The Macrodata Refiner's Orientation Booklet is an official Lumon Industries training document intended for newly-Severed employees. It is not intended for public distribution outside of Lumon. The booklet also features Sevy, a cartoon personification of the Severance chip, as a sort of mascot to help guide employees through the information. A copy was smuggled out by Margaret “Peg” Kincaid and included in The Lexington Letter.

The booklet covers many topics a Severed employee is expected to know. It describes the Severance procedure, an overview of Macrodata Refinement along with step-by-step instructions on how to refine a file, and incentives employees can earn as they progress. It also explains Lumon's workplace policies on dress code, expected hygiene practices, rules for inter-department fraternization and communication between Innies and Outies. Finally, it lists the Core Principles that every Lumon employee should embody.

A refiner is defined as someone who makes something pure, more useable, and more accessible. A macrodata refiner is expected to remove impurities from data and reorganize it in its purest form. Refiners are chosen by Lumon based on their intuition, emotional acuity, focus, and overall intelligence. They are expected to sort data sets from different categories quickly, efficiently, and most importantly, reliably.

An unrefined macrodata file will resemble a vast sea of numbers that seems to stretch endlessly in all directions. Over time, the refiner will recognize clusters of numbers that make them feel a certain way. The refiner's job is to sort these number clusters by category evenly between five digital bins.

There are four categories of numbers, and each one will evoke a certain emotion in the refiner. Sevy helpfully demonstrates facial expression that correspond to each. These categories include:

• WO: These numbers elicit deep melancholy or despair
• FC: These numbers elicit joy, gaiety, or ecstasy
• DR: These numbers elicit fear, anxiety, or apprehension
• MA: These numbers elicit rage or a desire to do harm

Once each bin is filled evenly with each category, the file is 100% refined. Once a refiner is experienced in recognizing the categories, it will make sorting them much more efficient.

The booklet then lists step-by-step instructions on how to refine a macrodata file.

This handbook, charmingly illustrated with beloved cartoon severance chip Sevy, instructs Macrodata Refinement workers in the basic functions of their jobs. A copy was smuggled out of Lumon by Margaret “Peg” Kincaid and given to the The Topeka Star newspaper in an attempt to reveal the nefarious activities of Lumon with its severed employees, but this damning document was buried and lost.

• The booklet was designed by graphic artist Tansy Michaud.^[1]