Reynholm Industries has had its share of ups and downs. The company rises and falls in its fortunes as the series goes on. A large amount of this is due to the people in charge and the employees themselves.
Being an employee at Reynholm Industries certainly isn’t an easy job, especially when Douglas is in charge. While some employees lied to get their jobs, others were hired only for their looks. This has led to a huge mismatched team who all muddle along under constant bizarre threats and occasional harassment. So which employees are helping hold the company together and who has no clue? Here are Reynholm Industries’ best employees, ranked.
Douglas Reynholm
Douglas is a loose cannon and a huge liability. He has a long history of sexual harassment, something which he is forced to address after he takes over Reynholm Industries from his father.
He also suffers from having inherited exactly none of his father’s business sense. His appointment as head of the company marks a huge downturn for Reynholm Industries, as he wastes company time and resources on a regular basis. He has the ability to bring the entire company down and he almost succeeds several times.
Daniel The Security Guard
Daniel the security guard falls for Jen after she correctly guessed some obscure facts he asked her. He asks her out and also puts her name down as his “phone a friend” on a TV quiz show. After she gets the question wrong, things take a turn for the worse and he reveals himself to be a violent bully.
He beats up a clown who mocks him for failing the quiz show and leaves Jen to go home with Roy’s date, who was in the same restaurant. While we don’t see him too much at work, his intimidating nature and violent streak are unlikely to make him a fair and good security guard.
Paul The Cultural Advisor
Paul is the cultural advisor in series 1. After Denholm is presented with a ceremonial sword by a Japanese company, he offers to fire his cultural advisor for his “paltry gift,” a pair of Doc Martens. We see the downhearted cultural advisor Paul stood next to Denholm, looking forlorn.
As the scene progresses the Japanese businessman starts to enjoy stomping in the shoes, until he lands on Jen’s feet. Her foul-mouthed tirade is translated for him, with disastrous consequences. However, Paul was praised for being “quick on the profanity buzzer” and immediately rehired.
Dr. Mendall The Psychiatrist
Dr. Mendall is the company psychiatrist who is treating Moss. After the pair develop a mutual crush on each other, she ends their sessions. This shows her professionalism and care for her job.
We are also given the impression that the sessions, before they were stopped, were helpful for Moss. The only other things we know about her are that she looks like Roy’s mother and she made a bad choice after a staff party. While her appearances are brief, she is shown as dedicated to and good at her job, something Reynholm Industries desperately needs.
Richmond Avenal
Richmond used to be Denholm’s right-hand man until the passing of Denholm’s father. He was then relegated to a cupboard in the IT department, where he watches over the blinking lights. Over time, he is encouraged to step out by Jen, who discovers him when she opens the mysterious red door in the office.
With this support, he becomes a more central figure in the IT department, albeit one who never leaves the office. Later in the series, we see him go on to shed his goth image and start his own business called Goth2Boss.
Denholm Reynholm
Denholm is the founder of the company, which he started with "two things in my possession: a dream, and six million pounds." It is suggested that Denholm is a shrewd businessman, albeit one with a penchant for hiring staff based on their attractiveness and the likelihood of them engaging in affairs.
Denholm’s legacy also includes declaring “war on stress” in the most stressful way possible. The business is handed over to his son after an unfortunate incident involving the police enquiring about pension-fund irregularities and an open window.
Nolan The Right-Hand Man
We see Nolan in series 3 when Douglas’s behavior is threatening the company. He is portrayed as a responsible right-hand man who is trying to hold everything together under trying circumstances.
Since the company never goes down completely, despite Douglas’ consistently reckless behavior, we can assume that Nolan is doing a good job. He manages to keep things together and even recognizes Jen’s work, introducing her as Employee of the Month to the shareholders. While we see little of Nolan, his good work is reflected in the continuation of the company through the consequences of Douglas’ actions.
Roy Trenneman
Roy is incredibly work shy but comes to develop a strong work ethic over time. At the beginning of the series, he mostly just answers the phone, suggesting employees “try turning it off and on again” when they encounter issues.
However, the IT department as a whole was said to be important in an early project, despite not being thanked by Denholm, so they are clearly doing some work. It is suggested that Roy is bored because the job is below his capabilities. This later proves to be true as the company thrives under the leadership of himself, Jen, and Moss.
Maurice Moss
Moss is terrible when it comes to social interaction but he has a huge knowledge of several technical subjects. He is often shown to be working more than Roy, although he does not like leaving the office. He is honest, trustworthy and reliable. He is also a terrible liar and suppresses his urge to cuss.
While he struggles socially, he is mostly just a rule-obeying “standard nerd." Once again, he comes into his own later in the series when his contributions as one of Douglas’ successors help propel the company to great success.
Jen Barber
Jen is hired as manager of the IT department after she claims to have “a lot of experience with computers” on her CV. It turns out that she actually knows nothing at all about any form of technology. She cautions others about typing Google into Google and believes the lie that the Internet resides in a small black box with a red light on it.
While she struggles to grasp even the basics at first, she does at least try and manages to rein in the more unpredictable and extreme behavior of Moss and Roy. Over time, she becomes very good at her job and later successfully takes over the company after Douglas hands over his legacy to the IT department and takes refuge in their office.