A TikToker has joked about being asked to wear a mask during their meetings because one of his colleagues has “a fear of unmasked people” - but the meetings are via Zoom, and the employees are working remotely.
Satirical TikTok creator zactokz shared his “manager’s” bizarre request with his 25,000 followers.
Since it was uploaded on New Year’s Eve, the comedic clip has garnered almost 900,000 views.
In the comments, one viewer - who might have missed the “satire” tagline in the creator’s bio - said “this cannot be real” and asked him to show the email.
Another viewer quipped: “Replies to email: whew, now I can tell you about my crippling fear of meetings and cameras.” The TikToker replied to say: “Exactly! And my fear of being underpaid.”
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“I have a fear of earning a salary less than 1 million on a 20 hour work week. I also have a fear of working on Fridays. Actually, Friday AND Monday,” another joked.
Taking the joke further, he posted a “screenshot” of an “email” from his boss - sent to “me” in his email contacts - in which “she” ask the team to wear masks during the meeting.
The email read: “One of our team members has a fear of unmasked people, and I want to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable. This requirement is effective immediately.”
Hilariously, he went on to share a “response” he sent to his boss, where he claimed that the “colleague” who made the request is medically exempt and doesn’t have to wear one herself.
He wrote: “If she really wants to avoid seeing the team unmasked, she can call into our meetings and attend audio only. She could also close her eyes or cover her screen.”
In the comments, some joked about how he ineffectually scribbled out his fictitious colleague’s name while others creased at his suggestion that she “close her eyes”.
Although it’s satirical, we’re sure HR departments have dealt with more ridiculous requests.