History PunchClockVillain / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins''

* The Pigmask Army from ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' comes off as this way. The guys attend rock concerts, visit diners, make pleasant conversation with Lucas and Co., and in general act like people you'd meet at the office. This is further strengthened when an {{NPC}} from your hometown joins the army. He's a pretty nice guy and nothing really changes, Sure, he's wearing the suit, but he's still the same person. On the whole, the pigmasks come off less as minions of evil and more soldiers in a normal army. While there's a few rotten ones among them, and they've got a terrible leader forcing them to commit some atrocities, most of them just seem like ordinary guys doing their jobs as soldiers.

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem''

* ''Franchise/MegaMan''

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' features plenty of "villains" who just happen to be the NinjaMaid of a BigBad who [[AntiVillain doesn't even realize what they are doing is wrong]]. [[ButtMonkey Meiling]], [[BadassBookworm Patchouli]], [[{{Meido}} Sakuya]], [[LittleMissBadass Youmu]], [[MoonRabbit Reisen]], and [[{{Miko}} Sanae]] just want to help their friend/employer who's gone a little overboard. DefeatMeansFriendship, so they were GoodAllAlong.
* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}''

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''

* ''VideoGame/AceCombat''

* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}''

** ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' steps up the punch clocks tremendously, with Hyperion personnel left and right complaining about having to fight bandits (i.e., what they believe the player character to be) or bemoaning that they'd nearly paid off their mortgage as they slump to the ground and die. They don't even particularly believe they have good jobs, but there is an undercurrent of thought that being outside of Hyperion on Pandora would be far, far worse for them all around, regardless of how true that actually is.
** In ''Videogame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'', the protagonists are all hired by Jack to help him in his inevitable rise to power. While most of them end up fitting into this label in some way, Athena, Timothy, and Claptrap are arguably the closest thing, being mostly decent people forced into increasingly morally-ambiguous situations but are forced to stick around due to either having no real choice in the matter... due to being literal property of Hyperion (Claptrap and Timothy) while Athena's professional pride forbids her from walking away until her job as a Vault Hunter is officially done.
* TheFourGods in ''Videogame/IzunaLegendOfTheUnemployedNinja'' are nice, decent fellows who also happen to have an immature JerkAss as a boss. At no point do they wish to fight you, and they happily HeelFaceTurn after Izuna knocks some sense into said boss.

* ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'',

* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed''

* ''Videogame/MetalGear''

* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''

* Great Grey Wolf Sif in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is only an adversary of the player because he's guarding the grave of Abysswalker Artorias, who sacrificed himself to save Sif. If you play the DLC before battling Sif (and thus witness those events, as the DLC takes place centuries before the core game), a different cutscene introduces the battle. In that one, the wolf actually recognises the player and lets out a clearly sad howl before he tries to fulfill his duty. Given that he can't be skipped even with SequenceBreaking, it makes the battle all the more tragic.

* Of all the factions in ''{{VideoGame/Destiny}}'', the Cabal best represent this. The Fallen attack you as pirates or rebels desperately trying to claim the Traveler and City, while the Hive and Vex are indirect agents of [[BigBad the Darkness]]. Contrastly, the Cabal in the solar system are merely a military regiment from a nearby empire who have been sent to annex some technically unclaimed worlds. They don't have any real grudge with humanity and their allies (they attack you because you're technically infringing on their territory) and they have no link to the Darkness (in fact, they may be running from it, [[NotSoDifferent just like the humans]]). They're not even a unified force; arguments and disagreements in the regiment are common, not all of them feel particularly loyal to the empire, and many of them are only fighting so that they can just get it over with and go home, as the empire's rules hold that [[BadBoss battalions can't return until they're victorious or ordered to retreat by the empire]].

