Black Mirror, Season 7, Episode 3: The Office

One of my favourite series, Black Mirror, is about to return to Netflix for Series 6. So, it made me think about the future world and thought I would give an outline of an episode. I'm no screenwriter but ... you never know.

Black Mirror, Season 7, Episode 3: The Office

I’m living in a world of embedded finance. Everything I do, everything I feel and everything I want is enabled by invisible payments. I don’t even think about it anymore.

Watching streaming video, jumping in a taxi, walking through a store. Nothing involves me thinking anymore. It just gets done.

Then, one day, a screen pops up and says: you’ve got no money. What?

I go to the bank to discuss. The bank obvs is in an app. I ask my roboadvisor what’s going on? Answer: we didn’t get your funding this month. Hmmmm …

I go to the office. The office obvs is in an app. I ask to meet my manager. My manager says what do you want? I ask where my salary payment went? My manager says did you not get the severance notice? We no longer employ you.

WHAT?

I ask for a meeting. My manager says that’s fine, but why? I say I want to talk about this.

I get a meeting. These things are best done face-to-face.

The next day, I order a robocar to take me to ACME’s headquarters. I enter and the roboguard gives me access. When I get to the third floor, I see my manager.

It tells me that I have not been performing. I ask why. It tells me that my productivity is -21.6758% of fellow workers and that the company has enforced a policy that all workers performing at -20% of recommended levels must be let go.

I’m not happy. I ask: surely I get some severance? My manager says: you don’t qualify for our severance package as, when you joined us and signed the contract, you did not read the terms and conditions.

WHAT?

I ask: what did I miss?

My manager tells me that there are terms in the employment contract that make clear that if I perform at under 20% of my colleague’s performance for more than one quarter, then I can immediately be terminated.

Goddam.

In tears, I leave the office and realise that I’ll have to go to the bank as my savings are low. Due to the nature of this termination, I want a face-to-face meeting. I arrange to meet with my relationship manager.

Walking into the branch – do we still call these branches? – I find my relationship manager is very welcoming although, I have to admit, maybe a little bit scary.

I explain the situation and it tells me that they can extend support for a maximum period of 182 days. What happens after 182 days, I ask. You will be terminated, it says.

OMG, WHAT?

In desperation, I leave the bank and wonder what to do. Obviously the answer is to get another job. But, what job?

I go to the job centre app to see what’s available. There’s not much.  Robofixer, robo-maintenance, robo-support? These are not really my aims. I want something only humans can do, like love and relationships and thinking. I hadn’t realised that all of these jobs were now taken by robots.

Then there’s a job that pops up that really stands out. Creator.

Creator. I can be that. I can create. I don’t know what I will create, but I’m sure I can.

I apply.

Within a minute, a message responds saying that I can meet with them the next day. So, the next day I go to their office. The roboguard asks for my name and why I’m there, and I tell him I am here as a possible creator.

Excellent it says. Please take a seat.

After a short time, a robosec arrives and takes me into the lift to the office for an interview. Arriving for the interview, I realise that this is not the job for me.