What 9 to 5 Got Right About Leadership
In honor of Dolly Day, it seems fitting to highlight one of the most iconic and popular classic films about workplace culture. Dolly Parton played Doralee, who, along with co-workers Violet and Judy, took action against a horrible boss and, in the process, created a healthy, thriving, and profitable workplace. The movie is rich with management lessons and ahead of its time with workplace best practices. Today, on 9/25, we’d like to take a moment to consider what made this movie so popular and what today’s workplace may learn from it.
First, it’s important to know that, in addition to her musical talent and passion for helping others, Dolly was a successful businesswoman. Despite being born into poverty, the fourth of 12 children, and not having attended college, she led many business ventures and was once named to Forbes list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women for her savvy business and publishing decisions.
Dolly was approached to play Doralee in the film 9 to 5, and because she claimed she didn’t know anything about acting, they told her to just be herself. And so, she did. The movie is legendary, in large part because of the relatability of the premise – justice served to a toxic boss who cared little for the people who made the business successful – but also in part from the affirmation that there is indeed a positive correlation between good leadership and business success.
What Positive Leadership Looks Like
The movie introduces good leadership by first exposing the misery of poor leadership: a predatory boss who exploits and dehumanizes his staff, takes credit for their ideas, and pits them against each other. Unfortunately, someone like this may sound all too familiar.
So, let’s look at the flip side: the positive best practices leaders can incorporate into the workplace.
Work/Life Balance
It’s easy to agree with this concept in principle, but values change color quickly when put to the test of urgency. This discipline is important because overreliance on exempt staff to work evenings and weekends will eventually burn them out and create resentment. Failing to provide meal and rest breaks will do the same, and incur penalties along the way for non-exempt staff. Other antics, such as creating obstacles for PTO approval typically result in unscheduled absences, which then burden the rest of the team. In general, these shortcuts do not solve urgency, which is better addressed through thoughtful planning and proactive staffing that is aligned with business needs and a respectful schedule. In addition, misclassification of exempt jobs and meal and break violations can come back to haunt in the form of wage and hour claims.
Flexible Schedules
In the movie, it was reported that productivity and profitability increased when employees were allowed to have more flexible schedules. In today’s office, that would include remote and hybrid schedules as well. According to a Forbes article, flexible work schedules have indeed been shown to increase productivity. The key to making this successful is to build expectations and structure around flexibility (sounds odd, I know). However, clear communication about the program is essential to get on the same page, and a clear policy can support that effort.
Culture of Collaboration
Oh, this one sounds wonderful, sweet and candylicious. But as Dolly might say, sprinkling sugar on a pickle won’t hide the brine. The truth is, collaboration is built on a foundation of mutual trust and respect. Building cross-functional project teams can help bridge department silos, and ensuring that people are treated equitably and get the support and resources they need can help mitigate unproductive competition and blame.
Total Rewards
While we’re talking about it, equitable compensation and benefit practices go a long way toward winning hearts and minds. It may be true that money doesn’t buy happiness, but it sure does buy healthcare, housing, and food. This isn’t revolutionary. Free pizza at lunch won’t pay for childcare and dental work. Unfortunately, not everyone has the in-house expertise to develop a cohesive total rewards program, but this is where a consultant can help.
Psychological Safety
Although this may sound like a difficult objective, the foundational concepts are pretty simple: create a safe environment for interpersonal risk-taking by encouraging people to speak up and share ideas without fear of a negative outcome. Of course, an announcement alone won’t do; safety must be ingrained in all practices, including standing meetings and performance reviews. Structure meetings and reviews so that interactions and goal-setting are two-way. Champion the ideas of those around you and allow for your own ideas to be challenged. It might sound painful to some, but I assure you, with practice this becomes the new normal.
Karma Credits
When people feel the need to steal credit, it can stem from a sense of scarcity, meaning that they don’t feel there is enough to go around. Positive recognition is the opposite of blame, where there always seems to be a lot of it. By challenging the myth that there is only one winner, it is possible to instead create a culture of recognition, meaning that there is an abundance of credit, kudos, and rewards to go around.
You don’t have to be a great artist, magnanimous philanthropist, or rags-to-riches story to be a great leader. But you can absolutely strive to be the best boss you would like to work for.
Benefits of a Healthy Workplace Culture
Cultivating a healthy work culture is not just a feel-good exercise. An engaged, loyal workforce brings clear business advantages. A recent Gallup report showed that a positive culture provides:
- • Higher profitability. Companies with happy, engaged employees have almost 25% higher profitability.
- • Lower turnover and increased retention. Companies with strong employee satisfaction experience 23% higher profitability.
- • Higher productivity and efficiency. Companies with engaged employees reported 14% higher productivity.
- • Reduced absenteeism. Companies with higher engagement scores have 78% less absenteeism.
Also keep in mind that a company’s branding is strongly connected to social media and the reputation of its management. To become an employer of choice under the microscope of employee expectations and perception, organizations need to purposefully cultivate an attractive work environment. This reputation is important for attracting and retaining top talent.
How does an employer create a healthy work environment? First, by ensuring full compliance while also going further and committing authentically to best practices. Second, employers must provide psychological safety and invest in management training toward that goal. Third, employers should create platforms for communication and feedback, such as surveys and scheduled 1:1s.
Most importantly, though, is the leadership lesson that Doralee exemplified: Lead with empathy, be your authentic self, and develop your people and pour that “cup of ambition” into helping others grow and find their own shine.
For more information on how to build that bridge in your organization, from compliance to leadership development, SDHR Consulting can help! Take the first step and give us a call at 888-220-9286 or reach us at info@sdhrconsulting.com.
Resources:
Building an Employer Brand that Attracts Talent: Here’s How (SHRM, 2025)
Gallup Report on the Q12 Employee Engagement Survey (Gallup, 2026)
Why Flexible Work Boosts Employee Productivity (Forbes, 2022)