* ''Videogame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole:'' Butters as Professor Chaos resorts to these once he runs out of regular minions. Which means he actively hires ''illegal Mexican immigrants'', who are entirely willing to put up with wearing tinfoil costumes and participate in what's essentially just a surprisingly dangerous children's game because a job is a job, and Butters is paying. [[spoiler:This also, and rather hilariously, explains why the [[RandomEncounters randomly encountered]] Chaos Minions begin attacking Butters as well once he joins Coon And Friends:]]

* [[ReverseMole Crimson Viper]] in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' makes it clear that beating the crap out of the world's top fighters in order to assassinate Seth is just business, and she's indicated to be a perfectly friendly person outside the ring who enjoys spending time with her daughter.

* ''Every'' character in ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'', even [[spoiler:General Tor, the FinalBoss and supposed BigBad]]. In fact, the only ones who ''are'' evil are the GeneralRipper leading the Tasen, BloodKnight Iosa, and the pyschopathic [[ThatOneBoss Asha]]. The real BigBad is implied to be the Komato government. And that government is ''itself'' a Punch Clock Villain because it's just doing what is demanded of it -- exterminating what the shortsighted general public sees only as a threat. [[CrapsackWorld It's a pretty dark game...]]

* Not all Imperial soldiers of ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' are {{Magnificent Bastard}}s or {{Jerkass}}es. A large majority of them are regular people just like the Gallians, and this fact is heavily emphasized during one of the game's chapters.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'',
** Rouge the Bat could be classed as a Punch Clock Villain. She steals jewels whenever she likes and manipulates people to do so, but she's doing it all for herself, and when she's not stealing things, she's just your regular gal who likes a good night on the town.

* ''Borderlands''
** In the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' DLC "The Secret Armory of General Knoxx", the eponymous General is incredibly unenthusiastic about being sent to [[DeathWorld Pandora]] to deal with you, and just wants to get everything over with so he can leave.

** In ''Videogame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'', the protagonists are all hired by Jack to help him in his inevitable rise to power. While most of them end up fitting into this label in some way, Athena, Timothy, and Claptrap are arguably the closest thing, being mostly decent people forced into increasingly morally-ambiguous situations but are forced to stick around due to either having no real choice in the matter due to being literal property of Hyperion (Claptrap and Timothy) while Athena's professional pride forbids her from walking away until her job as a Vault Hunter is officially done.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' also has [[spoiler:The Boss]] filling this role. It turns out that [[spoiler:she defected to the Soviets and was the antagonist for most of the game]] solely so that you could kill this 'defector' and be the hero.

* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', [[spoiler:Litchi, provided that you just don't treat her as an utterly selfish and obsessed woman just because the side she serves, becomes this, AntiVillain and TokenGoodTeammate for the NOL. She's only in the NOL for the cure of both herself and Arakune, in order to live longer and be with her friends when everyone else refused to help, and is currently distressed about it, as shown with her desperate ranting towards Rachel. She also has no interest in whatever NOL or Terumi are planning like plunging the world into a state of "World of Death" or forcing upon people the "Truth of Despair".]]
** On a greater scale, we have, well, pretty much the entirety of the NOL, really... Sure, on the one hand, the NOL is a global, opressive, authoritarian organization that heavily regulates society and imposes death sentences on anyone who opposes them or wields [[{{Magitek}} Ars]] [[FunctionalMagic Magus]] without proper authorization. On the other hand, several of the more sympathetic playable characters in the game are/were associated with it, and almost everyone within it are just commoners who are just [[WellIntentionedExtremist trying their best to uphold order and safety]] in a CrapsackWorld that is already teetering on the edge of entering an age of complete anarchistic chaos and war. Also, Ars Magus? They are [[ArtifactOfDoom fucking dangerous]] ''at best'', both to those who wield them and those around the person who wields them, so it's pretty damn reasonable to heavily restrict the usage of them... All in all, the NOL would probably be a pretty okay organization ''if'' it weren't for the fact that it's ultimately run by monsters.

