A girl named Sydney Littlefield posted a video to TikTok describing an encounter she had at her company job that left her feeling dumbfounded and had a whole lot of individuals roasting her boss within the feedback.
Anybody who’s ever labored a job as a part of a workforce can attest to there being some type of etiquette, however Littlefield’s boss appears to be taking it a bit of overboard with the request that that they had for her on her third day on the job.
Her boss informed her she couldn’t be on her cellphone at work, even throughout her break.
Within the TikTok video posted two days in the past on March 27, 2023, which acquired over 559,000 views, Littlefield explains that that is “an precise dialog I had on like [the] third day of my first ever company job. I didn’t know any higher.”
“Hey Sydney, may you come right here please,” she says, donning the solar hat she used as a prop to indicate when she was mimicking her boss. “Yeah I simply obtained off my lunch break, what’s up?” she asks, this time as herself.
Her boss says that that’s “precisely” the issue, that they noticed her on her lunch break and had one thing to say about it. They stated, “Yeah I couldn’t assist however discover that you just have been in your cellphone for about 15 straight minutes.”
Labor legal guidelines range state by state, nevertheless it’s basic apply that employers are unable to dictate what you do throughout your break interval. In response to Matthew & George Attorneys at Legislation in Los Angeles, “Employers have some management over when staff take their breaks, however they can not management what they do throughout breaks.”
The Division of Labor states, “The worker have to be fully relieved from obligation for the aim of consuming common meals. The worker isn’t relieved if he/she is required to carry out any duties, whether or not energetic or inactive whereas consuming.
Confused by what her boss was attempting to get at, Littlefield proceed to clarify herself. “Yeah, I used to be on my lunch break — my 30-minute lunch break. I ate after which I checked my e mail [and] my cellphone, texted my mother, and now I’m right here.”
Her boss stated ‘don’t be in your cellphone in any respect’ throughout the day, at any level.
“Yeah, I simply wish to let you recognize it’s actually not look to be in your cellphone for thus lengthy,” her boss informed her. Understandably confused, Littlefield defined that this was the primary time in 5 hours that she had checked her cellphone and he or she had been on it for about 10 minutes.
“What I’m telling you is we don’t need telephones within the office,” her boss stated. When Littlefield responded that she was really not within the office, her boss doubled down and stated, “once more, don’t be in your cellphone in any respect at any level throughout the day.”
To her amazement, her boss ended the dialog quick as they scrambled to search for their cellphone and stated “oh maintain on a second I’ve a textual content coming in.”
In response to Moshes Legislation in New York, “an employer does have the fitting to restrict or prohibit an worker of non-public cellphone utilization throughout firm time and hours.” Nonetheless, they make word that this coverage must be utilized “universally to all staff,” and if it isn’t, then it may very well be decided that unlawful discrimination is going down.
One of many prime feedback on Littlefield’s put up joke that the textual content coming into her boss’s cellphone was “hello that is Sydney. I stop.” Another person joked that she ought to have simply grabbed her cellphone and walked away, however many have been important of the boss’s request.
In spite of everything, they will’t dictate what she decides to do throughout her lunch break.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on leisure and information, social justice, and politics. Sustain together with his rants about present occasions on his Twitter.
