Season 2 of “Severance,” the long-awaited continuation of the Apple+ thriller television series, returns on Jan. 17 after a three-year hiatus. The show follows a group of office workers who surgically sever the neural connection between their home lives and work lives.
At work, severed Lumon Industries employees have no memories of their personal lives, known in the show as their “outie.” At home, the severed employees have no memories of their work “innie,” their coworkers or the work they do.
I just finished watching season 1 and I am looking forward to season 2 unraveling more mysteries one week at a time. Here are five lessons I took from Severance season 1 for first responders.
1. Walk with purpose
There are many scenes of the main characters walking through the non-descript hallways of Lumon Industries. Of course, Mark S. and Helly R., are not weighed down by 50-pounds of gear, but I love watching them walk. Mark S. and Helly R. walk with purpose, posture and the level of confidence I strove to display as I walked to a scene.
Though in most TV and movie portrayals paramedics, firefighters and cops are sprinting toward danger, it is almost always better to walk with purpose. As you walk toward the incident scan for hazards – situational awareness – and think ahead to the actions you’ll take, the questions you’ll ask and the clues you’ll seek – preplanning.
2. Work friends and home friends
Lumon industries severed workers are friendly at work, smiling for group photos, enjoying a melon party (a healthier and less enjoyable version of free pizza shift) and busting moves during a “music dance experience.” But they have no connection with one another away from work, and we don’t learn much about their “outie” friendships in season 1.
Friendships are important for our mental health and resiliency. It’s healthy and helpful to have both work friends and home friends, but if you only have work friends – on- and off-duty – it can begin to seem like you are always at work. That’s why many wellness experts encourage first responders to take up hobbies, join civic groups, attend religious services and stay connected to healthy friendships they had before joining public safety.
3. Rituals pre- and post-shift
Mark S., the show’s main character and leader of the Macro Data Refiners, is shown in many episodes arriving to and leaving work. In each arrival scene, Mark changes his badge and stows his wallet and phone.
Whether it is donning a uniform or checking out gear, transition rituals are a valuable way to shift your mindset from home to work. Removing a uniform or checking in gear at the end of the shift is another way to mark the end of a shift of service to the community. Consider adding a mindfulness practice or a simple moment of gratitude as you begin the transition from work to home.
4. Wellness rooms are healthy
In season 1, several characters visit the wellness room, a wood-paneled space with a tree and quiet music, for a session with Ms. Casey. The Severance wellness room, like real-life wellness rooms, is calming, peaceful and intentionally appointed. Even though it is packaged as an award for a job well done, the Severance wellness room is, unfortunately, manipulative and stressful.
Make sure your department’s wellness room matches its purpose to create a comfortable and calming environment for anyone to restore and reenergize before, during or after their shift.
5. Mission uncertainty is dangerous
Lumon Industries bludgeons its severed employees with detailed procedures, unverifiable corporate history and a confounding organization chart. The Marco Data Refiners don’t know what Lumon Industries does or why they are sorting numbers into folders to meet quarterly quotas. The worsening anxiety about their purpose, manipulation by their supervisors and constant change leads the severed employees to stop working, take risks that compromise their safety, and knowingly and unknowingly put others in danger.
First responders will go to great lengths to serve others when they have leadership that acts with integrity, honesty and transparency. When their leaders lack those traits, people underperform, leave or tear down the organization.
Everyone in public safety is a leader, regardless of their title. When you lead with integrity, honesty and transparency, you’ll have a team that believes in the mission and will collaborate with one another to accomplish great things.
What lessons did you draw from season 1 of Severance?