** Plenty of them in the series, as not everyone is that much concerned with the Devil Gene business. The Williams sisters (Nina and Anna) take any job and wouldn't expand it to personal lives, their aim is just to settle their sister rivalries. Eddy Gordo is only in Jin's army to get the cure for his sickly master. Bruce Irvin is a good friend of Kazuya Mishima and usually serves him well, but outside his servitude, he's a FriendToAllChildren and helps them out when he can.

** If left unrecruited on the Azure Moon or Verdant Wind routes, [[spoiler: Ferdinand, Linhardt, Caspar, Bernadetta, Dorothea, and Petra]] become this. They do not have any hostility towards [[spoiler: the Kingdom or Alliance,]] and merely count as antagonists due to fighting for [[spoiler: the Empire.]] Notably, only [[spoiler: Ferdinand]] actually has to be killed to proceed if not recruited, as they are a commander on a key bridge; everyone else can be worked around.

* ''Videogame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole:'' Butters as Professor Chaos resorts to these once he runs out of regular minions. Which means he actively hires ''illegal Mexican immigrants'', who are entirely willing to put up with wearing tinfoil costumes and participate in what's essentially just a surprisingly dangerous children's game because a job is a job, and Butters is paying.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' features plenty of "villains" who just happen to be the NinjaMaid of a BigBad who [[AntiVillain doesn't even realize what they are doing is wrong]]. [[ButtMonkey Meiling]], [[BadassBookworm Patchouli]], [[{{Meido}} Sakuya]], [[LittleMissBadass Youmu]], [[PettingZooPeople Reisen]], and [[{{Miko}} Sanae]] just want to help their friend/employer who's gone a little overboard. DefeatMeansFriendship, so they were GoodAllAlong.

*** Continued in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''. Special mention to Larxene, who actively hates the goal she's working towards and is only in it to have an excuse to hang out with a friend who works with the bad guys, and Xigbar, who is literally only in it because he wants to get paid and thin, albeit with a particular artifact, and thinks the whole thing is otherwise ridiculous.

* ''VideoGame/CityOfVillains'' has billboards scattered throughout the urban zones advertising for 'Minions Recruiting Agency'.
** It's also stated that, because he knows happy minions are loyal minions, [[BigBad Lord Recluse]] pays his minions extremely well, his pilots especially, due to their hazardous line of work.

--> '''Support Reaper''': "Man, today was supposed to be my day off! This sucks. I'm starving! Tell you what, if you can get me a Definitivo Chili Dog, I'll let you through."

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' and ''[[VideoGame/MaxPayne2TheFallOfMaxPayne Max Payne 2]]'' love this one. There are quite a few instances of unsuspecting goons standing around discussing their profession. In a late level of the first game, if you postpone the guns-blazing part, you can overhear two [[TheMenInBlack Men in Black]] discussing their work and one of them actually says that it's "just a job from 9 to 5".

** At one point in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', after fighting through a bunch of Eclipse mercs, you encounter a young Asari merc hiding in a room. She pleads for Shepard not to hurt her, claims she has no quarrel with him/her, and thought her job would be "fighting bad guys", not killing innocent people for whatever psycho who hires the team. The Paragon option is to let her go. [[spoiler:Subverted when you later find a datapad with a log entry by said merc where she sadistically gloats over having brutally murdered a volus merchant. If you had let her go, the only thing you can do is give the evidence over to the police. You can't find the evidence prior to encountering her, either. She'll escape, leaving her room empty if you try.]]

** In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', a light-sided Imperial player (especially Bounty Hunters and some flavors of Imperial Agent) often comes across as this. They ''know'' they're working for a bunch of nutcase Darths and a maniac of an Emperor, but the Empire is their home and they have to look out for their people.

** Hideo Shimazu and Kyoko Minazuki start out like this in teh first game. Being new teachers in an elite school, they had no idea that their school president is conducting a [[MassHypnosis mass brainwashing]] plot on the new transfer students that they brought in, they're just doing their job of recruiting. But once the realization hits, they tried to quit, got beaten into submission, brainwashed, snapped back, and turned against the president.

