Elisabeth Pape’s Radio Play “Im Office” Explores Class Differences at Work

In “Im Office,” a company hires Isi, who grew up on welfare and has since advanced through education, to promote its social media. The new colleague’s arrival exposes assumptions about class and the company’s own motives.

4 Nov 2026

Elisabeth Pape’s radio play “Im Office,” broadcast by Deutschlandfunk Kultur, follows the arrival of Isi at a workplace where her colleagues quickly read social background into the way she carries her coffee. Thomas, Willi and Cleo see her as poor, while the price of a flat white with oat milk—3.40 euros—becomes a marker of who can afford what, or chooses to do so.

The company has hired Isi precisely because of the social differences she represents. A former welfare recipient who worked her way up and gained an education, she is expected to generate enthusiasm for the company on social media as a living diversity measure. But the supposed marketing coup leads the office to a different realization: Isi has her own agenda.

Sources: FAZ.