A man has shared red flags to look out for that could indicate that your boss is planning to sack you.
Ben Sweeny works in tech but is also a popular comedian who frequently goes viral with his sketches and parodies on TikTok, where he has 43,000 followers.
He likes to share advice about corporate workspaces and a recent video, which has over five million views, has left social media users stunned.
In the clip(@corporate .sween), Ben shares several tips including why it’s important to build a good relationship with your manager and why you should never sign a performance improvement plan (PIP).
“I make the videos in an aim to poke fun at and expose the irony and hypocrisy of the corporate world,” Ben, from Brooklyn, New York, told Absolutely Business
“I wanted to illustrate the phoniness of middle managers combined with the massive layoffs that are currently stampeding the workforce.
“I’ve been working in the corporate world for about eight years and I’ve worked for a wide variety of managers that serve as inspiration for my videos.
“On a lighter note… enjoy the ride. “You only get one life, if you’re miserable with your job or manager, do your best to not justify staying.
“Move on, be happy, live life with no hatred in your heart.”
RED FLAG NO 1: TRACKING YOUR EVERY MOVE
If you’re used to working independently but suddenly get asked to report back on every little detail, Ben says this could be a sign that something is amiss.
He said: “If your manager starts to require you to track and report back every little detail of your day, it doesn’t automatically mean you are going to get fired.
“However, it does automatically mean you have a weak manager.
“Having a manager like this means you’re most likely not going to have a good time or advance your career.
“So my stern advice for anyone who is experiencing what my video is showing is to find a new manager or new company as quickly and quietly as you can.”
As an example, in the viral video, Ben does a comedic sketch while dressed as a manager in a smart shirt.
He says: “By the way, I’m going to share a document with you that I need you to start filling out on a weekly basis in detail.
“It is essentially an activity tracker so it just tells me exactly what you’re focused on Monday through Friday, hour-by-hour.”
RED FLAG NO. 2: DON’T SIGN, DON’T QUIT
If you’re asked to sign a performance plan in the corporate world, Ben recommends not to do so.
And he also says it’s better to be fired than quit.
He added: “On a serious note, never sign a PIP and never quit.
“Make them fire you if need be. “Stand up for yourself.
“Never let a spineless corporation weaken your own backbone.”
Although he has shared just two tips, Ben’s video has seen a huge response with over 344,000 likes and thousands of comments.
One person said: “I am 1000% convinced quiet firing is happening regularly in many places.” [sic] Someone else added:
“This is verbatim what my old boss did. Hope she’s not doing well.”
Another person said: “For anyone watching who doesn’t know, this is not good leadership.
Employees should be given feedback on performance regularly before it gets to this.”
Mikaela said: “Don’t forget the part where they have you train someone else how to do your job but are vague about why.”
“I did this and they found out not only was I doing my work, I was doing my bosses work too, bye boss,” added Kristen.
[sic] “I’m just now processing why they made me do that,” wrote another user.
“Quiet PIP’ing, omg,” said Hana. [sic] “That’s how I knew I was about to be laid off when I got that doc,” added Kara. [sic]