* Zevran, of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', says that he's only doing the job he was paid to do when the Warden interrogates him after the botched assassination attempt on the Warden. [[spoiler:Subverted in that he was actually a DeathSeeker who hoped that you'd kill him.]]

* The Turks in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', who even help the heroes defeat a common enemy while "on vacation". Through sheer popularity, they got even larger roles in other games/{{OVA}}s. They even LampShade it. At the end of said sidequest, Reno receives a call from Shinra and Elena asks "Was that the company?" Reno replies that it was and Rude asks if they're on? Cloud and the others take fighting stances, but Reno replies "No, today we're off duty," (or "No, today's our day off," if you're playing the PC version) and everyone relaxes.
** It’s also possible to skip the final fight with the Turks entirely. Taking that option, Reno even goes so far as to point out that, by then, “Shinra’s finished.” Having no real reason to fight outside of orders, the Turks leave peaceably (though Elena admittedly needs a bit of convincing from her fellow Turks).
** Most of Shinra Inc actually. ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' in particular makes clear that almost everyone in Shinra is just doing a job.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', one particular Galbadian Soldier worries about losing his paycheck for peeving the presidential body double, as he had wanted the money to buy a wedding ring for his sweetie.
** Laguna and co. are also shown to be Galbadian soldiers [[spoiler:although we found out later that at that point in time, the Galbadians were the good guys.]]
** More notably, there are two pairs of Punch Clock Villains who appear at several points in throughout. The first pair is Biggs and Wedge, who are almost entirely for comedic purposes, despite being fought twice. Both times they are fought, they are minor fights, and they are later seen to have retired from the Galbadian army due to repeatedly being beaten by Squall and co.
** The other pair is Fujin and Raijin, who take on a more serious role, taking control of Balamb Town at one point. They are, however, [[spoiler:later shown to go against the villain at the time, Seifer, and try convincing him to stop what he's doing.]] They are not entirely serious, with Raijin frequently making errors, prompting Fujin to kick him in the shins.
* The members of [=LeBlanc's=] Syndicate in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' are hinted to be like this. At one point, two of them are heard discussing how neither of them had any options left when they signed on with her.
** Considering that one of them [[spoiler:is a soldier who supposedly died during the Mi'hen Mission two years ago]], he's right.
* Aranea from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' definitely qualifies. She introduces herself to the party as a mercenary currently under the employ of [[TheEmpire Niflheim]], and at the end of her boss battle, she stops fighting only because it's quitting time, proclaiming that she doesn't work after hours, before she promptly leaves. Hell, later on the in the game, [[spoiler:she even joins the party as a GuestStarPartyMember because of Noctis's interest in acquiring mythril from the Vesperpool, at [[BigBad Ardyn's]] command.]] She definitely has nothing personal against Noctis or his pals, she's just doing the job she's hired for.
* The majority of bosses in the ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' series that belong to an enemy army, but have nothing to do with the main plot, are straightforward Punch Clock Villians.

* Megaman Juno from ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends''. Juno himself was not ''evil'', but his job was to destroy all life on the island when it grew to a certain point. Even when he was defeated, he still had no hard feelings towards our protagonist.
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork/Rockman.EXE 2'', [=ShadowMan=].EXE and his operator are exactly this, except [[RuleOfCool they are automatically badass since they are modern ninjas]]. They first manage to take out ''a foreign nation'' by simply destroying their [[EverythingIsOnline internet square]]. They even apologize to the (virtual) king of the foreign nation before deleting him, and then mutter something about being employed by "These [[OddlySmallOrganization Gospel]] music fans or something".

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' loves this one, in both games. There are quite a few instances of unsuspecting goons standing around discussing their profession. In a late level, if you postpone the guns-blazing part, you can overhear two [[TheMenInBlack Men in Black]] discussing their work and one of them actually says that it's "just a job from 9 to 5".

