‘People are sick of work’
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DeAndre Brown admitted that he was nervous about joining TikTok. DeAndre Brown wasn’t interested viral dances and DIY fads. across the appEarly in the pandemic.
The summer of 2021 saw the opportunity to have a conversation about work and to share his top picks. This was what finally made the 22-year old happy. career adviceA new graduate working as a consumer banker in Dallas. While he offered tips on interviewing, and shared day-in the life videos, his December video really shined.
Brown, who is seen in this 90 second clip, seems to be slacking on a video chat. The video calls are interrupted by Brown, who blames the camera’s inability to work and rushes for his Zoom shirt. He finally focuses on the meeting and quickly grabs his Zoom shirt. Brown’s bosses are aware that this is fiction and Brown is constantly ready to go during actual work meetings.
It’s one of thousands of comedic skits that populate TikTok’s corporate and work-from-home-related hashtags, which poke at the absurdities of working in Corporate America through a global health crisis. Others are lighter-hearted and involve midday napping or sweating all day. Others go as far as to call out the Great Resignation and employers’ desperation to hire — if your job is annoying you, creators say, why not quit for a new one?
These videos have become an illustration of what TikTok is showing us as we approach year three of this pandemic. We are overworked.
Work is savaged under the guise of humor
The best workplace TikToks are familiar, as they draw on the same office jokes for years. It is difficult to work with coworkers, according to them. Micromanage is what bosses do. It is tedious to manage projects. It is much easier to get up at 7:59 AM than it is to commute into work.
Terrell Wade (31), of Lansing in Michigan says, “I try and make relatable content to show that all of us kind of live the exact same life.” He started TikToks filming from his bank job early 2020. It doesn’t matter if you work in retail, corporate offices or nursing homes. There will be times when you aren’t excited about going to work. Some employees may not be your favorite. Sometimes, you want to just call in sick. That’s what I do. But, it gets a humorous spin.
His videos feature jokes about leaving a job that is toxic or being open with bosses. Wade says it’s an anti-hustle culture.
Viewers find it validating to hear that others have the exact same dislikes about work.
Laura Whaley (27), a Toronto resident, says that work is where people don’t talk badly about other things or pretend everything’s great all the time. We were taught growing up that any information you post about work will be immediately removed.
The jokes of TikTok and Corporate America are the laughs, so all bets can be lost.
Burnout meets comedy
Whaley discovered TikTok when she was feeling lonely and bored working remotely for an IT consultancy job. She began posting her own clips as a fun and harmless way to entertain herself and put what she was experiencing — the messy transition to virtual work — into videos.
Whaley is now a viral hit after posting hits for two years. You noticed one theme. “Burnout is the biggest problem right now.” Whaley says that it is not only work burnout but also life burnout. “Many people hit that wall.”
Angela Hall from Michigan State University, professor of labor relations and human resource management says “People are exhausted.” These videos can be used as a way to cope.
TikToks in the workplace can help people communicate and have fun. Hall believes that the diversion may be short-term self-preservation. “People will seek any means to self-medicate and self-soothe. This can be one way.”
The office chat has become a place for mental health
TikToks corporate humor can be used to lighten office conflicts, make people less lonely, and remind them that work doesn’t always have to be boring.
However, if they are excessively high they can indicate a disturbing trend.
Hall comments that it’s more than just a problem: people are getting sick of their jobs. Look at The Great Resignation for the highest rate of quitting on record. It’s not because employees are being treated worse by employers, but rather the general fatigue of people.
Hall claims that humans are not conditioned to endure so many changes at once or over a long time.
Hall believes humor can be a positive addition to stressful situations. However, creators need to avoid going “too far down the rabbithole” and creating depressing content.
Rod Thill (31), of Chicago, is well-acquainted with this delicate balance. Thill’s dark comedy and deadpan delivery are what make him so popular. Thill used to work as a salesman.
Thill states that brands, companies, and CEOs now understand that employees go through this through TikTok and the community of work-from home people.
Workers want to shift the narrative, and employers need to be held accountable. Thill states that workers have become more vocal about mental illness. They want to see a shift.
Setting new boundaries
TikToks corporate humor might seem like a passing trend, but it is still a popular and effective way to get your employees involved in the workplace. trendThe lasting effects of social media use can be seen on mental healthAnd wellbeing.
The upside is that some users have found it helpful to see others being firm with their TikTok work limits, even though they are joking.
Brown, 22, a Dallas native, claims that many of his colleagues have said the same to him. He says that he works with a lot Gen Xers as well as millennials and they all tell him, “You really are set on the 9-5 schedule.” “You inspired me set these boundaries at work.
This is not the only positive thing about his TikToks. A senior employee sent him a message asking if he could help with social media strategies for the company.
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