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‘This has been months in the making’: Remote worker submits 2 weeks’ notice in viral TikTok, pointing to uptick in ‘remote quitting’

‘I’m quitting a job the exact same way I ended all my Tumblr friendships in 2007.’

Photo of Rebekah Harding

Rebekah Harding

woman puts in her two weeks tiktok

A worker films herself submitting her two weeks’ notice via email in a now-viral TikTok, pointing to a larger trend of remote resignations.

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In the video posted by Clara Sterling (@thatclarafied) on Aug. 18, she says that she wrote her resignation email, sharing the risk that she was prepared to take by submitting it to her boss.

“All I gotta do is hit the send button. I just had a one-on-one with my boss and gave her no indication that I was about to quit,” she says in the clip. “No, I do not have a new job yet. Yes, I will be losing my health insurance. It’s a calculated risk.”

At the end of the clip, Sterling sends the email and celebrates quitting her job.

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The Daily Dot previously reported on Sterling’s former employer’s decision to bring on six different workers to cover her responsibilities instead of meeting her salary and position title demands, which she detailed in a now-re-uploaded TikTok.

@thatclarafied

♬ original sound – Clara

The video has reached over 215,000 views as of Sept. 7, with users sharing words of encouragement in the comments.

“I did this two years ago and got out of retail. It was a leap of faith. Today I am a corporate project manager. Trust me, it will b ok!” a commenter wrote.

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“I quit my job 3 weeks ago without a job lined up. It was the best decision, I felt so much relief when I turned in my resignation. Best of luck,” another said.

Sterling did not specify in this video what exactly led to her quitting, but in another TikTok, she hints how her employer allegedly took away her paid-time-off days, had her doing the work of five people, and only paid her $1.74 more an hour than new hires.

In an update video, Sterling explains the organization was going through some restructuring, which wasn’t working for her. After voicing her concerns six weeks ago, Sterling says no solution was provided, leading her to resign.

“It was a matter of time,” she says in the clip.

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@thatclarafied Replying to @Me Now my last day is next week #greatresignation #jobsearch ♬ original sound – Clara

While the rise in remote work during the pandemic has given way to workers being virtually fired or laid off, Sterling’s video is part of a trend of other workers sharing their experience with “remote quitting” on TikTok amidst the Great Resignation.

In a TikTok posted by Brittany Van Horne (@brittanyvanhorne) on Aug. 1, she shares how quitting remotely differs from leaving an office job.

“Quitting a remote job is so weird because today is my last day and it’s not like at the end of the day I’m going to pack up my office and leave,” she says. “I’m just going to sign out of slack and never log on again. And like, I’m quitting a job the exact same way I ended all my Tumblr friendships in 2007.”

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@brittanyvanhorne #remotework #tumblr #corporatetiktok ♬ Bad Habit – Steve Lacy

The Daily Dot reached out to Sterling via TikTok comment and to Van Horne via email for this story.

 
The Daily Dot