A popular TikTok creator spawned a sea of laughing and crying emojis after every employee’s worst work-from-home nightmare suddenly became a reality.
In a short video posted on July 5, TikTok user @rodericks.world shows himself sitting in an airplanepresumably ready to take off for a much-needed vacation.
However, with Lauryn Hill’s 1998 hit “Ex-Factor” playing in the background, @rodericks.world reveals its unfortunate dilemma in overlapping text reading: “If you’re working remotely and your manager randomly adds a meeting to your calendar in 30 minutes.”
With a concerned look, the TikToker shows the seats around him and the tarmac outside as Hill wonders coolly, “How can I explain myself?” on the background.
Posted with the sarcastic caption, “I’m taking a lavish lunch”, the video has accumulated over 82,000 likes and has been viewed nearly a million times.
When COVID-19 pushed employees from office buildings to home offices, dining tables or any other space the size of a laptop in early 2020, the idea of what work should look like changed forever.
Earlier this year, data was collected by Pew Research Center revealed that in the United States, about 60 percent of workers who can work from home do just that.
But while a majority of these remote workers were initially wrapped up by a worsening pandemic, many still working from home are there because they want to be.
Despite early pandemic data showing that 64 percent of employees were working remotely because their employer’s office was closed, current data shows that 61 percent of employees are now working from home voluntarily, and 44 percent report increased efficiency at the office. work.
Greater efficiency, but does not always mean that employees are more focused†
In addition to economic benefits such as reduced commuting costs and cheaper takeout lunches, remote working also allows employees to work wherever they want. In contrast to the first months of the pandemic, fewer travel restrictions have led to a new trend: working holidays.
In January, propmodo reported that a large number of remote workers travel to vacation destinations with the intention of both work and play. Last year, The New York Times provided readers with a list of potential destinations tailored for Zoom poolside meetings and hot tub conference calls.
Andrei Iakhniuk/iStock/Getty Images Plus
In the comment section of the viral video, users who responded to @rodericks.world welcomed TikToker’s working holiday conundrum and offered advice for similar efforts.
“Airline Wi-Fi to the rescue,” joked @xGhostKeyzx, adding a crying laughing emoji.
“Man, this happened to me….I got that go inflight [Wi-Fi] soon,” burst in @sweetteatennessee, adding four more laughing and crying emojis.
TikTok user @bomccormick77, whose comment has been liked nearly 1,000 times, offered a potential solution for those working on the go.
“You need a portable green screen,” they advised. “Set it up right and everywhere can be ‘home’.”
“Stomach problems can’t talk.. works every time,” interrupted @forevalori, using a different strategy. “They don’t ask for details.”
In a separate comment, TikTok user @travelwithjason presented a different, more relaxed perspective.
“Refuse, order a double and just relax,” they wrote.
news week contacted @rodericks.world for comment.