Credits: Social Media
Boss slams new employee for refusing to come in to work 1-hour early because of gym class
A disgruntled boss prompted an international debate after writing into a popular podcast to complain about her Gen-Z employee.
Thousands of TikTok users spent the past weekend trading blows over comments made by an anonymous boss who blasted a new employee for prioritizing a gym class over an important meeting. While some social media users took the opportunity to criticize members of the Gen-Z generation, thousands of people stood in solidarity with the maligned employee.
Boss writes to Demoted Podcast to criticize Gen-Z employee
The Demoted Podcast is hosted by two popular internet figures, Ross Pomerantz and Natalie Marie, (aka Corporate Natalie), both of whom are known for their viral skits poking fun at modern-day corporate life.
And the web series went viral this past weekend when Natalie read out a letter from an anonymous listener, in which the listener decried an employee of theirs for choosing to attend a gym class over a meeting that was taking place an hour before they were scheduled to work.
The listener explained that her employee was a recent hire and a member of the Gen-Z generation, meaning they were likely born around the turn of the millennium. The Gen-Z employee had been asked to come in for an 8am meeting and is said to have responded “Ugh sorry, I can’t make it. I have a workout class”.
Natalie and Pomerantz proceeded to slam the employee, trading expletives as they agreed that the young worker’s decision to pick the gym over the meeting had made them “viscerally angry”.
Fake reaction goes viral on TikTok
The Demoted clip went viral after it was stitched by fitness TikToker Alexandre Evidente, who acted as though he was the employee in question.
In a 60-second rant that has amassed over 30 million views in three days, Evidente, known as Trekfit on TikTok, slated Natalie for her comments – claiming that he had made his external commitments “very clear to HR” and that she would not be seeing him any later than 9am.
Though Evidente later admitted it was a sketch and not intended to be taken seriously, the viral video still led to a passionate debate about standing up for yourself in the workplace.
Evidente’s comments were generally very well received by the large audience, with one popular comment reading: “Good on Gen Z for putting their mental health first.”
Some users did stick up for Natalie and the disgruntled boss, however, as one user wrote: “You know, I get it employers should respect your time out of work, but when youre a new hire, you gotta be able to change your schedule up on a dime.”
You can watch Evidente’s stitch here, though please be warned that the first 15 seconds of the video contain expletive language.
Corporate Natalie clears up the situation
Corporate Natalie was forced to clarify the situation on the Demoted podcast TikTok page.
While she acknowledged and apologized for the fact that she and Pomerantz had failed to provide the proper context in the clip, she quickly asserted that she was not the boss in the scenario, nor did she know the employee.
Natalie went on to stress that the employee in question was in a salaried position and that anyone working per hour or on a shift-by-shift basis who is not being paid to work before 9am “does not need to work before 9am” under any circumstances.
