The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

Man reveals he was fired after he briefly moved into office cubicle to protest not being ‘paid enough’

‘It was fun while it lasted’

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Wednesday 16 March 2022 21:06 GMT
Comments
<p>Man fired after briefly moving into office cubicle </p>

Man fired after briefly moving into office cubicle

A man has revealed he has been fired from his job after he moved into his work cubicle because he claimed he was not “paid enough” to work in an office and pay for an apartment.

Simon Jackson, who goes by the username @calm.simon on TikTok, first announced his intention to live in his office cubicle in a video posted to the app on 8 March.

In the video, Jackson, who was wearing just a pair of pants, could be seen moving his belongings from a number of bags into the small office space.

“This is me taking all of my belongings from multiple bags and unpacking them. I’m moving from my apartment into my cubicle at work. They do not pay me enough to do both, so, as a matter of protest, I am just going to live at my job,” Jackson said, adding: “We’ll see how long I can get away with this.”

Jackson’s original video was viewed more than 12.7m times, with viewers invested in the story.

“This is gonna be a mess and I’m here for it,” one person commented, while another said: “I’m along for the ride.”

After the original video, Jackson continued to update TikTok users about his living situation, with a video posted a week ago of “day three” showing the TikToker had created places for his candy stash and moved all of his books into a bookshelf in the office cubicle. Jackson also repurposed a work filing cabinet as a closet, with the TikTok showing him opening drawers to show his various folded clothes.

Jackson then proceeded to show his sleep tracker, noting that he had been sleeping quite well since moving into his workplace on Monday.

In another video, the TikToker showed viewers his sleeping set-up, which saw him spending the night in a sleeping bag underneath a desk that had been covered with a blanket.

According to Jackson, he was able to sleep in the cubicle, and walk around the office without a shirt on, because only a few people came in each day because of the ongoing pandemic.

Unfortunately for Jackson, his living situation came to an end on day four, which he noted happened “a lot sooner” than he’d thought. In a video posted last week, Jackson shared a screenshot of an email he received from his company’s human resources department, in which it instructed him to remove the social media videos he’d posted.

The email reiterated a conversation that had taken place in which Jackson had reportedly been told to remove all videos “claiming that you live at work,” as the HR department noted “this content is not appropriate”.

“I just got evicted,” Jackson sang as he removed his belongings from his desk in a video posted shortly after. “Yo it happened way sooner than I thought. But thanks for following, this is the end of this chapter, but this is not the last you’ll see of me.”

In further updates, Jackson revealed that he had not yet been let go, but that the company had sent out a company-wide email informing staff that the office would be closed for two days to “address a security matter”.

However, in a video uploaded on Tuesday, Jackson informed his followers that he had been fired from his job with a screenshot from the company about his “post-employment paperwork”.

While he lost his job, Jackson told his followers this “ain’t no sad video,” as it means he doesn’t have to “deal with the bullsh*t anymore,” because he’s “not being underpaid”.

“Because I’m not being paid at all,” he continued laughing. The TikToker then took the opportunity to thank his followers and viewers for the support and love, before explaining that, between his last paycheque and the donations he has received from people on social media, he should have two to three months before he has to “walk back into an office and beg for scraps from the man”.

On TikTok, viewers have applauded Jackson for his attempt and his commitment to the endeavour. “Well this was entertaining. We all knew the end results but were hoping for the best,” one person wrote.

Another said: “It was fun while it lasted.”

The Independent has contacted Jackson for comment.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in