Whether it’s that bright green beer or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the day is always full of pleasant surprises. And while it’s not a major holiday, roughly 61% of American consumers celebrated St. Patrick’s day.
Even with St. Patrick’s day on a Sunday this year, nothing stopped the young millennial from a day of festivities, shamrocks, and luck.
Yet for this one woman, the luck of the Irish was not on her side.
Posted last week, content creator Brooke (@bargainbrooke) shared a TikTok of one unlucky encounter, gaining over 5.1 million views and 573,200 likes. Hanging out at Grace O’Malley’s Irish Public House in Downtown Matthews, North Carolina, Brooke’s friend is tragically caught off guard by running into her worst nightmare, her boss.
“Everything is good until that moment. Oops,” captains the video.
While running into your boss may not seem like the worst possible scenario, when you are technically called into work, the situation can become… complicated.
Sitting happily and posing with what seems to be a shot of Irish Coffee amid St. Patty’s celebrations, Brooke’s friend gets ready for her perfect photo opp. Looking toward the camera, the woman turns to the side to down her shot. But as she does so, she happens to make eye contact with a not-so-pleased, middle-aged man.
“[expletive],” the woman says without hesitation.
Both stunned and confused the man stares at the woman.
“Can I take this now?” the woman says, trying to avoid the interaction.
Allegedly, according to the video, the woman had called-in to work earlier and requested a personal day. And the middle-aged man in the orange pullover who walks past simultaneously with the shot taking, was unfortunately, her boss.
With glitter on her chest and green beads around her neck, it’s clear that the woman’s “personal day,” may be a little more eventful than the boss had imagined.
A series of “oh lords,” are murmured behind the camera, and before formal interaction was had, the video cuts off. While the women may be in a tough position, viewers of the viral TikTok made sure to make one point very clear.
“Hold on.. He’s supposed to be at work too technically,” a commenter mentioned, receiving more than 133,900 likes.
Others went as far to share their own personal experiences, proving that this is not an uncommon affair.
“Went on vacation but called in sick, boss was at the same place but with someone other than her husband. Came in Monday to a 75% raise and was promoted,” the commenter said gaining 42,900 likes.
All of this being said, the sticky situation raises a good question. Just how often do employees take personal/sick stays to tend to more social matters?
@bargainbrooke Everything is good until that moment. Oopsy! #boss #werk #work #notworking #shots #oops #busted #ouch #relateable #stpatricksday #viral #tiktokusa ♬ original sound – bargainbrooke
It’s no surprise that on holidays, such as St. Patrick’s day, or national events, employees will call in sick. For example, according to the UKG Workforce Institute, an estimated 16.1 million U.S. employees called in sick for Super Bowl Monday.
Now the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t formally track work absenteeism on specific days or holidays. Yet, studies have shown that there’s always an annual nationwide drop in productivity during certain times of the year.
According to the same statistics from American Progress, 77% of the private sector workforce allots paid sick days. So, depending on the woman in the video’s job title, there is a high probability that she was being paid for her off-day excursions. Which gives insight into why her alleged employer was so visibly disappointed by her decision-making.
The aftermath of their interaction is unclear. But by the look on the man’s face, we can presume the exchange did not work in the woman’s favor.
The Daily Dot reached out to Brooke (@bargainbrooke) via TikTok DM for comment.