A woman went viral on TikTok after explaining why she believed she was going to get laid-off from her job the following day.
Jess (@shesintimidating), who shares budgeting and finance advice on her platform, recorded the nearly 4-minute video both from her car and inside her home. As of Tuesday, her clip had over 1.3 million views.
“I’m pretty sure I’m getting laid off tomorrow at 10am,” she told viewers. After buying a six-pack of Modelos, she shared a storytime explaining why.
While at work, Jess said, she and her co-workers received a company-wide email saying that there would be a mandatory meeting the following day.
“It essentially just says… ‘Don’t be late. Don’t miss it. And if you plan on going out and working that day, don’t plan on that, either,’” Jess recalled. Given the lack of context, Jess assumed the worst. But to make matters worse, her boss wasn’t answering phone calls or emails asking for clarity.
Jess said she was especially frustrated because she “just bought a house 28 days ago.” She also said she moved for this particular job, which requires her to live in West Texas. She doesn’t specify what this job is and did not respond to a request for comment.
While recording, Jess told viewers that she’s already started “the grieving process” to cheer herself up. That included drinking the beers, picking up a Frosty dessert from Wendy’s, and buying lottery tickets and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
“So much for my debt [being paid] off,” she said. “I have to put that on a pause immediately if I don’t have consistent income like that.”
@shesintimidating Stay tuned to see if im still employed in 13 hours🥲🥲🥲🥲 #layoffs #teams #meetings #masslayoffs #9to5 #coporatelife #corporateamerica #laidoff #fired #sales ♬ original sound – Jess🫶🏽 | Budgeting & Finance
Jess clarified that her side-gig as a content creator allows for some flexibility, but that the whole ordeal still “stresses [her] out.”
“I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight,” she said. “That’s really cool.” The content creator added that her long-term savings is “not where I need it to be” and questioned whether she’d qualify for unemployment. The video ended shortly after.
Then, in a follow-up post, Jess gave an update regarding the layoffs. In short, she and her co-workers were divided into two groups: One group, of roughly 70 people, got laid off. The other group—which Jess is apart of—got to keep their jobs, at least in the short-term.
“This is the first initial wave of layoffs, so I don’t know when they’re going to do another one,” she said. “I’m not 100% sure that they are.”
After the meeting ended, Jess said she was told to resume working as normal, but couldn’t bring herself to. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I just bought a house,” she said. “For sure, I’m still relieved that I’m still employed, but how do I know I’m not going to be in the next group?”
@shesintimidating Replying to @BlackRose🥀 it was definitely layoffs but i am safe right now. I couldnt include the actual video of the call bevause there was a lot of company information on it but just know I am still employed for right now! #layoffs #sales #companylayoffs #downsizing #masslayoffs #fired #corporateamerica #9to5 ♬ original sound – Jess🫶🏽 | Budgeting & Finance
Her instincts were not off. And in the internet age, layoffs have become particularly callous and difficult to manage for workers and bosses alike. A boss recently laid off the entire company via video call. Another worker caught her boss listing her job online after she was laid off. Another worker says she was laid off after her superiors promised her she’d be retained. Layoffs are communicated via DM fail too, inadvertently.
Given the uncertainty regarding her position and the upcoming layoffs, viewers encouraged her to start looking for other gigs immediately.
“Definitely update your resume and start looking for something great,” one user encouraged.
“Don’t wait around find a new job ASAP,” another said.
“You definitely need to start looking for something else,” a third person advised. “You never know when the next wave will hit.”
To this comment, Jess responded: “Yes I agree!”
