When remote work became the norm at the start of the pandemic, workers had dreams of finally feeling a bit less tethered to their offices and jobs.
In some cases, this proved true. Workers reported higher productivity while at home. At the same time, they claimed they had more hours of free time than their in-office colleagues.
As time progressed, however, the darker reality of working remotely set in. Without a physical location tying people to a better work-life balance, workers felt compelled to spend their once-free time continuing to work.
According to a 2020 study by Los Angeles-based staffing firm Robert Half, “nearly 70 percent of professionals who transitioned to remote work because of the pandemic say they now work on the weekends, and 45 percent say they regularly work more hours during the week than they did before,” per SHRM.
Furthermore, Forbes reported in July of 2021 that “nearly half of remote employees are working past midnight during the pandemic, among whom, 22% do so four-plus nights per week,” which the article cites as contributing to a growing feeling of burnout amongst remote workers.
This has led some to quit their remote jobs. Now, a story of an experience has gone viral, quickly amassing over 37,000 views.
In a brief video posted by TikTok user Jonesy (@itsoohsojonesy), she shows a brief conversation between her and her boss. After closing the window, she goes to turn off the computer.
“I’m sorry, but I quit,” the audio overlaying the video says. “This was fun. Have a wonderful life. Love you!”
@itsoohsojonesy Im done! ☺️ #remotejobs #stressedout #lowpayingjobs #rudecoworker #rudecoworkers ♬ original sound – Jonesy
In a follow-up video, Jonesy explains that her job involved booking high-end clients for job interviews. After an incident in which it was clear that neither the client nor her manager were listening to her or taking the other side seriously, she decided to leave the job.
@itsoohsojonesy Replying to @taykayy95 more happened but I needed to squeeze everything into one video ##remotework##stressfulsituation##stressed##lowpay ♬ original sound – Jonesy
After recounting her story, she remembers simply concluding, “’I do not make enough money for this. I’m done.’”
Users shared their own quitting stories in the comment section.
“Yeah my last day was this past friday,” a user shared. “Im cool off HR and remote work lol.”
“Did the same thing about a week ago,” another added. “Computer packed up in the hall closet.”
In the comments, Jonesy responded to a user, saying, “Seriously, remote work is suppose to be less stressful.”
In response, others agreed, though noted that the reality of remote work was much different.
“It’s not! They be tryna be bad behind the computer screen. I’m over it,” a user offered.
“Girl that’s what people say but I Have never been more stressed or had longer hours then I did WFH,” another agreed.
The Daily Dot reached out to Jonesy via email.
