Amid the ongoing job economy insecurity, a TikTok video went viral, shedding light on a clash between a worker and their supervisor over paid time off (PTO).
The video was posted by Graeson McGaha (@graeson.mcgaha.comedy) on April 26 and quickly spread on the video-sharing platform, accumulating over 1.6 million views.
In the video, Graeson recorded himself venting about a “tiff” he had with his supervisor that led to him being called to the Human Resources (HR) office. According to Graeson, the pair argued over his PTO request, with the supervisor reportedly issuing a warning by alluding to a bad economy and saying the TikToker is lucky to have the job.
@graeson.mcgaha.comedy I was called into HR today about my PTO request #workhumor #ptorequest #work #corporate #corporatetiktok ♬ original sound – Graeson Mcgaha Comedy
“See, he thought six months ago when I put in the request that I was asking to go to my sister’s wedding. No. PTO stands for ‘prepare the others’ because I will not be here that day,” Graeson remarked adamantly.
The TikToker also responded to the warning, rejecting the notion that he could easily be replaced. He said, “I’ve seen the new crop of people that are coming in. The ones that work for two days and then no call, no show. Seems to me like I’m not the lucky one in this situation.”
In the comments section of the video, users shared the same sentiment of the TikToker, arguing that putting in PTO is not a request but a heads’ up. Denying the request would be enough for one TikToker to leave their job. “If I request off and the boss says no, I’m going on the trip and just not coming back,” they said.
“I’m going to start using this ‘prepare the others because I will not be here’”, a second user wrote.
“It’s funny how PTO is an incentive and they try to not let us use it lmao,” a third commenter remarked.
Graeson clarified in the comments section that he eventually did leave that job and now has one that he loves. He just recently posted the “older video” to TikTok.
The Daily Dot reached out to Graeson via Instagram direct message for comment.
