A woman on TikTok says her boss told her to look for other jobs when she asked for reassurance about the security of her current position.
TikToker Mikaela Lindsey (@mikalob_ultra) received over 9,000 views for the video that she posted to the platform on Sept. 23.
@mikalob_ultra Well that backfired. Stay tuned. #techlayoffs #recruiter #recruiting #siliconvalley #sendhelp #careeradvice #wfh #hiring ♬ original sound – Mikaela Foster
In the video, Lindsey says she was “super stressed out at work” and couldn’t shake the feeling she was going to get laid off any second. She explains she’s a recruiter who works in the tech industry and that “it’s just a really weird time to be a recruiter in tech.”
Lindsey said in the comments section that it’s a “weird time” because of the “status of the economy.” She said “tech has been getting hit all year” and that employers are nervous because the market seems to be heading toward a recession. A Bloomberg report from Sept. 13 also noted the post-pandemic hiring boom is dying down and that companies are scaling back on adding new workers. The report singles out “business services, tech, banking, and real estate” as sectors that will be most affected by the market slowdown.
Everyone has off days at their jobs when it’s easy to jump to conclusions and fear the worst, but, in this case, Lindsey’s gut was right. After the feeling that she was going to lose her job didn’t go away, Lindsey says that she had a one-on-one meeting with her boss.
Normally, Lindsey says she would have just told her boss that everything was great at her job. Because of the nagging feeling she had felt for so long, she says she wanted to put her cards on the table. “I decided to just be super like open and honest with her and, like, tell her that I’m freaking out, hoping that she would like just tell me that I’m crazy and that I have nothing to worry about,” Lindsey says.
Unfortunately for Lindsey, her boss didn’t give her the reassurance that she was looking for with regards to her job security. “You know what she said to me?” Lindsey asks viewers. “She said it might be a good idea to start applying to new jobs.” The TikToker ends her video with a silent thumbs up.
Lindsey says she luckily already started to work on her resume in preparation to find a new job before her boss said anything to her.
Viewers hopped in the comments to share their feelings about how the incident played out and to assure Lindsey that although her situation wasn’t ideal, it’s unfortunately pretty common.
One user said about their own job loss experience, “This was me three weeks ago. I had a feeling for two weeks and it happened the day after I thought it would.” Lindsey responded to the comment in solidarity, saying, “Ugh the worst. Wishing you a smooth and easy job search.”
“Well, now you know you’re not crazy at least,” another said, referring to the fact that Lindsey’s boss confirmed her job fears. Lindsey responded, saying, “The silver lining,” along with a laughing emoji.
Others reassured Lindsey that she would land on her feet despite this hiccup in her career. “You will find a place that values you even in these slow times! Good luck and much love,” one user said. “Oh man what a scary feeling! You got this! Jobs come and go,” another said.
A large number of the comments praised Lindsey’s boss for being so candid. “I would appreciate the honesty,” one user said. “She’s a real one,” another said. Lindsey called her boss “the best” in her reply and said that her manager was one of the reasons leaving the current job would be so hard.
Another user called the higher-up’s actions “honorable,” as it gave Lindsey the time to “properly plan and go at the job search full force.” Lindsey wholeheartedly agreed and said, “She’s been the best manager.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Lindsey via TikTok comment.
