The End Of 2-Week Notice? People Support US Worker Who Calls For End Of The Workplace Norm
"I was essential until I was expendable."
A man sharing his opinion on TikTok. Right: A woman packing up her work things in a cardboard box.
There's been a national debate on TikTok about how workers should go about quitting their job, and one man shared his opinion as to why Americans don't want to put in a two-week notice any longer. His thoughts went viral on the app and sparked a lot of support from those who viewed the clip.
The creator, (@graeson.mcgaha.comedy), says employers' behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame.
"The American worker watched the entire system turn its back on us," he said. He explained that companies were shutting their doors on staff members and when they asked what was next, they were told to just "figure it out."
He also states some workers never got a break — police, fire and medical employees — and when they asked for time off, they were told they would lose their job.
"Two weeks' notice is based on respect, and if you're not going to have the respect to give your employees two weeks, well, then, what's the point?" He said.
He concluded his video by mentioning that corporate America ran off the fear that their staff is replaceable, so now their staff is looking at companies as "a replaceable asset," as well.
@graeson.mcgaha.comedy What do you think has changed in the mind of American workers? #corporate #workersrights #quietquitting #2weeksnotice #essentialworker #healthcareworker
His video, posted on April 5, received 7.8 million views and 1.2 million likes. There were over 20 thousand commenters, and the top-liked replies seemed to be in favor of the creator's thought process.
"I've always answered the 2-week notice thing the same way: 'Would you give me 2 weeks' notice before you fired me?' I've never given one," one person wrote.
Another responded that his company would be lucky he didn't use up his vacation time while training for a new job.
"I was essential until I was expendable," a TikToker simply put.
One account said they do a two-day notice, "as in to-day."
Countless others seem to support this notion moving the needle on a widely heated conversation around proper ways to quit.
As for the industry-norms argument, there weren't many who seemed to agree.