More and more young generation Z people secretly record scenes of themselves being fired and post them on social networking platforms like TikTok - Photo: New York Post
Many others posted publicly about their firings, which were taboo and broke the immutable rules of agreements between businesses and workers.
Those who posted said they had the right to share their own stories, on their own social network accounts. Meanwhile, another perspective raises the issue of young people's behavior as inappropriate and possibly counterproductive.
The dismissal video makes "your house the brightest tonight"
Some videos have attracted millions of views, not only causing the fired person but also the employer to fall into the "your house is the brightest tonight" situation - when everyone pays attention and starts talking and arguing. argue.
When Gabrielle Dawson, a 28-year-old producer at US site CBS News, was asked to join a video call after three months of working in a new city, she had no idea she was about to become unemployed.
“[But] I knew that call couldn't be anything good,” she confided. Dawson set his phone to record the meeting, mainly to record what was said.
The video, which has since been posted nine million times on TikTok, shows Dawson's manager declaring in a monotone voice: "Unfortunately, the restructuring has affected your role." ”.
When Dawson asked why she was asked to do this job in the first place, the 28-year-old didn't get an answer.
Dawson said she initially had no intention of sharing the video on social media. However, she decided to share after there was information about the layoff.
“I am a private person and have never thought about sharing before, or just staying silent. I think other videos gave me the courage, to post my own videos,” she said. “Why can't I share my story?”, Dawson asked.
Tara Quinn-Cirillo, an associate member of the British Psychological Society, says that employees posting that they have lost their jobs can be a way to assert their identity, which has been affected by layoffs. “Sharing information can make you feel in control,” she says.
Quinn-Cirillo further analyzed that employees with large social media followings believe they are making things difficult for their former employer by bringing the decision to fire them into the chaotic world of social media, where they have power.
Others may simply update their online followers about their careers, the way they would inform a family member.
A girl shares a video of herself being fired on TikTok - Photo: Telegraph
The trend stems from remote working
Joni Bonnemort, who lost her job at a financial services company last April and posted a video of herself being fired on TikTok, says she is now less afraid of revealing the news.
“In my opinion, social media has evolved to the point where sharing vulnerable moments in our lives is becoming less and less taboo. I found it not too difficult to share about being fired, despite the hurt," she said.
Recording yourself being fired is also a trend that has emerged since the rise of remote work culture. Obviously, filming yourself getting fired via a Zoom call is much easier than sitting right at the office.
Being willing to destroy everything can be counterproductive
Studies have shown that Gen Z is less committed to a company and is more likely to switch between jobs. This makes them ready to destroy everything at the old company once they are about to leave.
With unemployment rates in the UK and US near a 50-year low, young people are not experiencing the same economy-wide jobs crisis as previous generations.
However, this reality conflicts with widespread layoffs in the technology and media industries over the past year. During the pandemic, many companies hired people quickly, leading to a surplus of human resources and eventually ending in layoffs over a video call.
Amanda Rajkumar, former global human resources director of Adidas, said the “QuitTok” trend (posting quitting videos on TikTok – PV) is like “one of the strongest examples to date of the difference between generations, between Gen Z and Gen X in the workplace”.
She argues the trend could ultimately backfire on young workers who already post videos. “According to personal experience, my generation would rather be hurt than mistreat the people who pay their salaries,” Rajkumar said.
