First published on Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Last updated on Tuesday, March 25, 2025
From Sauron’s extreme micromanagement to a catastrophic lack of health & safety in Isengard, Middle-earth is riddled with HR disasters waiting to happen.
What can UK businesses learn from the most legendary workplace fails from The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Read on to find out.
The eye of micromanagement
It’s hard to get any work done when your boss is watching literally everything you do. Sauron’s all-seeing approach might seem efficient, but in reality? It’s textbook workplace micromanagement.
No wonder his armies saw terrible turnover—the all-seeing eye thing was really bad for orc morale. The real world numbers don’t lie either:
The worst part? Most managers don’t realise they’re doing it!
Whereas companies with high-trust workplaces report 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, and much more.
There’s a fine line between leadership and looming over your people like a flaming eye in the sky. Manage your staff effectively, or you’ll make them want to throw themselves into Mount Doom…
The battle of employee wellbeing
Middle-earth has one of the worst workplace safety records in history—and that’s putting it lightly. With over 220,000 on-screen fatalities, Helm’s Deep, Isengard, and Gondor make even the most chaotic office parties look tame.
But let’s face it, if your workplace regularly sees employees trampled by war elephants, set on fire, or catapulted over castle walls… let’s just say you might need more than just a new HR policy…
It might seem far-fetched, but last year alone, 279,000 UK adults experienced workplace violence. In fact, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that in 2023/2024 there were 290,000 assaults and 352,000 threats.
Whether it’s office conflicts, difficult customers, or power-hungry wizards, you need clear policies as a first line of defence for your team and your organisation. BrightBase is your go-to hub for contracts, handbooks, and templates—helping you set clear rules and protect your business in case of any legal action.
Nazgûl performance reviews
Sauron trusted his elite team of Nazgûl with one job: get the Ring back. They failed. Not once, but multiple times. Were they the wrong candidates for the role? Or were they just not guided enough?
A performance review or two may have been just what the Nazgûl needed to refocus their efforts. A few one-to-ones in Mordor for a clearer sense of purpose, or let’s face it, some SMART goals to align with business objectives might’ve gone a long way.
If only the management-suite of Mordor knew about these facts about UK employees:
74% of workers believe traditional performance appraisals are not useful
Only 28% of employees have systematic performance management with goals, feedback, and action plans
With three in five UK workers disengaged, businesses are losing billions of £
The numbers don’t lie—employees with clearly defined goals are 3.6x more likely to stay committed. And unlike the Nazgûl, your staff can (and probably will) find alternative employment. Our performance management tools help you create high-performing teams with ease. They let you hold efficient employee appraisal meetings and enjoy full visibility over goal progress—even if your team are halfway across Middle-earth.
Isengard: A tower of health & safety violations
If there was ever a workplace in desperate need of a risk assessment, it’s Isengard. Saruman’s industrial revolution might have been impressive at driving profits, but his health & safety standards left a lot to be desired. Let’s go over a few of the major compliance breaches:
Open flames throughout the workplace—a clear violation of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
No handrails on walkways—a clear breach of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 which saw several orcs take an unexpected journey to the bottom!
Open sparks and molten lava—a textbook violation of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, including exposure to molten metal, toxic fumes and whatever else is bubbling in those pits
Trust us, we’d be here forever if we wrote down every violation. But how does Isengard compare to the UK? Unfortunately, UK businesses have also had their fair share of Isengard moments. Recently, we’ve seen:
£1m fine—Employee falls from a height due to a lack of safety measures
£3m fine—One dead and another seriously injured after a gas rig demolition
£3.2m fine—Electric shock which led to life-changing injuries
If the concept of one health & safety software to rule them all sounds appealing, there’s no better option than BrightSafe. BrightSafe protects your business from over 600+ health & safety risks, minimises hazards and helps you tick off compliance with an accurate digital audit trail.
If only Sauron had BrightHR…
It’s clear that Sauron’s entire operation was a walking (or marching) employment tribunal waiting to happen.
Sauron’s HR management was a total disaster. A disappointing lack of a diversity policy in his orc army, the complete disregard for health & safety compliance, and employee wellbeing support or training that simply went AWOL. All of which left him exposed to the wrath of the HSE, the EA, and the FCA—and that’s on top of the combined might of elves, dwarves, and men!
We’re not saying BrightHR could have saved Mordor, but with proper performance management, health & safety policies, advice and documentation, Sauron’s forces might have stood a chance. Instead, we saw the biggest compliance disaster in Middle-earth history.
Want to share these fun findings with a member of your team in a bite sized format? Get our one-page infographic with all the findings here!
