A TikToker went viral this week after surreptitiously filming her co-worker asking her to hang out after work—and not letting up once she explains that she does not want to.
User Jacklyn (@jacklynnwoodz69) posted a video of her interaction with a co-worker to TikTok, where it promptly went viral. The video currently has over 1.8 million views.
@jacklynnwoodz69 ♬ original sound – Jacklyn Woodz
The video starts as the interaction is already ongoing.
“I don’t want to hang out outside of work,” Jacklyn tells the man near the beginning of the video.
“Why not?” he responds.
“I don’t feel comfortable hanging out with you,” she responds.
He continues to ask her “why.”
This interaction carries on for over a minute, though Jacklyn later wrote in a comment that she actually cut the video off early, and their conversation continued after the video’s end.
“…I didn’t realize the video stopped,” she wrote. “I [hopped] into my car because he was tryna hug me , I was so scared.”
In the video, the conversation essentially repeats itself: The man says they should see each other outside of work, or offers another reason why they should hang out, Jacklyn refuses, and he persists.
“We’re still gonna be co-workers but not friends,” she tells him.
Exact data is difficult to come by, but a startling number of women report being harassed in the workplace. In an article on the topic, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research references a 2016 study that claimed anywhere from a quarter to 80% of women have experienced harassment in the workplace at some point in their lives, with the number changing based on age, work environment, and a number of other factors.
On TikTok, users took this as a real-life example of why just saying “no” might not be enough to dissuade some people from engaging in such behavior.
“‘Just be nice and tell them you’re not interested,’” one user mockingly quoted. “I hope you men that really say that, watch this and take note.”
Others reminded Jacklyn that she did not need to give the man any more of an answer than “no.”
“No is a complete sentence,” one commenter shared. “No explanation needed.”
“No is an answer,” another user agreed. “You don’t need to explain yourself.”
Jacklyn notes in a later video that the man is actually a security guard at her job. This reveal resulted in some users giving her insight into what steps she may be able to take.
“Contact security company and tell them he makes you uncomfortable and show the videos,” a commenter detailed. “They will either fire him or transfer him.”
“Girl PLEASE notify his superiors and your workplace,” another added. “This stuff escalates. Stay safe, update when you can.”
Above all, viewers respected Jacklyn for being strong and persistent.
“The best thing about all this is that you just straight up straight told the dude the truth and held your ground,” a commenter wrote. “Props to you.”
We’ve reached out to Jacklyn via TikTok comment.
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