Laid-off Employees Are Sharing Their Termination Calls on TikTok; Could It Affect Their Careers?

The wave of layoffs is hitting the workforce, and employees are on the edge. Recently there have been instances where the frustrated employees recorded videos of them receiving the final call where their services are being terminated. These videos reveal the emotions of those grief-stricken employees while showing the employer in a bad light. These videos have been doing the rounds recently on social media platforms like TikTok.

#layoffs are trending online

#layoff has been making waves on social media platforms with close to half a billion views on TikTok alone. The beginning of the year was marked by layoffs being announced by tech industry giants like Amazon, and Google, which were then followed by other companies. The layoff experience is meaty content for young professionals who diligently post every happening in their lives on social media. So, we see a lot of GenZ professionals posting these layoff calls in their daily vlogs, and getting thousands of views, thanks to the popular trend of layoffs on social media. One of the main reasons why such content is growing is because most of the people are working virtually. Hence, the termination calls that were earlier held in closed cubicles are now being organized virtually, so they can be easily recorded and broadcast. Such videos generate a lot of support and empathy for the affected employee but in some cases, they can also prove to be risky for their future career aspirations.

The impact of going public with layoff experiences

Recording the layoff calls and broadcasting them to the world serves as an outlet for distressed employees. However, it can also reflect the employee's lack of professionalism and clash with the privacy agreement that the employee has signed with the organization. After all, they are letting out the confidential discussions of the layoff call. What can turn the tables upside down for the employee is that their integrity becomes questionable. Other companies might not consider such an employee for a role in their organization as they hold a history of recording and sharing confidential calls on the web. Hence, employees should think through such situations and handle them with composure and dignity to avoid potentially negative impacts on their future opportunities.

On the other hand, there are groups of people who feel that such videos expose the vices of the corporate world and make companies more accountable to their employees. Both sides of the coin present different arguments, but in general, affected employees should keep in mind the repercussions of their online actions, and hence, act with caution.