Emily Duprie
TikTok user Evan (elazie1), went viral after sharing live video footage of him being laid off remotely via Zoom call. His three-part video series shed light on the subject of employee/employer dynamics in the U.S.A.’s current employee relationship management field.
Many viewers were upset with the way he was so bluntly fired from his position, especially so close to the holidays. The video started off with Evan cracking a joke to ease the tension, but it only made things more awkward. He teases, “What’s this meeting about? My promotion?”
In the video, the employer broke the news in a very formal way, saying “In an effort to reduce costs, we are restructuring our business, and that has resulted in the elimination of a number of positions in the marketing team,” explains the man on the call. “Unfortunately, your position has been impacted.”
The original viral TikTok of the virtual termination between @elazie1 and two other people racked up over 9.6 million views.
https://www.tiktok.com/@elazie1/video/7181518540879449387
“You’ll be paid until December 23rd” the man continues as the meeting goes on. He continues, “and you’ll not be asked to work beyond tomorrow. So, sad night, you know, from our HR team.” The HR representative then concluded, “So we’ll walk you through the details of our severance package.” To which Evan responds, “Okay, awesome.”
In the comment section, many users chastised the pair for their insincere handling of the firing.
After receiving a ton of support and feedback, Evan posted two more TikToks as a follow-up to his Zoom termination video. In the first, he noted that he was aware the meeting was about him being let go. He said he filmed the video and posted it and was now feeling like “the ‘Paul Revere of the recession.'” He followed that bold claim by exclaiming in the video:
“The recession is coming! The recession is coming!”
https://www.tiktok.com/@elazie1/video/7181830859316661546
In his third segment of his videos, Evan (Paul Revere of the recession) explained how he sympathized with the HR representatives who dropped him. He says that after his original video ended and they explained his severance package of 4 weeks to him, he told him “I actually feel really bad for you guys cuz I know how hard it is to let people go and I just wanna say you guys are troopers and keep up the good work!”
Wanting to make it clear that there was no ill will between Evan and his now-former employers, he posted a “part 2” to his viral Zoom video of him being laid off. “I guess being an empath does have its faults,” he concludes.
https://www.tiktok.com/@elazie1/video/7181834602921676074
Despite Evan’s silver-lining attitude, viewers commented on their disdain for large corporate companies. They spoke on how sudden firings like these highlight a double standard between employers and employees—namely, that employees are expected to give notice of quitting, while employers can often let workers go suddenly and without prior warning.
Many commenters commended Evan for his compassion and composure when faced with such a difficult situation.
