I greatly appreciate On the Verge of Insanity for tackling the challenges of surviving the corporate world from hierarchy/bureaucracy, dealing with change and difficult personalities, countering negativity, keeping the workforce engaged and motivated; nurturing and developing new skills in young talent, and first and foremost trying to but miserably failing to manage employee relations effectively. In that sense, the biggest challenge any company faces, especially HR, is taking on workforce reductions/layoffs, forced or otherwise.

Layoffs within any company or organization have been a time-tested means of cutting costs. Reducing staff brings an immediate and substantial impact, whether reorganizing or selling off a company to benefit a few. In that sense, I can only imagine how the news of a forced layoff will affect the employees of Hanmyung Electronics; just the thought of it makes me shudder. It's so true when they say a good-performing employee is only as good as their manager -- it flows from the top to the bottom. Steve Jobs said it doesn't make sense to hire smart people only to tell them what they can do; we hire smart people to tell us what to do.

Each employee or worker has their own workplace values. And, while an organization or company can't always make sure each person's values perfectly align, they can try to hire people who fit, and vice versa, employees should make an effort to only work for companies or organizations that align with their core values. And this drama does a great job articulating what happens when values are out of alignment; people work towards different goals, with other intentions, and with different outcomes, which in turn damages work relations, productivity, job satisfaction, and creative potential. Hanmyung Electronics is a great example of that.

I have many memorable moments from this drama. I respect Ban Seok (Jung Jae Young) for restraining himself for as long as he had. Still, I think Ban Seok's head butting Se Gwon for being the coward and the thief he always was and continued to be despite the many chances he had will remain with me for a while; he had it coming for a time now. From the moment I started this drama, I knew Ban Seok would be the catalyst for change. He is authentic, resilient, emotionally intelligent, self-disciplined, and committed, a man of purpose qualities that set him far above everybody else. Despite knowing Se Gwon (Lee Sang Yeob) was hopeless, I still hoped. I wasn't disappointed in him but more myself for expecting.

Among the dramas that I watched simultaneously, On the Verge of Insanity is one I excitedly anticipated week after week and touched me the most. I commend the writer, director, and actors for making such a classy, relevant and realistic depiction of the challenges the workforce faces and the importance of workplace values both as an employer and an employee. I was pleased the drama shows this with Ban Seok as he works to build up his new company Banstone Company (I love the name), with workplace values that serve as a guiding principle. And I was even happier that On the Verge of Insanity highlights it as a critical message.

I appreciate all the cast for their stellar performances, but Moon So Ri, Jung Jae Young, Lee Sang Yeob, Jo Bok Rae, Kim Nam Hee, and Cha Chung Hwa. More importantly, for driving the message that when an organization's values align with its workforce, everyone does the right things for the right reasons. The common purpose and understanding help invest in the betterment of the organization; it stops being just about the paycheck and becomes a long-term investment.