Nate Nickerson is a secondary character in The Office who began as a maintenance worker but was later hired at for the warehouse. Nate was originally hired to displace a hornets' nest but stuck around for more work since Dwight owned the building. And while Nate wasn't a main character or even the hardest worker, he was a hilarious side character who deserves more credit.
Nate was portrayed by comedian/actor, Mark Proksch, and was on the series from season seven to the show's ending in season nine. Most of Nate's comedic moments are brushed under the rug but there were plenty of times where Nate's unintentional comedic timing made the episodes that much better.
He Speaks "Really" Good English
When viewers first meet Nate, he's standing outside in a line with a bunch of other men looking for work. Dwight rolled up in his car to hire someone as a day laborer and Nate was the only one who came forward. The two men spoke in broken Spanish for a few seconds before Dwight asked him if he spoke English. It was obvious Nate spoke better English than Spanish because he would use English words to fill in for the Spanish words he didn't know. It was the start of his and Dwight's strange yet beautiful relationship.
"Oh Darryl, These Are So Elegant"
When Val starts working in the warehouse, Darryl instantly has a crush on her and tries to make his move respectably. With the two working together, he didn't want to come off too strong. But when she gave him a gift on Valentine's Day (a knitted hat), he thought that meant she liked him.
Darryl went out and bought her expensive cashmere gloves but when he realized everyone in the warehouse had a hat made by Val, he panicked and gave the gloves to Nate. Nate did not catch on to what just happened and said the gloves were "elegant" and put them on.
His Hearing Wasn't The Best
When the entire warehouse won the lottery, they all quit without giving notice. Darryl needed to hire a team of employees quickly before business suffered. Nate showed up for an interview and informed Dunder Mifflin that he had a slight hearing problem. While talking to Andy, Nate said, "I don't technically have a hearing problem but sometimes when there's a lot of noises occurring at the same time, I'll hear them as one big jumble." He then continued to pop up in conversations he wasn't involved in and complained he didn't know what was happening.
When He Spoke For Ernesto
When Jim was called in for jury duty, he was released that afternoon and could have gone back to work. However, Pam was at home with two kids and needed help. Jim ended up skipping work for a couple of days to stay at home with his family but blamed it on jury duty.
When Dwight caught on to Jim's lie, he invited a popular food truck owner, Ernesto, to the office to see if he recognized Jim. Nate acted as Ernestor's translator as his English wasn't great. In typical Nate fashion, he managed to nail the translation but butcher the delivery.
The Ultimate Haystack Builder
In "WUPHF.com," Dwight shows the cameras Hay Place; a hay bale adventure held on his beet farm. Every fall, he creates a maze out of hay bales and has fall activities for kids. Considering Nate is someone Dwight hired to help him maintain the business lot, it was humorous to see him working at Shrute Farms as well. Nate was seen stacking the hay and crowning the day's Hay King.
A Joke That Went Too Far
In "Vandalism," Pam is beyond herself when someone in the warehouse defaced her mural. The only person they can rely on for more information was Nate. Dwight and Pam needed a reason to talk to Nate without it seeming suspicious, so they told him his mother was dying. It was one of those moments that's so terrible but viewers can't help but laugh at Nate's reaction.
His Input On Ravi Wasn't Needed
When Kelly begins dating Ravi, Ryan feels threatened and starts downplaying the relationship. He tells people Ravi wasn't as great as Kelly was making him seem. Kevin disagreed with Ryan and told him that Ravi "was the whole package." Out of nowhere, Nate chimes in and says "I've never met Ravi personally but I'm gonna go ahead and say just having known you a short while, Bryan, that I prefer Ravi." What's hilarious is that Nate is a warehouse worker who shouldn't have even been eating in the breakroom. Oh, and he doesn't even know who Ravi is.
That Dreaded Hornet's Nest
The entire reason why Nate was hired to do labor for the business complex is that there was a hornets' nest that Dwight needed to get rid of. Dwight laid out various tools Nate could use to get rid of the nest (including a bow and arrow). Giving Nate different tools to use was a test to see if he would choose correctly. Nate, at first, chose the blow torch before grabbing a baseball bat and swinging at the nest. It's safe to say he failed the test but Dwight kept Nate on the payroll.
"Reply The Toilet Paper!"
When Dwight became the owner of the building, he made life complicated for Dunder Mifflin workers. He watered down the soap, added motion censors to the building, and even thinned out the toilet paper. He had gone too far. Pam decides to look for another office to rent and comes back with proof that Dunder Mifflin could change buildings to save money and work in a stress-free work environment.
When Pam goes into Dwight's office, Nate is hilariously in the background thinning out the toilet paper with a wooden machine.
Nate As A Photographer
With the holidays around the corner, Michael Scott wanted an office photo with everyone jumping in the air. Nate was the photographer and told everyone "On three, everyone in the air." However, he counted backwards. "Three, two, one, zero!" This led to everyone jumping at different times and ruining the picture. Michael later told the cameras that they didn't get the shot.