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‘Who gains morale from this?’: Viral TikTok mocks ‘Highs & Lows’ icebreaker in work meeting

‘This is why I turn off the camera.’

Photo of Kathleen Wong

Kathleen Wong

Man sucking in mouth holding coffee at table caption 'When you're in the monday 8 AM meeting and you're stuck listening to everyone's 'Highs & Lows' from the weekend'(l) Morning meeting at table workers talking coffee and laptops on table (c) Man head in hand at table caption 'When you're in the monday 8 AM meeting and you're stuck listening to everyone's 'Highs & Lows' from the weekend' (r)

In a viral TikTok, a user complaining about having to do an icebreaker on a work call every Monday morning where people share their “highs and lows from the weekend” is striking a chord with internet users.

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Josh Benson (@joshbensontherapper) posted the TikTok on Monday with the caption: “Can I just go work PLEASE.”

@joshbensontherapper Can I just go work PLEASE #corporate #corporatelife #corporatetiktok #corporateamerica ♬ original sound – Ceara OSullivan

In the clip, Benson is sitting down at a table and pretends to listen to a team call. “When you’re in the Monday 8 AM meeting and you’re stuck listening to everyone’s “Highs & Lows” from the weekend,” the overlay text reads. The TikTok uses a voiceover originally uploaded by another TikTok user who was mocking the practice.

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“My high is that I got some gardening in and my low is knowing that those pesky weeds are going to grow back in,” a woman says.

“My high was watching a movie and my low was eating a bad carrot,” the voiceover continues, the user pretending to be a second co-worker on the call.

As of Tuesday, the TikTok has over 784,900 views and seems to have resonated with many people online.

“I’m just gonna be real honest with y’all. the low is right now. it’s this. in this very moment,” a comment with almost 10,000 likes read.

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“This is why I turn off the camera, hit mute, and literally do anything else,” another wrote.

“My high was that it was the weekend, my low is that it’s Monday,” another commented.

“There are thousands of job openings. No one should have to sit through this torture,” a TikToker commented.

Many people questioned why these icebreakers even exist. “Why do they do this? Who gains morale from this? If you gain morale from this, please explain,” one said.

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Others shared their own icebreakers at work. “I’m onboarding rn and we all went around and said our favorite snack food,” another claimed.

On a more positive note, some said the activity at least takes time away from actually working.

“Honestly I love these meetings because I hate working lmao,” one user joked.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Benson via email for this story.

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