Content Warning: This article contains discussions of sexual harassment.
Toby Flenderson is one of the most hated workers at Dunder Mifflin Scranton on The Office. Thanks to Michael, not many people respect, listen, or take Toby seriously. How could they respect HR if their own boss didn’t?
However, just because Michael loathed Toby didn’t mean that fans had to too. While some fans felt bad for Toby and believed he was treated unfairly, others saw what Michael saw in Toby. Lovers and haters took to Reddit to explain their true thoughts on Toby, furthering the point that he was more annoying than lovable.
Toby Stopped Andy And Dwight From Finishing Their Duet
When Erin first started working at Dunder Mifflin, both Dwight and Andy showed interest in her. However, due to their former dual over Angela, they respected each other to never cross each other again. That didn’t stop them from trying to impress her though. The two showed Erin how musically inclined they were by performing their own edition of "Take Me Home (Country Roads)." Erin loved it but it looks like fans loved it more.
On Reddit, fans were annoyed that the only reason why Andy and Dwight stopped playing their instruments was because Toby yelled at them. Imagine the continued greatness if Toby didn’t!
Toby Touching Pam's Leg Changed People's Minds About Him
When the office workers locked themselves in the parking lot after working late one night, the group waited in the lobby for the security guard to come and unlock the parking lot. After sharing a few jokes, Toby appreciated it when Pam laughed at his joke. Instead of just laughing with Pam, he grazed Pam’s knee and lingered a little too long for anyone’s liking — all in a non-verbal scene.
Thanks to Reddit, it wasn’t just Pam and Jim who found the graze inappropriate. Fans found it uncomfortable as well, with one user calling the moment "goosebumps down spine creepy." After that stunt, Toby‘s image changed for a lot of fans.
It's Simple: He's Bland
Sometimes fans don’t need concrete reasons as to why they don’t like a character. Sometimes everything they need to know is based on the character's personality. As one fan put it bluntly, they are not a fan of Toby because he ended up becoming a "caricature of the person everyone thought he was."
Not everything about Toby makes sense. There’s not much substance to his character and offers little to nothing for the office banter. Viewers only saw Toby’s fun side a handful of times but it wasn’t enough to make him anything but vanilla.
He Was Horrible To Jim Out Of Jealousy
A battle between Toby and Jim doesn't stand out when fans think of villainous pairs on The Office, but Toby did not treat Jim fairly.
As soon as Toby found out that Jim was dating Pam, he all of a sudden sent out a memo about public displays of affection in the workplace; and it got worse. When Ryan gave Jim a warning for his work performance, some fans didn't like that Toby seemed all too pleased to watch the reckoning.
His Continued Fascination By Pam Was Creepy
It wasn't just Toby's knee graze that bothered fans, it was his entire secret crush on her. When he told the office he was moving to Costa Rica, he went out of his way to find a camera for the sole purpose of taking pictures with Pam. Toby knew fully that Pam was in a relationship with Jim and loved him wholeheartedly but that didn't stop him.
Fans also agree that this inappropriate and creepy behavior was also present in his reaction to when he found out Pam was wearing a bikini to the office's beach day. The look on his face said it all when Pam borrowed his sunscreen, which made fans feel extremely uncomfortable.
Toby Was Terrible At His Job
With Toby being the Scranton branch's human resources head, the ups and downs of the office fall on him as far as rules and ethics on concerned. And it's safe to say—based on fake fires (and real fires), guns going off, and dress code errors—that Toby was one of the worst employees to work at Dunder Mifflin.
It's because of his poor job performance that some fans didn't like him. Toby let Jim and Dwight's pranks go on for far too long, he never reported anyone to corporate, and he had no passion for his job, making the workplace—at times—unsafe.
His Relationship With Nellie Crossed The Line
Many fans have also discussed how they didn't like how Toby behaved around Nellie, as some of his interactions were unacceptable and unprofessional. Toby had a crush on Nellie from the start and the only reason why the two kissed was because Nellie was trying to get Toby to stop speaking.
After the kiss, Toby took it as a sign that she was interested in him and continued flirting with her — much to her chagrin. Considering his past creepy moments with Pam, his reactions to Nellie were off-putting for fans.
He Had Zero Self Confidence
For some, it’s not Toby’s interactions with women or his fascination with the Scranton Strangler that deter people from liking him, it’s the fact that he lacks self-confidence and has no passion for his job.
Compared to his coworkers, Toby is also lacking personality. He’s not as charismatic as Jim, as dry as Dwight, or as endearing and quotable as Kelly. Toby simply exists and doesn’t mind hiding in the background, which doesn’t necessarily match The Office’s humor or the rest of its characters.
Michael Didn't Like Him, So Fans Didn't Like Him
While some fans have concrete reasons as to why they dislike Toby, some do not like him simply because Michael doesn’t like him. With Michael being the regional manager and focal point of the show for the first seven seasons, fans rallied behind him and liked what he liked or disliked what he hated. If Michael loved Holly, Michael fans loved Holly. If Michael hated Toby, Michael fans hated Toby. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to disliking a character, it’s simply because it’s the popular opinion on the show.