A manager's reaction to an injured employee is sparking outrage online after a viral TikTok exposed the shockingly cold response. Most people expect at least a little empathy when dealing with a crisis, but for one worker, that was not the case. Internet personality Ben Askins (@ben.askins) shared the story, highlighting just how toxic some workplace cultures can be.
Placing deadlines above basic human decency, the boss in question seemed far more worried about an upcoming pitch than the well-being of their employee. The text exchange, revealed in the TikTok, shows just how dismissive they were. Instead of checking on their injured worker, the manager immediately asked when she would be back at work.
Sressed-out employeeRepresentative photo by Vasilis Caravitis | Unsplash
The conversation started when the manager noticed their employee, Stacey, was absent. “Where is Stacey? I haven’t seen her today and she isn’t responding to my messages,” they asked. A co-worker quickly filled them in, explaining that Stacey had been hit by a car and taken to the hospital.
A reasonable response would have been concern or even shock—but this boss had other priorities. Instead, they immediately followed up with, “When will she be back? We have a pitch this afternoon, and she’s supposed to be presenting.”
Stunned, the co-worker tried to de-escalate the situation. “I doubt she’ll be back today, but I have her deck and the notes, so I should be able to step in for her if that’s okay?” they offered.
Rather than accept this reasonable solution, the manager doubled down, describing Stacey’s accident as “the last thing” they needed. They even suggested the co-worker stay in touch with Stacey and see if she could still make it in to present.
Despite the absurdity of the request, the employee remained professional, shutting it down as gently as possible. “I don’t think we should be bothering them, but I promise you I can cover for her if it comes down to it,” they replied. Finally, the boss relented—though not without making it clear that this was a “worst case scenario.”
The exchange left Askins completely baffled. In his TikTok, he called out the manager’s lack of basic human decency. “On a basic human level, you have to start with, ‘Oh my god, is she okay?’” he pointed out.
The video struck a nerve online, with many commenters sharing their own horror stories of inconsiderate bosses. @hakuroww recalled, “My colleague’s house burned down during our night shift, and he left immediately after his neighbor called. Our boss gave him a month of paid leave to rebuild his life.”
Another user, @sithlord.wanna.be, pointed out how poorly the situation was handled, writing, “In the worst-case scenario, the boss would need to deliver the presentation because the entire team had left.”
Empty officeRepresentative photo by Sergei Wing | Unsplash
Workplace toxicity is nothing new, but this incident was a stark reminder of how deeply ingrained these attitudes can be. A good boss knows that employees aren’t just resources—they’re human beings. Hopefully, viral stories like this one will encourage more companies to reevaluate how they treat their teams.
For more workplace insights and commentary, you can follow Ben Askins (@ben.askins) on TikTok.
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