Influencer Terrell Wade (@thewadeempire) posted a viral clip to TikTok in which he claimed to take a 2-hour lunch break after his boss held an hour-long meeting that could have been an email.
The influencer, who’s known for his office-themed comedy, films himself eating a Jimmy John’s sandwich in his car as he props his cell phone up on the steering wheel.
@thewadeempire Am I wrong for this?! @KrianBearney 🙌🏾 #lunchbreak #worstbossever #workhumor #9to5life ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
“When your boss makes you join an hour meeting that could have been an email so you take a 2 hr lunch that could have been 15 minutes,” reads the text overlay on the short clip.
This isn’t the first time a TikToker has taken a long lunch break to retaliate against unnecessarily long work meetings. Even some of today’s most successful entrepreneurs have an aversion to meetings, according to this CNBC report, which calls at-work get togethers a “productivity killer.”
Elon Musk even penned a company-wide email to Tesla employees about excessive meetings being a “blight.” Mark Cuban has also gone on record to say he does not attend meetings unless it’s to pick up a check.
And many on TikTok would agree. Terrell’s video has garnered over 597,000 views as of this writing, resonating with a number of viewers who shared their thoughts on the matter in the comment section.
One commenter agreed with the TikToker’s decision to take an extended lunch break, writing, “We’ll respect their time when they respect ours.”
“My longest lunches are always on these days!! Just puts me in a better mood,” admitted another.
Someone even joked, “They are lucky I come back from lunch tbh.”
A few people responded by sharing their own experiences of being forced to sit through long and unnecessary meetings.
One vented, “That’s lucky. I was in an all day meeting that could have been an email!!!”
Another, who wasn’t able to take a long lunch break, suggested an alternative way to retaliate. “My boss once forced me to be in a 4.5 hour meeting “just in case” so I literally watched a movie at my desk the next day. This is my vibe.”
If you’re a manager who schedules a lot of meetings, the web-conferencing platform Livestorm offers six telltale signs that mean a work meeting could have been an email. Asking a simple question that only pertains to one or two people at work? Don’t make a meeting out of it. Is there some type of general announcement that doesn’t require actionable items to be hashed out in real time? Email. Feedback on an idea for a project? The outlet also suggests that’s probably best handled via email.
But there was one person who disagreed with Terrell retaliating against meetings with a long lunch break. They wrote that they didn’t mind unnecessary meetings as it gave them the perfect opportunity to goof off at work. “Naw I like meetings cause it’s just an hour I don’t have to do any work.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Terrell via Instagram direct message for further comment.
