Peter Gibbons is a disgruntled programmer at Initech. He
spends his days "staring at his desk" instead of reprogramming bank
software to be Y2K-compliant. His co-workers include Samir Nagheenanajar, who
is annoyed by the fact that nobody can pronounce his last name correctly;
Michael Bolton, who loathes having the same name as the famous singer, whom he
hates; and Milton Waddams, a meek, fixated collator who constantly mumbles to
himself.
Milton had actually been laid off years earlier, though he was never
informed and, due to a payroll computer glitch, continues to receive regular
paychecks. All four are repeatedly bullied and harassed by management,
especially Initech's smarmy, callous vice president, Bill Lumbergh. The staff
are further agitated by the arrival of two consultants, Bob Slydell and Bob
Porter, who are brought in to help through downsizing and outsourcing.
Peter is depressed, bored, and pushed around at work. He
attends an 'occupational hypnotherapy' session urged by his girlfriend, Anne.
The hypnotherapist, Dr. Swanson, suddenly dies of a heart attack before he can
snap Peter out of a state of complete relaxation. The newly relaxed and still
half-hypnotized Peter wakes up the next morning and ignores continued calls
from Anne (who angrily leaves him, confirming his friends' suspicions of her
infidelity) and Lumbergh (who was expecting Peter to work over the weekend).
Peter announces that he will simply not go to work anymore, instead pursuing
his lifelong dream of "doing nothing". He finds himself finally
relaxed enough to ask out Joanna, a waitress who shares Peter's loathing of
idiotic management and love of the television program Kung Fu. Joanna works at
Chotchkie's, a restaurant that plays on T.G.I. Friday's interior decoration and
uniform standards.
Peter begins removing items at work that annoy him (a door
handle that had shocked him on previous occasions, corporate slogan banners, a
wall of his cubicle that blocks his view of the windows) and parks in
Lumbergh's reserved parking spot. Despite Peter's behavior, he is promoted by
the consultants because of the positive impression he makes on them with his
bluntness about the office's problems.
