A corporate worker shared his biggest work survival skill on TikTok, but his advice seemed controversial to some viewers.
TikTok user Ben (@benadk89) shared the advice by stitching another viral TikToker (@amirahgivesadvice), who asked viewers to share a corporate survival skill they wished they had known sooner.
“Do not go out for drinks with your peers, do not hang out with your peers socially, do not go out to happy hours,” Ben says in his video. “Go to work, go home.”
@benadk89 #stitch with @amirahgivesadvice ♬ original sound – Ben A. CSM & CSPO
As of Monday, his video garnered about 293,000 views on TikTok. Some viewers adamantly agreed with the TikToker and shared additional advice regarding co-workers.
“YES! This took me so long to figure out but it’s so true. I found they respected my time away from the office so much more,” one viewer commented.
“Never tell them what you do during you time-off! Never give any recaps of your vacations or fun life events,” a second viewer commented.
A third wrote, “Don’t tell them nothing personal. I promise you it will be useful to them once they become upset.”
“Keep your worlds separate,” another added. “Been doing this since I learned the hard way back in 2001. Work stays as work.”
Multiple viewers also warned against adding co-workers on social media other than LinkedIn. Some said they’ve learned that co-workers are not their friends.
“Coworkers are NOT your friendsssss,” one user said.
Another user wrote, “‘The Office’ made us believe we could be friends with coworkers.”
Some viewers disagreed, though, saying it’s sometimes necessary to make friends at work in order to get promoted in the corporate world.
“How do you get promoted then? All big bosses do dinners, happy hour and events,” one TikToker asked.
“Unfortunately for some, playing the corporate game involves going to these. If you don’t you’ll find yourself suddenly excluded from projects/meetings,” another TikToker said.
One TikToker commented, “I’m not exactly sure about this one …this all depends if your trying to move up in your company etc … if your not then fine yea.”
The Daily Dot reached out to the creator via TikTok comment.
