When it comes to a job, one doesn’t want to feel that they’re doing more work than higher-ups, as evidenced in a recent TikTok video.
In a recent video viewed over 200,000 times, TikTok user Amir Henley (@tiktokamirr) made a video in which they show themselves pretending to ask their boss for step-by-step instructions to make sure their boss is performing at their higher pay grade.
“Me asking my boss for a step by step on the simplest tasks just to make sure they’re performing at our $5 pay difference,” Henley captioned the video.
@tiktokamirr So what comes next? Can you explain it to me again #corporatebaddie #corporatelife #officelife #officehumor #officedrama #bossesbelike #workbelike #workdrama #tiktokamirr #amirhenley ♬ original sound – Coulda Been Records
One commenter said they experienced an even bigger pay gap between themselves and their boss.
“My boss at my last job was paid $30 an hour more than me,” a commenter said.
The CEO-to-worker pay gap has continued to expand, according to the Economic Policy Institute. It’s estimated that CEO compensation has grown 1,322% since 1978. In 2020, CEOs were paid 351 times as much as the typical worker. Data also shows bosses are more satisfied with their job than typical workers. Other studies also show that knowing one’s boss earns more can make an employee work harder.
Commenters on Henley’s video spoke about the times they’ve encountered bosses who don’t know their own job that well or made significantly more than them.
“My former boss was making BANK compared to me and she had no clue how to run the lab or team. It fell apart when I quit,” one commenter said.
“On god, like don’t expect my output to match yours. We ain’t paid the same,” another commenter said.
Update 8:46am CT, Nov. 8: Amir Henley told the Daily Dot she wanted “to highlight the relationship between a supervisor and subordinate using humor.”
“My intention was visually and creatively represent a real life situation that so many of us have experienced in the corporate world,” she said, adding that she wants viewers to ” take away that it is imperative for supervisors to direct their team, and know what they’re doing.”
“It’s been normalized for workers to be overworked for little pay, and that is not fair,” she added.