* ''ArmyOfTwo'' does this twice, with the People's Liberation Army pursuing the eponymous two mercenaries for blowing up their very spiffy bridge and [[spoiler:killing a US Senator in the process]], and in the final mission, where Salem and Rios end up fighting [[spoiler:the other mercenary contractors of Security And Strategy Corporation]], who believe they intentionally [[spoiler:killed said US Senator]].
* MetroidPrimeTrilogy: Several [[AllThereInTheManual Space Pirate logs scanned by Samus]] are scathing memos from management warning the underlings to stop trying to keep baby Metroids as pets, [[PetTheDog saving them from being experimented on, or feeding them treats when nobody is looking.]] Considering the fact that Metroids are practically the apex predators of the known universe, SpacePirates being nice to them is an interesting act of compassion.

* Various ''StarWars'' video games have this. ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' in particular portrays the Sith troops as Punch Clock Villains, at least on the first planet. When off duty they hang out in a cantina, and on being talked to tell the player character that they're unhappy about being posted on a planet that hates them, also inviting you to a party. When the player character steals a set of Sith armor and talks to the Sith patrolling Taris, they are rhetorically asked "Is there anything more boring than being out on patrol?" Down in the Undercity, one of them is defensive and angry about abandoning some of his people to die on a superior's orders, though he does it anyway. [[spoiler:This is probably to enhance the fact that just a few gameplay hours later, Darth Malak destroys the entire planet, killing millions of innocent civilians AND his own troops]].

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' has several enemies who you can have conversations with, where they indicate that they're just doing their jobs trying to stop you. In one jarring instance, you can encounter a mercenary commander whose exhausted, wounded, and undersupplied men have spent the last several days fighting for their survival and protecting a large number of civilians from BeePeople. After helping him fight off another attack, and then proceeding to clear out the infestation, you come back, only to find he's received new orders: to kill ''you.'' He even says in a very tired, sad voice, that he's very sorry, but he's got his orders, right before the shooting starts. Fortunately, it is possible to go another route.

* Gafgarion of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' was a mercenary hired [[spoiler:by Dycedarg to murder the princess.]] Gafgarion kills quickly and efficiently with no regard for who, but also shows a distaste for fighting any battle when there's "no money in it." [[spoiler:At one point, he insults Dycedarg for betraying you, Dycedarg's brother.]]
* In ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', Prinnies only serve Etna (and presumably others) for less than minimum wage in order to buy their souls' merit back. They count as villains because most Demons (Etna in particular) seem to be evil.
** They're stated to work in Celestia, home of the Angels, as well. They're treated better there and work off their sins instead of working to raise money. Either way, it ends up with them as servants trying to reincarnate into something other than a Prinny.

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':

* Joshua from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' punches out after losing a coin toss. Which he is implied to have rigged.
* An overheard conversation in ''VideoGame/AceCombatXSkiesOfDeception'' shows that at least one Leasath shipman would rather be out fishing than watching the surrounding skies for incoming hostiles. Also subverted in the same game, where someone responding to said shipman nonchalantly tells him that he'll have all the time needed to go fish once Aurelia's been defeated. Several other snippets also show that some Leasath grunts genuinely buy into their commanding officer's desire to see the destruction and downfall of Aurelia.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' DLC "The Secret Armory of General Knoxx", the eponymous General is incredibly unenthusiastic about being sent to [[DeathWorld Pandora]] to deal with you, and just wants to get everything over with so he can leave.
** In the final battle, he's actually ''in the process of committing suicide'' right as you show up. Sadly, his duty has him disable his suicide guns and fight you like a good soldier.

* In ''SonicTheHedgehog'', Rouge the Bat could be classed as a Punch Clock Villain. She steals jewels whenever she likes and manipulates people to do so, but she's doing it all for herself, and when she's not stealing things, she's just your regular gal who likes a good night on the town.

