"The skit -which has more than 20 million views-asks whether it's okay to leave at 5: An employee walks into the boss's office. "I'm heading out," she informs him. "Wow-5 p.m. right on the dot. I just love your work-life balance," he responds sarcastically. "The workday ends at 5," she, very fairly, points out."
"Some stood by the fact that they will work the hours they are paid to work, not a minute longer. "If I'm prepped and ready to work at 8 I'm prepped and ready to leave at 5," one wrote. "Go to the bathroom from 4:30-5. Then go home," another suggested. "I'm in my car at 4:56," another added."
"In many workplaces, though, staying put at your desk past 5 p.m. or until your boss has packed up and left is the unspoken rule. "I always believed you show up 10 mins before you start and leave 10 mins after you time is done," one commenter wrote. "If you're paid until 5, you work until 5. It takes a few minutes to gather your things," another added."
A viral TikTok skit questions whether it is acceptable to leave work at 5 p.m., portraying an employee telling her boss she is heading out and the boss responding sarcastically. Viewers debated leaving exactly at 5, drifting out between 5 and 6, or staying late to signal commitment. Some commenters insisted on working only the hours they are paid for, offering tactics to depart promptly, while others described unspoken workplace norms to arrive early and linger after 5. Checking in with a boss can signal transparency but can enable toxic managers, encourage fawning for approval, or promote presenteeism that harms workers.
Read at Fast Company
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]