One of my very favorite TV shows is The Office. I watch it religiously, or if there is a way to watch it more than someone who watches something religiously, then that is what I do. So, when I accepted an internship in HR with Vera Bradley for the summer, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I did wonder if I would arrive there on my first day to find a department full of Tobys (Dunder Mifflin Scranton’s HR Representative). If you have not seen The Office, basically Toby is Michael Scott’s (the office manager) least favorite person. Michael always says that Toby ruins his fun and just makes each day awful in every way possible. So, with this as my only exposure to HR prior to starting, I was slightly nervous, not going to lie.
Toby Flenderson himself...
Luckily, I arrived on my first day at work to find that Vera Bradley HR was not only much cooler than Toby, but they are much more fun. None of the executives or managers acted anything like Michael Scott, so many of the things that Toby has to do in response to Michael’s outrageous acts are never actually necessary at Vera, or at any company that is not Dunder Mifflin. Even though I would have LOVED to meet a real life Toby Flenderson, I am secretly happy that everyone I got the chance to work with was so much cooler. We would chat throughout the day, take breaks to get coffee and water altogether, dress up in themes on special days like the Friday before July 4th, decorate the office for special birthdays, and go out for lunch to celebrate anything and everything. Today was the third workday that I haven’t been at Vera since I finished, and it still hasn’t exactly sunk in that I’m officially done, and not going back next week. I loved working with them so much that I have actually wondered quite a few times if I really do need to finish my degree here at Butler, because if not, I would happily stay and work with them for as long as they would have me. Maybe if I just continue to pretend that I’m not really done, and I’ll be going back soon then it won’t be so bad?? Maybe??
Vera Bradley HR...some of my absolute favorite people!
