Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@saraisthreads
Topics: TikTok, Viral, Social Media, World News
Tom Fenton
Topics: TikTok, Viral, Social Media, World News
Millennial workers are being urged to 'act their wage' in a new viral TikTok, which begins with setting boundaries in the workplace.
According to content creator Sarai Soto (who goes by @saraisthreads on TikTok), completing tasks outside of office hours and being available while on vacation should be politely declined by staff who are working minimum wage jobs.
In a series of now-viral TikTok videos, she introduces the audience to boss 'Susan' and employee 'Veronica'.
With the caption on one of the videos reading 'POV: Veronica acting her wage', we see a series of interactions between the two characters during a 'normal' work day.
In one instance, Veronica is asked to complete some work at home after her shift is over. "Respectfully, Susan, I'd rather spend time with my family," she replies. Then, she declines a 6.30pm Zoom meeting, stating: 'It's outside of her working hours.'
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With her original video attracting more than 2.2 million likes, it's certainly found its intended audience on the platform.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, the 30-year-old TikToker detailed the important points her videos were trying to get across.
Soto said: "People just really feel seen, they feel heard, they feel like someone's standing up for them."
"I can't tell you how many messages I receive of people being like, okay, I know your content is funny and provides this comedic relief, but I'm telling you, although it's exaggerated, I've been through those exact same scenarios."
Echoing the opinion of many people who have had to work minimum wage jobs at some point in their life, Soto said her fundamental issue is with companies who implore low-wage workers to 'go the extra mile'.
She added: "If a company is paying you, let's say minimum wage, you're gonna put in minimum effort.
"If you're acting your wage, that means that the amount of labor that you're putting in reflects the amount that you're getting paid. So you're not going to go above and beyond and do the job of two to three people and do all this extra work if you're really not even making a livable wage."
Soto also spoke about the new trend of 'quiet quitting', where employees only complete the work they are paid to do – and no more.
"It just simply means make sure that you go to work and you set those boundaries when you feel burnt out," she said.
Soto's video comes at a time of great upheaval in the workplace, as Covid-enforced changes have helped normalise remote working, and employees completing tasks in their own time.
The so-called 'Great Resignation' in the US, which refers to millions of low-wage employees leaving their roles due to the demands placed on them, will also potentially help readdress the employee/employer imbalance.
Meanwhile, in the UK, 30 companies are currently partaking in the four-day work week trial.
Commencing at the beginning of this year, it could be the first step towards normalising a four-day work week for nearly all UK office workers, provided productivity doesn't suffer.
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