How white-collar warriors gear up for the day

Achilles goes to the office

Ancient Greek worker with briefcase and watch — Image: Paul Blow

Jul 6th 2023

“The iliad” is a story of glory and gods, revenge and mercy, death and immortality. Squint hard enough and it is also a workplace saga. The epic kicks off with a big row between a pair of co-workers called Agamemnon and Achilles. The gods are the senior leadership team, descending from on high to cause complete chaos. For most of the book Achilles, a prototype of the talented jerk, is on strike. This is a big problem for the Greek management team, who have lost their best performer. A delegation from HR fails to win Achilles over. Eventually, however, he returns to the office, and all is well (Trojans may disagree).

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Achilles goes to the office”