One TikToker wants you to remember all co-workers are not your friends. And sometimes it is better to keep your rants to yourself while at work.
In a viral video that has amassed over 595,000 views on TikTok as of Monday, user Preston Walker (@prestonwalker_ _) explained how a private conversation with his fellow Subway employee resulted in his termination from the eatery.
@prestonwalker__ I Got Fired From Subway OVER THIS?! What an ABSOLUTE JOKE of a job!🙅🏼♂️ #prestontalks #subwaypreston ♬ original sound – Preston Walker
“Guess who got fired from Subway?” the video begins.
According to the TikToker, his troubles at work all began when his cat, Garfield, got an AIDS diagnosis.
“It all started a month and a half ago,” he says. “I called off one of my shifts. I got my shift covered. No problem at all.”
Two weeks later, he says he received a phone call that his cat wasn’t doing too well and couldn’t even walk. So he says he left early, with the permission of his manager. However, on his way out he says his manager made a snarky remark about him calling out for the second time in two weeks over a cat.
“I blew it off my shoulder,” he says. “Garfield is more important than arguing.”
After his return to work, he says he received yet another call that things with Garfield had taken a bad turn. The Tiktoker says his cat wasn’t moving and screamed in pain every time anyone tried to touch him.
“I start crying,” he says. “I start getting freaked out at work.”
Things only got more stressful after he called his local vet and they told him that his pet “might not make it.” Preston says he immediately began texting and calling workers via a district-wide group chat to find coverage for his shift, hoping that he could get his cat to the hospital for care. He says his decision to skip out on first notifying his manager ruffled feathers.
“I should’ve been your first notification,” his manager allegedly told him.
Except, he says the rule for calling out of work is that the employee must first find coverage for the shift. As a result, the TikToker says he ended up having a heated exchange with his boss over text, which he decided to complain about to his co-worker.
“In the middle of ranting, I said a few slurs,” he admits.
He also says he got angry and slammed doors.
“Thirty minutes later, my manager comes storming in the door,” Preston says. “First thing she says to me: ‘Clock out, leave now.'”
Apparently, the employee he ranted to complained to his boss that he was scaring her.
“I was just ranting to her,” he argues.
When he arrived to work the following day, Preston says all of his bosses and managers were parked in the parking lot. He knew things weren’t looking good. Higher-ups had allegedly shown up to confront him about his behavior the previous they. According to Preston, they said his fellow employee felt threatened by his behavior.
“Yeah, we’re gonna have to terminate you,” Preston recalls they told him.
In the end, Preston says management let him know that Wendy’s next door was hiring.
In the comments section, many users shared experiences they had with getting fired from their fast-food jobs.
“I got fired from subway for going to my graduation,” one user wrote.
Others pointed out that calling out and becoming enraged at work was likely a bit over the top.
“So you got fired bc you were being violent and saying slurs and you think you’re in the right because of your cat?” one user argued.
“Lmaoo bro.. I was never being violent. I was telling a story ranting to her and cussed a few times in it and just slammed a proofer door?!!” the TikToker responded.
“Never rant to a fellow employee,” another user advised.
The fast-food industry is still struggling to bounce back from its worker shortage that left many businesses short-staffed, so it is likely the content creator won’t have a hard time finding a new job.
The Daily Dot reached out to Preston via TikTok and Subway via email.
