The Office: 10 Times That Proved Darryl Deserved More Respect At Dunder Mifflin

The Office’s Darryl Philbin is a character whose role grew at Dunder Mifflin as the series continued. Darryl advanced from warehouse foreman to warehouse manager and eventually got himself the title of assistant regional manager of the Scranton branch. But even with all his accomplishments, Darryl didn’t get the respect he deserved around the office.

Darryl wasn’t the most serious worker at the Scranton branch, but when he focused on his task, he was outstanding. He also had some of the best quotes in the series. Due to Michael’s antics, Darryl’s ideas and accomplishments often went unnoticed or unacknowledged, but his star at Dunder Mifflin started to shine after Michael left.

Safety In The Warehouse Was Darryl’s No. 1 Priority

In season 3’s ‘Safety Training,’ Darryl did an entire safety training lecture for both the office workers and the warehouse workers. He wanted the office workers, especially Michael, to know how serious the warehouse was and that there were a lot of things that could go wrong. The baler was especially dangerous, so Darryl didn’t want Michael near it.

There’s an argument to be made that Darryl didn’t always make sense on The Office, one example being when he lied to Toby about getting injured in the warehouse for not following the same safety instructions he gave out, but Michael and Dwight were more at risk.

Darryl Helped Move Holly To Nashua

In season 5, Scranton’s HR rep, Holly Flax, is transferred to the Nashua branch. This was a pivotal moment in Michael and Holly’s relationship because the transition to dating long-distance was probably not going to work for them.

Darryl was kind enough to not only help Holly move but to drive the moving truck to Nashua. Darryl had to endure hours of Michael and Holly’s foolishness, along with their crying sessions. After Darryl moved Holly in, he did his best to lift Michael’s spirits, including helping Michael sing the blues as they drove home. Helping Holly wasn’t part of Darryl’s job at Dunder Mifflin, but it demonstrated both his thoughtfulness and his loyalty to the company.

Darryl’s Marketing Idea Benefited All Workers

On St. Patrick’s Day, new CEO Jo fell in love with Darryl’s innovative shipping plan and wanted to hear more of his ideas. She moved Darryl up to the office so his ideas could come to life.

Soon after, Darryl became one of the better employees on The Office when he pitched the idea that delivery workers could also gain company incentives by making sales themselves. Jo loved the idea and implemented it quickly. Darryl and Michael got into an argument over the idea, but it proved that Darryl had great ideas and Michael wasn’t helping him flourish.

Darryl Inspired Michael To Want More For Himself

In ‘The Negotiation,’ Darryl demanded a raise when Roy got fired because he was doing more work to fill the void. Michael, however, wasn’t prepared to give him a higher salary at Dunder Mifflin because he himself didn’t earn the salary that Darryl was asking for.

Although Darryl poked fun at Michael for not making more money after 14 years of service, he eventually encouraged Michael to want more for himself. Michael was a fool most of the time, but Darryl had a soft spot for him and wanted him to succeed at work.

Darryl Contributed To Michael’s Marketing Campaign

In ‘Local Ad,’ Michael wanted to make his own commercial for Dunder Mifflin instead of going with the idea corporate had. Darryl helped Michael in his campaign by writing an original theme song for the office.

Titled “The People Person’s Paper People,” Darryl’s song included some of Dunder Mifflin’s names and faces and brought the life of the office to the song. Corporate didn’t choose Michael and Darryl’s ad, but the office appreciated it.

Darryl Wanted A Fresh Start With Deangelo

When Deangelo took over the office’s responsibilities for Michael, Darryl wanted a fresh start with a new manager. He tried getting on Deangelo’s good side by agreeing with everything he said and finding similarities. If Darryl didn’t care about his job, he wouldn’t have been so welcoming to Deangelo.

Deangelo went on to be one of the least liked regional managers because he had less of an idea of what was going on than Michael did, but that didn’t stop Darryl from working hard.

Darryl Stood Up Against The Sales Staff

In ‘New Leads,’ Michael told the office that corporate bought thousands of dollars worth of leads for the salespeople to sell to. This would create a lot of money for the sales staff and it began to take a toll on them.

The Scranton salesmen began to get snappy with the rest of the office — Andy even demanded Darryl’s pencil while he was using it because he didn’t want to lose out on a quick sale. On behalf of the other workers, Darryl told Michael to keep everyone in check, which prompted a war at the office. However, all Darryl demanded was respect and equality in the workplace.

Michael Saw Something Good In Darryl

In ‘Goodbye, Michael,’ Michael does a round of goodbyes to everyone at the office. He gives each person a small gift to let them know how much he appreciated them. And while Michael hasn’t always given the best advice of gifts, he did just that for Darryl.

He gave Darryl his only copy of “Somehow, I Manage.” The unfinished book was written by Michael and meant a lot to him because it was his secret to success as a manager. He told Darryl, “If there’s anybody here who can finish it, it’s you,” which proved how capable Darryl was of doing big things.

Deangelo Knew Darryl Was Management Material

When Deangelo was manager, he knew Darryl had what it took to be a leader in the workplace. In ‘Inner Circle,’ Deangelo showed his faith in Darryl by sending him to business school on behalf of Dunder Mifflin. Darryl was thrilled to further his education and to be noticed at work — something that doesn’t happen often.

Later in ‘Search Committee,’ Darryl applied for the manager position. Although Darryl wasn’t necessarily prepared for the interview, he did have everything it took to be a manager.

Jim Invited Darryl To Join His Startup

Darryl would have been a great regional manager, but when Andy was given the job instead, Darryl became the assistant regional manager. From season 1 to season 9, Darryl climbed the Dunder Mifflin ladder and continued to further his career.

After moving from the warehouse to the office, Darryl knew Dunder Mifflin from the ground up. It’s no surprise that Darryl went on to become the V.P. of Athlete Relations for the company Jim co-founded, Athlead. When Darryl’s passionate, he’s an unstoppable worker.

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
(1645 Articles Published)

Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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