During the suggestion box scene, Larry Wilmore envisioned Dwight as an Ed McMahon-type character, repeating everything Michael said. Paul Lieberstein claimed that figuring out the logistics for the conference room scene was "the heart" of the episode. Hardin recalled that it was extremely difficult to stay in character, due to the humorous nature of the dialogue and the cast members' reactions. In fact, the cast broke more than usual during filming. During the scene, Michael reads a suggestion from someone named Tom, who asks for better help for people with depression. After inquiring who this mysterious Tom is, Phyllis tells Michael that he worked in accounting until a year ago and committed suicide. Wilmore claimed during the DVD commentary for the episode that the writers would be bringing him back in the show's third season, in which his backstory would be explained, although this never panned out. However, during the Writer's Block Q&A session at The Office Convention in 2007, the writers, perhaps sardonically, suggested that Tom's death was the reason that Ryan was brought in as a temporary worker. Tom's name is briefly seen on Dwight's organization chart in the fourth season episode "Did I Stutter?", where his name is revealed to be Tom Peets.