Richiev:

I like the conceit of a two-tiered existence for the protagonist where in one context he is respected and looked up to as a leader and in another he is held in disdain and henpecked.

(Does the daughter know about her mother’s affair?)

>>>The catalyst is his daughter coming to work with him

In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance that precipitates change — but is not itself changed in the process. And I think that generally holds true for dramatic characters. A catalytic character precipitates change in the protagonist but is not herself changed — or at least not changed as dramatically, OR before the protagonist is changed,OR to the degree that the protagonist is changed: the protagonist “owns” the greater and more compelling character arc.

I’m not saying it’s a rule carved in stone, but at the moment I can think of a lot of movies that adhere to that rule — but I can’t think of any movies that are successful exceptions to that rule. Can you?

Hmm. I have questions with 2 aspects of this logline:

Credibility of the premise:

I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but it’s become common enough a practice for kids to accompany their parents on a day of wage-slavery in the U.S. But for a whole week? Why would a business allow such an extended disruption to normal routine and productivity?

And as far as I know, the practice is voluntary. I’ve never heard of it being compulsory for anyone at any time for any reason.

Nor do I see any dramatic necessity to make it compulsory. Based upon my own experience and observation of the practice, most kids go along with the practice because it enables them to get out of something even more boring than following their old man or old lady around the office — school.

The inciting incident:

You say that the inciting incident is “His daughter given the school assignment to go to work with him.” IMOH, the term inciting incident is bruited about in scriptwriting forums with a lack of clarity and precision as to what it actually entails. Here is my 2.5 cents worth:

I like to think of the inciting incident as comprising 2 distinct beats: 1] The inciting event and 2]The character’s reaction to that event. The event provides the stimulus, but the response is a function of the particular person’s unique character (motivational complex, temperament, mood, etc.)

And every person being unique, every person will respond (Beat #2) differently.

So it seems to me that while Beat #1 is necessary to kick off the plot (trudge to work with the old man), it is not sufficient, not the whole of the inciting incident. Beat #2 , the character’s response to the event, is the sin qua non that determines the direction of the plot.

It’s possible for the daughter to trudge long to work and not have an epiphany that changes her opinion of her father. (And my observation is that is the case with most kids: watching a parent wage-slave is b-o-r-i-n-g. They are looking at the clock hours before the parent, impatiently waiting
for the day to end.) No epiphany, no story.

But in your story, the inciting event (Beat #1) makes a positive impression; it triggers a transformative epiphany (Beat #2) in the daughter. Which is to say that it hooks into something lurking latently inside her head. (What is that?)

Further, as I understand it dramatic theory and praxi, the protagonist is supposed to be the central player in the inciting incident. He/she is the one directly transformed (Beat #2) by the inciting event (Beat #1). But in the scenario in your logline, it seems as if the daughter is the central player. She is the one transformed (Beat #2) by the event (Beat #1). The father’s transformation is collateral and consequential; it occurs indirectly and later because of her transformation.

So for me, the daughter is the most intriguing character in the logline. She’s the one who makes the plot happen — not the father. Hence, she gets my vote as the protagonist.

Not the way you conceive of it. But, fwiw, that’s my Beat #2 (reaction) to your Beat #1 (logline). No doubt, other people will have a different Beat #2 to the very same Beat #1.