History Main / WhiteCollarWorker

As office machinery such as the typewriter, adding machine, mimeograph etc. became available starting in the latter half of the Nineteenth Century, clerical workers began shifting their skill sets from the {{Clerk}} to the modern White Collar Worker. In particular, many women joined the workforce, though they tended to be stuck in the lower-ranked and lower-paying "pink collar" office jobs. (This last has improved over the decades.)

* The protagonist of Literature/TheLaundrySeries, as lampshaded on the (original) cover of ''The Atrocity Archives''. Bob Howard volunteers for dangerous active service work [[AFateWorseThanDeath just to escape it]]. As his cover job is in IT service, he still has to put in his hours though.

* The protagonist of TheLaundry series, as lampshaded on the (original) cover of ''The Atrocity Archives''. He volunteers for the dangerous yet more exciting side of the Laundry just to escape it. As his cover is IT, he still has to put in his hours though.

* {{Portal}}'s Wheatley already was this, albeit in AI form, but FanFic/BlueSky took it to the next level and got him to look the part, too.

* {{Portal}}'s Wheatley already was this, albeit in AI form, but BlueSky took it to the next level and got him to look the part, too.

* For the first seven years of ''{{Friends}}'', Chandler Bing worked an unstated office job at an unknown company. [[LampshadeHanging Even Rachel and Monica don't know what he does.]] Whatever it was, he was important enough to have his own office.

* [[TheDrewCareyShow Drew Carey]] and his co-workers on his show.

* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': Being a teacher, Miss Brooks is a white collar worker. The same applies for Mr. Boynton, Miss Enright, and Principal Osgood Conklin.

-> Working nine to five, what a way to make a living

* Being a teacher, ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'' is a white collar worker. The same applies for Mr. Boynton, Miss Enright, and Principal Osgood Conklin.

* Barney Stintson in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', whose job involves wearing a snazzy suit, sitting in an office (with an en-suite bathroom!), and sometimes threatening war with North Korea. In the final season it is revealed that his actual job is [[spoiler: being the company's patsy. His signature is on all the company documents and when the FBI inevitably starts investigating the company's incredibly illegal dealings, Barney will be framed as the mastermind of it all.]]

* Barney Stintson in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', whose job involves wearing a snazzy suit, sitting in an office (with an en-suite bathroom!), and sometimes threatening war with North Korea.

* Barney Stintson in ''[[Series/HowIMetYourMother]]'', whose job involves wearing a snazzy suit, sitting in an office (with an en-suite bathroom!), and sometimes threatening war with North Korea.

* Barney Stintson in ''[[Series/HowImetYourMother]]'', whose job involves wearing a snazzy suit, sitting in an office (with an en-suite bathroom!), and sometimes threatening war with North Korea.

* Most of the cast of ''TheOffice'', both [[TheBBC British]] and [[Creator/{{NBC}} American]] versions. Unlike some of the other examples here, we do know Wernham-Hogg/Dunder Mifflin's business: they sell paper.

The natural habitat of the White Collar Worker is the office cubicle. Their natural enemies include bosses of all kinds except "[[BenevolentBoss benevolent]]" and their more obnoxious co-workers. As for their work...well, white collar jobs are kind of boring to look at most of the time, and one set of paperwork looks much like another. So the details of the work are usually not examined closely. Indeed, often the exact position or job description of the characters will deliberately be left vague. This gives greater plot flexibility, especially when the PointyHairedBoss decides to give the hero some wacky project that would seem to have little to do with the job, normally.

* For the first seven years of ''{{Friends}}'', Chandler Bing worked an unstated office job at an unknown company. [[LampshadeHanging Even Rachel and Monica don't know what he does]]. Whatever it was, he was important enough to have his own office.

* [[WesternAnimation/TheJetsons George Jetson]].

* ''Film/WorkingGirl'' is a perfect example of this trope.

* Vernon Dursley in ''Literature/HarryPotter''. His company makes drills.
** Vernon's position appears to be that of PointyHairedBoss, rather than an office drone.

[[quoteright:282:[[OfficeSpace http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/office-space.jpg]]]]

-->-- ''DollyParton''

* The 2010 independent film ''Drones'', where office employees are frequently compared to bees. The main character finds out that several of his coworkers are aliens working undercover.