* In the first ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'', Hideo Shimazu and Kyoko Minazuki start out like this. Being new teachers in an elite school, they had no idea that their school president is conducting a [[MassHypnosis mass brainwashing]] plot on the new transfer students that they brought in, they're just doing their job of recruiting. But once the realization hits, they tried to quit, got beaten into submission, brainwashed, snapped back, and turned against the president.

*** ''Hyo'' is being brainwashed by the spirit of his dead father, Mugen Imawano.
* Sometimes, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' uses this. Most guards are {{Jerkass}}es who shove Ezio around with little provocation, but occasionally, during plot missions, you may eavesdrop on some of them talking about family and friends, and being normal people whose only problem is serving Ezio's enemies. This is given a Lampshade in the last memory with Jacopo de'Pazzi, where Ezio notes that the two guards who have seized him are just doing their jobs and that he'll spare them if they let him go.
** Tom Hicky in VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII is revealed to be one of these as he's assassinated. Unlike other examples, this makes him come off ''more'' despicable compared to the other villains who are [[WellIntentionedExtremist genuinely dedicated to the Templar cause.]]

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearAcid2'', the security chief of [=SaintLogic=], Vince, is a terrifying figure in full-plate armour with glowing blue eyes... who is disturbingly nice due to being this, not going out of his way to hinder Snake any further than his job requires, talking to him in a chatty and informal manner, and siding with him occasionally when he feels his job is asking him to go too far. Because of this, he's a soft target for [[PsychoForHire Venus]], who is far less nice a person than he is.
** The other example in ''Franchise/MetalGear'' is Kazuhira in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker''. Despite being on your side, in that game, you're playing as Big Boss, an eventual villain, and Kaz goads him into doing stupidly evil things like building nuclear weapons, kidnapping people, and (possibly) stitching sharp pieces of metal into his chest. Kaz is actually a pretty nice guy, but his main goal is to make a ton of money.
** The legendary Johnny from Metal Gear Solids 1, 2, and Grandfather Johnny. Also doubles as a MinionWithAnFInEvil.

* Plenty of them in ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', as not everyone is that much concerned with the Devil Gene business. The Williams sisters (Nina and Anna) take any job and wouldn't expand it to personal lives, their aim is just to settle their sister rivalries. Eddy Gordo is only in Jin's army to get the cure for his sickly master. Bruce Irvin is a good friend of Kazuya Mishima and usually serves him well, but outside his servitude, he's a FriendToAllChildren and helps them out when he can.

* In VideoGame/TheSims, your character can choose Criminal as a career choice. It's recommended for [[CardCarryingVillain those who have the "Evil" trait]], as they actually [[ForTheEvulz enjoy it]].

* Many of the Umbrella Corporation employees who aren't HiredGuns or raving lunatics in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' are this. Many of the {{Apocalyptic Log}}s left behind by researchers sway between describing what horrific creature's they've spawned or what terrible experiments they've conducted on innocent people, and telling who won the poker game in their downtime or of their families.

* Aranea from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' definitely qualifies. She introduces herself to the party as a mercenary currently under the employ of [[TheEmpire Niflheim]], and at the end of her boss battle, she stops fighting only because it's quitting time, proclaiming that she doesn't work after hours, before she promptly leaves. Hell, later on the in the game, [[spoiler:she even joins the party as a GuestStarPartyMember because of the Noctis's interest in acquiring mythril from the Vesperpool, at [[BigBad Ardyn's]] command.]] She definitely has nothing personal against Noctis or his pals, she's just doing the job she's hired for.

* Aranea from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' definitely qualifies. She introduces herself to the party as a mercenary currently under the employ of [[TheEmpire Niflheim]], and at the end of her boss battle, she stops fighting only because it's quitting time, proclaiming that she doesn't work after hours, before she promptly leaves. Hell, later on the in the game, [[spoiler:she even joins the party as a GuestStarPartyMember because of the Noctis's interest in acquiring mythril from the Vesperpool, at [[BigBad Ardyn's]] command.]] She definitely has nothing personal against Noctis or his pals, she's just doing the job she's hired for.