At Lumon Industries, work-life balance isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a surgical procedure. On the Apple TV+ show, Severance, employees undergo an operation that splits their consciousness in two: the “innie” who only knows endless work, while the “outie” is blissfully unaware of what happens in the office. No stress and no burnout, sounds like the perfect solution to the never ending struggle of work.

But as the show unfolds, it becomes clear that this balance isn’t actually about freedom, it’s about control. The innies are trapped in an endless loop of labor, deprived of autonomy, while the outies live under the illusion of choice. While Severance has received much praise and has the audience on the edge of their seats, underneath it all the show asks a thought-provoking question; If work and life have to be forcibly separated to make them tolerable, are you flawed or is it the system?

The corporate trap we’ve all accepted
We’ve normalized working half our lives away, clocking in and clocking out, with barely enough time to actually live. When we’re young we have big dreams that we push to the side as we realize the inevitability of ending up at a regular 9-5 office job. For me, becoming just another cog in the machine has been my biggest fear for as long as I can remember, and yet whenever I’ve brought it up, I’ve always received the same response: “That’s just life”. But is it? Or have we all just been collectively convinced that this is the only way? This fear is something many people relate to. The fear of waking up, commuting to a job that feels meaningless, then coming home too drained to do anything but stare at a screen. Even Mark, the main character in Severance, who doesn’t consciously experience his workday, still feels the exhaustion of it. He comes home, slumps on the couch, and numbs himself with TV and beer. Sound familiar?

Many companies preach this idea of work-life balance, but Severance asks: what if you could truly separate the two? The show argues that this dream is actually a nightmare. Even when the outies aren’t physically experiencing work, they still suffer the consequences. They’re still drained. They still feel the weight of something missing. Because real work-life balance isn’t about dividing yourself in two, it’s about not being consumed by work in the first place. Corporate culture demands the best of us, our intelligence, our creativity, and most importantly our time. And in return? We get just enough to survive. These jobs often provide no real sense of contribution. It’s just another report, another email, another task with no tangible impact.

The workplace as a panopticon
Corporate culture is built on control like the concept of the panopticon: a prison design where inmates behave as if they are constantly watched, even when they aren’t. In the modern office, surveillance may not be physical watchtowers, but it manifests through performance metrics, open-plan offices, and unspoken expectations. Workers always have to be switched on and delivering peak productivity. Even when no one is actually watching, the feeling of being observed is enough to keep employees in line.

On top of that, corporations thrive by pitting employees against each other. In Severance, the office is filled with meaningless incentives where workers compete for childish prizes like dance parties. It’s absurd, but it mirrors reality. Think of performance-based rewards, arbitrary bonuses, and empty titles that keep employees striving for the next little treat instead of questioning the system itself.

The liminal space of the office also plays an important role. For example, have you ever noticed how casinos have no windows? Offices are often designed in the same way to remove any sense of the outside world. When you’re inside, you belong to the company. You lose your sense of self as your personal identity fades into your work self. The goal of these companies is clear: keep employees focused, keep them productive, and above all, keep them from questioning why they are there in the first place. It’s like Plato’s Cave where the prisoners believe the shadows on the wall are real because it’s all they know, just as employees mistake workplace incentives like promotions for true freedom. But if someone steps outside the system, by choosing a different path for instance, they might see a deeper truth about work and fulfillment. Those still inside, however, may dismiss their perspective. The surest way to tame a prisoner is to make him believe he is free.

I think Severance isn’t just a sci-fi thriller; it’s an embellished reflection of our reality and where it could go. It forces us to ask: if our work brings no fulfillment or sense of identity, what are we really working for? And more importantly, how do we escape the maze we’ve all been placed in? Maybe the first step is realizing we’re in one.