Work isn’t always fun, but we have to start somewhere, right?

The Devil Wears Prada staring Meryl Streep and Anna Hathaway has always been one of my favorites, only because as much as everyone thinks this movie is over dramatized, its the reality for so many in today’s job market. As hiring managers and companies ask for more than the college student has in experience, or more than the experienced has in education leaving many to survive off assistant jobs or labor jobs that are long demanding hours, and hardly no pay.

Look at Miranda Priestley’s character (Meryl Streep), she was a no nonsense boss who stepped on everyone to get what she wanted. She wasn’t an effective leader, which left her staff fighting for her attention. She was full of awful comments and always disappointed in everyone else.

This movie shows that when a woman is on top, men will call you bitches and say you cannot keep a man or a personal life. She took that back out on the world, standing above everyones reach and pulling people back down to secure her position at all cost. Including back stabbing a long time employee who was desperate for a way out.

There are thousands of Emily’s (the first assistant in the movie), who play dirty, talk catty about other people in front of them to make themselves seem more important to others around them. This created an awful work environment for Andy, who never receives clear instructions, but monumental requests from Miranda.

The scene that shows just how much chaos is present, is when Andy is to deliver the “book” to Miranda’s house. Andy was told to put the dry-cleaning in a closet, there are two and place the book on the table with the flowers on it there are four. She is asked to do all of this and without making a sound. Then Mirandas two spiteful children told her the opposite which resulted in Andy having to do the impossible in order to keep her job.

I have to say I was happy Andy succeeded and even happier she made Miranda choke on her words, but it wasn’t enough, now she was going in Emily’s place to Paris, and she had to be the one to tell her. This low down scheme that made Andy feel she had no other place but to play the game because she was trying to advance her career in journalism. Miranda told her, in fact she is more like her than she thought, which finally made Andy leave.

The sad part is, this is America. This is the American dream that so many come after and get chased away from. I watched the latest episode of the Bold Type (July 8th), and it was a similar situation. Her was Kat looking to hire a social media guru but the board refused her because she didn’t finish college. It leaves a market that is already full of privileged people still full of those same type. You know, the ones who Momma and Daddy knew someone to get them on as an intern. Interning to many is not an option. As a single mother of four girls, and a recent graduate, its not for me. And unfortunately, not everyone thinks they can make it to college. Depending on where you come from, some kids don’t even think college is an option for them. There are way too many first time family graduates, people who took a step out of going straight to work or worse.

So, what do you get from this? Don’t be that boss that creates an unhealthy environment for your staff. Good bosses don’t lose good employees, and great companies have a better business thrive and growth when they treat their staff fairly and like people instead of a HR number.