A joke about assuming new responsibilities at work has started a discussion on TikTok.
In an original video posted by user Laura (@loewhaley), she acts out a scenario in which an employee is fired and she is tasked with taking on their responsibilities.
“Are we actively looking for someone to hire for the role?” she asks in response.
“Not at the moment as budgets are tight, so you will need to stay a couple extra hours each day to get the work done,” the “boss” responds.
“How will the overtime be compensated? Is it paid time? Lieu time?” Laura says.
“It won’t be,” the boss responds.
Laura answers this by saying that she already does volunteer work and won’t take the extra tasks, but “if the free work does ever turn into paid work, please let me know!”
The video currently has 5.4 million views, with many users expressing its unfortunate relatability in the comments.
@loewhaley Toodaloo! #relatable #corporate #wfh ♬ original sound – Laura
“This is what I should’ve said when my former employer asked me to take on an entire extra role for 4K extra a year,” shared a user in comments.
“Literally what’s happening to me now,” offered another. “People leaving, no one getting hired, no one getting raises to compensate extra workload.”
“When I did this in retail they took me off the schedule,” recalled a third.
“I feel this,” wrote a further user. “I was asked why I am not getting my work completed. I said because I won’t work evenings and weekends. I said maybe you should hire more.”
Others who had heard a similar line of questioning poked holes in the employers’ arguments.
“How is there no budget to replace an employee you were already paying,” asked a user.
“If the budget is tight after a whole salary freed up, everyone was likely already being underpaid and exploited,” claimed a second.
Finally, some users simply stressed the importance of setting boundaries in the workplace.
“I legitimately just say ‘No,’” claimed a user. “if it puts me over 40 hours it’s not happening.”
“As a last year college student your vids are educating me to set boundaries when I enter the workforce!” said an additional TikToker. “Thank you !”
We’ve reached out to Laura via email.
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