I recently watched Netflix’s The Chair, and by episode two, all I could think was: This is every HR leader’s worst nightmare. From a toxic culture to a viral classroom scandal, the show unfolds like a case study in workplace crises.
The Chair follows Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, the first woman and person of color to chair for a struggling department at a university. While it’s set in academia, this series offers a revealing look at the modern workplace and how wrong things can go without proper HR support.
This HR 411 article takes a look at the major lessons this miniseries offers on leadership, diversity, and accountability, and how they serve as a real-world warning for every HR leader.
Leading Change Under Scrutiny
The show opens with Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim stepping in as head chair of an English department on the brink of collapse. Enrollment is down, funding is at risk, and she is warned that without significant improvement, many of her colleagues will lose their jobs.
Ji-Yoon is expected to “fix” the department while preserving morale, but her superiors don’t offer her any support and even undermine her decisions in later episodes. To make matters worse, she’s given a predetermined list of professors that will be the first to go if things don’t improve.
Ji-Yoon’s situation is a reminder of how easily good intentions can sow chaos when leaders are expected to create change without any real support. We see this play out throughout the show: Ji-Yoon struggles to be taken seriously, her colleagues feel unheard, priorities are constantly shifting, and her promises of change fall through. This overarching theme acts as a warning that when change lacks structure and shared ownership, trust in leadership begins to erode.
Related article: Culture on the Brink? HR’s Guide to Navigating Transformation
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Practice
The department’s lack of diversity and systemic inequities create another set of obstacles. Less than half of the faculty for the department are women, only two are people of color, and one is quietly being pushed out by university leadership.
First, let’s look at the dishonest practices aimed toward Joan, an older professor who is on the chopping block list given to Ji-Yoon. Joan is being quietly coerced into early retirement — reassigned to a cramped basement office in a different building, a symbolic demotion that makes her departure seem voluntary if she chooses to leave. This is an alarming way to treat faculty, and it exposes the university to potential age discrimination claims.
Joan’s experience is part of a broader pattern where underrepresented voices are sidelined in favor of others. Yaz, the department’s only other woman of color, encounters similar barriers and begins to question whether she has a future at the university.
The department’s lack of diversity highlights the fragility of workplace culture when fairness and ethics aren’t protected, especially for those already underrepresented. This is an ongoing theme in the background of the show, as decisions that appear neutral on paper mask unethical treatment that consistently disadvantage the same people. Over time, trust fades, motivation drops, and the environment becomes toxic.
Related article: ‘Quiet Firing’ Is Poisoning Workplace — Here’s How To Stop It
Accountability and Empathy in Modern Leadership
The show’s most visible theme is centered around accountability, and managing difficult employees (with empathy) without hindering morale. We mostly see this through Bill, a professor who recently returned to work after the death of his wife. His grief manifests as erratic behavior and poor conduct in the classroom, but Bill refuses any support or feedback. When an inappropriate classroom gesture he makes goes viral, the situation quickly spirals into a reputational crisis for both him and the university.
Instead of accepting responsibility, Bill minimizes his actions and rejects efforts to guide him through the fallout. Without help from university leadership, Ji-Yoon scrambles to contain the damage while still trying to remain sensitive to Bill’s situation. The issue further escalates at a town hall, where Bill tries to address the students who call for his removal, and it quickly spirals out of control — inciting protests on campus. Bill’s storyline is a reminder of how quickly empathy can cross into enablement when accountability is missing. Though ample empathy is given to him, there isn’t much of a push for accountability. Throughout the show, we see how a lack of boundaries and clear guidance allows the situation to spiral.
Related article: From Pushback to Progress: Advanced Strategies To Overcome Workplace Pushback
A Cautionary Tale
In the end, The Chair serves as a cautionary tale for HR professionals by providing a look at what can go wrong when institutions ignore the human side of leadership. Its message is simple but vital: When empathy, equity, and accountability fall out of balance, the cost is always culture.
