woman taking mirror selfie at work caption 'Not getting laid off 4 days into training' (l) woman with hands crossed (c) tv displaying meeting caption 'Not getting laid off 4 days into training' (r)

Fizkes/Shutterstock @operachick/TikTok (Licensed)

‘Not getting laid off 4 days into training’: New worker gets laid off through Zoom while training for the job

'Daily reminder that corporations don’t care about people.'

 

Braden Bjella

IRL

Posted on Aug 22, 2022

A new worker for Pink Energy went viral after sharing that she, along with everyone else in her class, was fired four days in to their training for the job.

In a video with over 1.2 million views, TikToker Ti-Lar (@operachick) shows the aftermath of the firings, with people calling their loved ones and others sitting quietly. “The whole class just got fired during training,” the TikToker says, noting in the text overlay the firings happened four days into their training.

The group is in a classroom-like environment, and they are on Zoom call on a big screen at the front of the space.

@operachick Through a zoom call lol #pinkenergy #firedonspot #effectiveimmediatelychallenge #damnjohnnyboy #terriblecompanies #leason1 ♬ original sound – Ti-Lar Bee

In comments and a follow-up video, Ti-Lar says that some people turned down other jobs to work at the company, in part, because they claimed to start wages at $18 per hour.

Commenters were quick to take Ti-Lar’s side on the issue.

“HR and the trainer knew they didn’t need y’all before they setup that training class,” insisted a user.

“Baby I’d be leaving with a whole computer, taking that monitor off the wall,” added a second. “I’m leaving with sumn.”

“Daily reminder that corporations don’t care about people,” wrote a third.

“But they want us to be courteous and give THEM 2 weeks notice,” noted a further TikToker.

In a follow-up, Ti-Lar aimed to offer more information about the situation.

@operachick Replying to @ShaKia ♬ No Issues – Ti-Lar Bee

In summary, she says the group was on their fourth day of training when the group took a break at around 4pm (the group arrived at 9am). Upon coming back from their break and preparing for the next portion of training, Ti-Lar says she heard someone on the Zoom call faintly say, “The position is no longer available. You are terminated, effective immediately.”

“We’re thinking that maybe somebody else is getting fired in Tampa,” where the speaker was based, Ti-Lar explains of the confusion that stemmed from that line. “Or maybe somebody in our classroom is getting fired. We just don’t know.”

When Ti-Lar asked for clarification, she says no one present seemed to know what was going on. However, she says it soon became clear that the entirety of the staff on the call was fired.

This isn’t the first controversy for Pink Energy. The Better Business Bureau is currently “evaluating a pattern of complaints” about the company before issuing it a new rating. Among these complaints are allegedly misleading customers about solar panel output, long delays in installation, and lackluster customer support.

For its part, the company told the BBB it was working toward improving itself through various means. Such methods of improvement included “expanding our customer service team” as well as installing “new account success managers” and a “new project acceleration team.” It is unclear which of these roles, if any, would be filled by Ti-Lar and her colleagues.

In a final update, Ti-Lar stresses that the firing is only part of the problem. She says she’s more concerned about how it happened.

@operachick Replying to @Shekiaa Belavarie the real part 3 will come if i don’t get paid for my time on friday 💯 #lordforbid #playwithmoney #thatsit #thatsall #bailmeoutplease lol #tilarbee #commentsectionchill ♬ original sound – Ti-Lar Bee

“It was very weak. Very bitch of the company,” she says in the video. In comments, she added, “The only way I feel this [firing] might be acceptable…regardless of the ‘at will law’ is if a job is contracted. Full-time should be handled much better.”

We’ve reached out to Ti-Lar via Instagram direct message and Pink Energy via email.


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*First Published: Aug 22, 2022, 9:06 am CDT