Consider survivor 's immunity challenges. The time the competitors held their breath underwater was hardly a test of survival. But winning an immunity challenge secures one of the castaways a place on the island for one week. Likewise, an afternoon golf game may not be part of an investment banker's job description, but it does afford him the opportunity to extol his boss's golf swing. But possibly the closest similarity between survivor and the workplace is that only some people get rich doing nothing while others remain shipwrecked in their cubicles and side offices, generally scheming and lying to each other while pining for power, fame or retirement.
Every office has a few co-workers who resemble remaining castaways.
The young, vulnerable co-worker, poorly versed in office politics, who would prefer to be kayaking through the Grand Canyon rather than marooned in an office. Consequently, she has many mentors she never asked for. But Rudy has one obscure skill that is valuable to the business, so he stays. The alliance queen who continually lies about being part of any alliance and always gets the job done, which puts pressure on other workers to do the same. No one likes Susan, but she could explode at any moment, so everyone pretends she is great.