A TikToker’s advice to people who frequently have personal emergencies that impact their work life is resonating with viewers on the platform, many of whom have coworkers like this or manage employees with these habits.
Posted by user Morgan (@morganwithpolish), a content creator who makes videos intended to benefit young professionals, the video shows her asking the viewer if they are an employee that “something is always happening to.”
@morganwithpolish Hard truth: Emergencies don’t consistently happen 4 days a week. 😔#motivation #hardtruth #success #girlboss #hrtiktok #repost ♬ original sound – Morgan
“Does your roommate always get locked out of their house so you have to go and run?” she says in the video. “Does your babysitter always cancel on you so you have to leave work early? Are you someone whose car broke down every time you were on the way to work, or multiple times? You may have amazing excuses for why something is happening, but it stunts your professional growth when you always have a mishap and you always have something going on.”
She encouraged viewers to ensure they are doing their own part to keep things together to maintain their professional momentum.
“Do your best to organize your external life, and I’m not saying that you have to have it all together, because I know some people are going to be like, ‘but we’re still humans,’” she says. “I know you’re human, that’s why this is for people that care about their job and wanna go far. Figure out how to get your shit together so that you are not that person that always has a problem.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Morgan via Instagram direct message regarding the video.
Some viewers agreed with her view, sharing experiences of coworkers who frequently had to leave for a variety of reasons.
“I have a co-worker like this,” one commenter wrote. “Always calling out, always an ’emergency’. No one likes her as she’s so unreliable.”
“Oof my manager’s babysitter is always catching Covid or canceling and the kids are always sick,” another user said. “But he’s really good at schmoozing.”
“Holy shit,” a third added. “When I became a manager I learned how crazy this was. It’s always the same ppl. I see their name pop up on my phone and I’m like ‘what now.’”
Other viewers who work in management positions described the video as good advice for young professionals.
“Before I became a manager, I didn’t realize how out of hand this gets,” one commenter wrote. “Being resourceful is def a requirement.”
“agreed, if you keep it together, when legit things happen it won’t seem so frequent and you won’t present as unreliable,” another commented.
“Yes ma’am,” a further user shared. “TY. Ppl think we don’t have compassion but that’s not it. No one should have that many emergencies in a week.”