Even if you’ve never been fired yourself, you’ve likely seen it happen to your share of acquaintances over the years.
It’s been a saddening experience every time I’ve been around for someone’s sudden departure, but how justified that firing is depends a lot on the context surrounding it.
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If an employee is terrible enough, it can almost feel satisfying when they’re shown the door. But it’s just as likely to see a great worker fall on the wrong side of a nonsensical policy or a vindictive manager and it’s hard not to want to walk out the door with them when those situations arise.
But somewhere in between these extremes, we can find ourselves understanding why someone was fired but still appreciating why they did the things that put them in that position . And it’s hard not to feel that way after one Seattle man’s unique stunt.
By March 7, Chibuzor Ejimofor was growing deeply frustrated with his living situation.
As he told Insider, he was finding it increasingly hard to afford his apartment due to a combination of student loan obligations and the fact that his rent had recently increased from $1,300 a month to $1,500 per month.
And since he didn’t feel his salary as a construction project manager at the engineering firm Arcadis was likely to increase, he spontaneously got the idea to move into his cubicle.
He showed the process of moving in via this time-lapsed video posted to TikTok on the following day.
As he said, “As a matter of protest, I am just going to live at my job, and we’ll see how long I can get away with this.”
Since most of his coworkers were working from home, the office was practically empty. This meant he was able to stuff all of his belongings into two suitcases, four boxes, two backpacks, and some duffle bags and bring them in without anyone noticing.
And since his decision and the cozy setup he made for himself resulted in quite the spectacle, it wasn’t long before his move-in video racked up millions of views.
Unfortunately, this newfound attention would also answer his question of how long he could keep this up earlier than he expected.
Because while his co-workers apparently hadn’t suspected he was living in his cubicle, it only took his bosses about four days to catch wind of what he was doing and make him remove his stuff. Soon after, Ejimofor would be fired.
In his words, “I wish they approached the TikToks differently and maybe had a conversation with me about whether there was something more serious going on in terms of money. But do I understand their response? 100%”
He added, “Honestly though, if I hadn’t posted the videos on TikTok, I think I could have lived in the office for at least six months with no issue.”
As for what he’s doing now, Ejimofor has said he’s planning to step away from “the corporate world” for a while and try to build his own brand from the buzz his videos have earned him.
Failing that, he expressed confidence that he could always find another job.
h/t: Insider
