‘Ted Lasso’ And Healthy Employer Relationships

Storytelling is all about tension and conflicts. And in society, one of the greatest sources of real life tension often involves the workplace. Specifically, the relationship between employee and employer is filled with problems. So it’s no surprise that fiction often leans into this dynamic. But it’s also refreshing when stories go in the opposite direction and explore new territory by depicting different relationships. A great example: how the relationships develop over the course of Ted Lasso’s three seasons.

As the owner of the soccer team, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) is the undeniable boss of the workplace. The premise of the series — which is that she intentionally wants the soccer club to fail to spite her husband — instantly sets her up as the villain, similar to the situation in the film Major League. However, Rebecca’s journey during the show saw her learning to appreciate the soccer club and the people involved in it as something that can give wholesome meaning to her life. Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) played a huge role in this with his unwavering kindness. He softens Rebecca up to the point where their relationship as employer and employee is depicted as one of the most heartfelt in recent memory.

Because of Rebecca’s character arc, her relationship evolves not just with Ted but with every character in the story, including her husband. She became a caring and compassionate employer to everyone, and the soccer club thrived because of it. That is one of the many subtle but great aspects of the show. Through kindness Rebecca succeeded not just as an employer but also as a businesswoman. But the soccer club success aside, there’s something beautiful about the way in which Ted and Rebecca interact with each other. They are undoubtedly friends, but their dynamic as employer and employee is something that everyone should try to strive for in their everyday lives.

Ted Lasso is now streaming on Apple+.