Northern Lights was mean spirited

I still find it very odd: Joel goes on strike because they have nixed his vacation. What do they do? They lock him out of his home forcing him to stay in a tent in the cold mid winter night. Marylin drops by at his tent asking him about a job related issue showing no concern for his plight. Nobody else is concerned either. They just tell him not to take it personally.
This episode was so mean spirited that it doesn't fit the show's cordial narrative. I'm surprised this script was green lit