Gen Z are filming themselves being sacked before sharing it on TikTok – here’s why

It’s safe to say some people are getting slightly too personal on social media.

Young people participating in a new TikTok trend have been warned after important career conversations have been shared to the social media site.

TikTok videos under the hashtag ‘layoffs’ have amassed more than 300 million views, with users posting videos of themselves being fired.

The trend, which almost 20,000 people have participated in, often involves young people sharing videos of themselves being laid off from jobs remotely, often in their own homes.

Brittany Pietsch, who was an accountant executive at Cloudflare, posted a video of herself being fired via a Zoom call.

The clip, which has amassed over two million views and is nine minutes long, was called ‘When you know you’re about to get laid off so you film it’, and sees Brittany told she’s ‘failed to meet expectations for performance’ by two HR employees.

She went on to defend her work, reminding the company representatives – whom she had never met – of the positive feedback she had received, demanding more answers as to why she was being laid off.

The comment section was flooded with support for her bold initiative, with many users writing that they wished they had done the same.

Brittany took to LinkedIn to share further details after the video, penning: ‘The most incredible outpouring of support has honestly restored my faith in the corporate world.

‘However, the most common message I’m receiving is how many people have experienced something shockingly similar.

‘Cold, unexplainable firing by people they’ve never met – even after years of loyalty for some.

‘All people saying they wish they would have stood up for themselves as I did.

‘Heartbreaking stories of people’s lives suddenly changing with no explanation and just told to “deal with it”. What??? I’ll never be able to wrap my mind around it. 

‘We as employees are expected to give two weeks notice and yet we don’t deserve even a sliver of respect when the roles are reversed?

I’ve also read some comments about how I’ll never be able to find a job now because I’m a “loose cannon employee”. 

‘I’ll tell you what, any company that wouldn’t want to hire me because I shared a video of how a company fired me or because I asked questions as to why I was being let go is not a company I would ever want to work for anyway.

‘If I don’t stand up for myself… who will?’

However, not everyone is praising Brittany.

Victoria McLean, the founder of City CV has warned against participating in the ‘negative’ fad.

‘I think this trend is reflective of a broader shift towards transparency and authenticity in the digital age.

‘And of the way in which it’s very common these days to share or overshare every aspect of your life. 

‘Social media is all about sharing personal milestones, and I think some young people see hiring and firing as no different – and more than that, I think it’s also reflective of the fact that they feel digital platforms are a place to seek support. 

‘Of course, this can also have a negative impact with a lot of people disagreeing that this kind of thing should be public, and making their opinions known in the comments.’, she remarks.

‘I actually don’t like this trend – I think hiring and firing is very much an employer and employee experience, and you simply can’t tell from one video all the context and backstory that there might be.

‘The person filming the video is going to want to put themselves in the best possible light, after all’.

She warned that if a hiring manager was to look at the social media page of someone who participated in the trend, they could feel put off by the potential candidate.

‘This is a line that I don’t think should be crossed. There should be privacy and discretion in the handling of these types of things. 

‘It’s also a complete breach of trust to be filmed without your consent in any context really, and especially one in which you’re doing your job but could really be painted in a bad light. 

‘Additionally, for employees who are filming firing videos, they may really be shooting themselves in the foot by making public something that they’re contractually obliged not to talk about’.

Gen Z have made headlines recently for other approaches to the corporate world, with a TikTok posted by user ‘trekfit’ going viral for staying he wouldn’t be coming to an 8am meeting because he had a ‘workout class’.

In the video, he went on to explain that the meeting was at 8am, prior to his contracted hours of 9-5. 

The controversial approach has sparked debates on social media, with some arguing that ‘personal time’ shouldn’t interfere with work.

Others have called out the employer, when it came to light that the young worker was only given a day’s notice for the meeting, and would not  be paid extra for the additional hour of his time.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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