It's a sad fact about modern society: most of us have to work for a living, and most of us will probably be fired or laid off at some point.
In an era in which it often feels like employers are asking more and paying less, there's a phenomenon of performative corporate benevolence: the pizza party, typically given to stave off an employee mutiny.
A new TikTok video shows perhaps the saddest spin on this yet.
The pandemic has had ripple effects on all of society, with workplaces in particular being hit hard. Some businesses have had to close their doors or downsize, which means that many workers have been laid off.
For people who've been asked to do more work than their job description entails, there's an option that allows them to get paid while not working harder than they should: quiet quitting. It's seen as a new phenomenon, although the concept of 'work to rule' has been around forever.
"Fun" workplaces have made it a thing to provide a bunch of free food to their employees periodically. Most folks would rather get a raise, but these pizza parties and free boxes of donuts are a cheap way for employers to keep the faith with their workers.
It sounds good, until you read the caption. The video, posted by TikToker @grizzalmighty_, shows employees listlessly digging through the catered lunch as they process the news that they've all been laid off.
Maybe it's the context of the video, maybe it's the general vibe, and maybe it's the fact that you can literally hear someone crying about losing their job, but this BBQ lunch didn't appear to be the morale booster the bosses were probably hoping for.
It's hard to know what the thought process here was. But even though the BBQ isn't raising anyone's spirits, no one's going home, either. Maybe it made the bad news just a little bit more bearable.
We're supposed to find a job that we love, but when jobs ask so much, make it hard to succeed, and then lay employees off without warning, it's really hard not to be cynical about the whole thing.
Judging by these comments, a final meal is sometimes offered to laid off employees, in the same way that a final meal is offered to condemned prisoners on death row. I guess it's kind of a nice gesture.
It's only eight seconds long, but it punches above its weight when you factor in the human sadness it contains. Let us know what you think of the video, and share your layoff stories, in the comments section.
