BBC launches Office training videos

The BBC is now offering The Office as a training video for managers.

Both series of the show have been launched as corporate videos, showing bosses how not to behave.

Companies already reaping the benefit of the David Brent philosophy include British Airways, Orange and Walt Disney.

Topics covered include appraisals, recruitment, customer service and health and safety.

A spokesman for BBC Worldwide said: "The Office gives trainers a poignant and funny metaphor for bad management by heightening and exaggerating situations that are present in virtually every work environment.

"By showing trainees examples of bad management they can be motivated to learn the correct way. The next time a manager says 'it was only a joke' or 'I like to be tough', their faults can be made clear to them by a quick comparison with David Brent."

The training video market can be very lucrative, most notaby making John Cleese much of his fortune, and the BBC is currently hawking the videos as the UK Human Resource Development trade show.

Published: 11 Apr 2003