daniels is so nice he lets everyone leave work merely at the sight of one employee getting a little tired.
  • Zig Zagged: Mr Daniels can be a very nice boss at times, but in worse days he can be very nasty.
  • Averted: Mr Daniels makes sure the general workplace athmosphere doesn't get too negative, but he doesn't go out of his way to be extra-caring towards employees, either. He's more task-focused.
  • Enforced: ???
  • Lampshaded: ???
  • Invoked: I'm going to make sure everyone likes to come to work.
  • Exploited: Vincent, a lazy and manipulative worker tries to take advantage of this by leaving early, not doing his job correctly, etc.
  • Defied: If I go soft on them, it sends off the wrong message.
  • Discussed: ???
  • Conversed: ???
  • Played For Laughs:
  • Played For Drama: Sure, Mr. Daniels might be a Benevolent Boss, but he's really hiding an Ax Crazy side. He's an expert in mind raping people and looking for pawns in his workplace.

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