The dangerous trend of employees recording their resignation to post on TikTok

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Experts warn that turning a dismissal into social media content, no matter how good the intentions, can have long-term professional consequences. The dangerous trend of employees recording their resignations to post on TikTok Getty Images via BBC Millions of people watched on social media as technology professional Brittany Pietsch was fired from her job in a video call. Pietsch worked as an account executive at American IT company Cloudflare. On January 12, she posted a nine-minute video on TikTok with the caption: “When you know you’re going to get fired and record it.” The video shows Pietsch’s heated reaction when two company representatives, whom she did not know, explain that she was unable to meet “performance expectations” and will be fired. During the conversation, she defends her work, detailing the positive feedback she received, and tries to find out from company representatives the specific reasons that led to her being cut (but the employees on the other end of the line refused to provide those reasons). . Similar videos are gaining traction on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), as mass layoffs continue to impact industries across the world. In yet another change in the current work scenario, many professionals are fired over video calls from their own homes – a heartbreaking situation for young professionals, especially if they are being fired for the first time. Some observers may find firing videos transparent and empowering, especially when they can identify with the experience. And the comments section can also be a place to offer professional advice on how to get over a layoff. In Pietsch’s case, she recorded and publicized her dismissal “so she could share what happened with her family and friends,” she told The Wall Street Journal on January 16. But experts warn that turning a dismissal into social media content, no matter how good the intentions, can have long-term professional consequences. Microsoft lays off almost 2,000 gaming employees The content brings solidarity The #layoffs hashtag on TikTok has already attracted more than 366 million views. This spike in interest is entirely expected. After all, mass layoffs in the technology sector in 2023 ushered in the new year. Google, Amazon and other technology giants have reduced their workforces since January 1st. And layoffs at communication companies continue to affect thousands of people. For Gen Z professionals (those born between 1995 and 2010) who are at the center of the live layoff trend, videos can be interpreted as extensions of content about their everyday lives, published in the form of Get Ready With Me videos ( GRWM – “get ready with me”, in free translation). In this section of TikTok, content creators present their daily routines to their followers. Creators gain exposure by offering the public the opportunity to observe their daily lives. And, following this pattern, being fired from a job can be a perfectly normal thing to share on social media. Layoffs can simply generate good content, perfectly aligned with trend-setting formats and themes related to the zeitgeist (the spirit of the times). For viewers, the videos offer a way to feel less alone in a new world of work, with layoffs often taking place over 10-minute video calls from an employee’s home office rather than the privacy of a windowless conference room. Pietsch’s video generated comments of support and empathy. “I’m so sorry to hear that,” writes one viewer. “I was fired after seven years of loyalty to a company I worked for. It literally killed me.” Another person writes: “Companies don’t care about you, so we might as well embarrass these people.” Apart from its entertainment value, this type of content also reflects the current professional landscape, after the change of power in favor of employees, especially in the middle of last year. Alongside labor movements such as the 2023 “summer of strikes” (a period of widespread union activity with major repercussions in the US and UK, with workers winning deals at record levels), live firing videos question the pattern by which employers always hold power. The videos also reflect the idea that professionals are less concerned about protecting a possibly outdated standard of professionalism and more motivated to promote mobilization and solidarity in the workplace. And for many of these content creators, that means holding employers accountable, even after the professionals are no longer on their payroll. Is a worker obliged to record videos for the company’s TikTok? See what the law says Farah Sharghi is a technology recruiter, content creator and professional coach from San Francisco, United States. She believes resignation videos are a natural consequence of a tumultuous job market in the age of social media. “Public sharing of layoff experiences on platforms like TikTok reflects a shift toward greater transparency and the desire to share personal stories in a digital world,” according to Sharghi. “It also highlights the professional and emotional impact of corporate decisions on individuals,” she continues. “It’s one thing to talk about being fired – it’s another to go through the experience in real time, together with the person who was impacted.” Sharghi says videos like Pietsch’s can express a growing sense of dissatisfaction with relationships between employees and employers. “The company [pode tentar] shifting the blame for the dismissal to the employee – when in reality, if it is a mass dismissal, it could be a failure of management or technological advances that are bringing about change,” she explains. “These videos are exposing companies’ flaws.” Post with caution The ire of the creators of firing videos may be justified, but analysts advise young professionals to reconsider their approach. They even criticize these professionals as being naive and hasty. On X, conservative commentator Candace Owens called Pietsch a “young and stupid” after her video went viral. “Now any company that Googles Brittany Pietsch will find this secret recording video of the company she worked for, exposing them for doing their jobs. Unbelievably inconsequential,” she wrote. Another commenter criticized Pietsch and Cloudflare as both acting badly. For him, “being fired is difficult, but it’s important to face the situation with dignity. Firing someone is also difficult and requires compassion and respect. Total disaster on both sides in this case.” Sharghi does not agree with extremist positions, but advises caution. “While these videos can offer support and solidarity, they also have the potential to harm that person’s future professional prospects. Big technology companies, for example, form a small world at the top [das companhias] and if one of these videos goes viral, it’s more than likely that a recruiter, hiring manager, or interviewer has seen it.” Companies may want to think twice before hiring a candidate who might “publicly expose the company’s inner workings.” , she says. This, in a way, is a case of extreme assertiveness on social media, which can make a manager stop and think before hiring an employee. And, in some cases, these videos can even get their creators into trouble. Before acting on the impulse to post, Sharghi recommends that fired individuals check their severance agreements. They may contain non-disparagement clauses or limitations on discussing their experiences at the company. Can a worker be fired because of something they posted on the web? In the United States, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that non-disparagement clauses in severance agreements are illegal in 2023. But there are exceptions to this rule, such as disclosing company secrets or making false and malicious statements. “Publicly disclosing details about the dismissal process, especially if they portray the company in a negative light, could represent a breach of these clauses”, warns Sharghi. In short, the message from the experts is this: pause before posting. What is the purpose of this video and what are its possible ramifications? If there’s anything to be learned from the #layoffs hashtag on TikTok, it’s that workers’ notions of their professional image are undergoing major changes — and content creators like Brittany Pietsch are driving those changes. Pietsch told The Wall Street Journal that she has no regrets and that other professionals are telling her, “I wish I had stood up for myself like you did.” See also: ‘Trolling’ videos with new employees at work go viral on social media Can a company demand anything from employees’ appearance, hygiene or style?

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