SackTok on 3AW 693 AM Radio Melbourne with Tony Moclair
Topic: SackTok
Date: 16 January 2024
Media Outlet: 3AW 693AM Melbourne https://www.3aw.com.au
Broadcaster / Interviewer: Tony Moclair
Producer: Bianca Johnston
Duration: 00:09:34
Time of show: 13:09
Audio Recording:
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P7uvekNeyY
Brittany Peach on TikTok 00:09:15
@brittanypeachhh Original creator reposting: brittany peach cloudflare layoff. When you know you’re about to get laid off so you film it 🙂 this was traumatizing honestly lmao #cloudflare #techlayoffs #tech #layoff
♬ original sound – Brittany Pietsch
Transcript
However, nobody likes likes losing a job. I would love to know your thoughts on her decision to film it and then post at 13 3693 Sue Ellson is a Career Expert. Good afternoon Sue.
Hi Tony. How’s it going?
Very well Sue. Is it a course of action you’d recommend um that you uh put on the video recorder on your phone uh before you sit in front of your computer to have a meeting with your employer where you know you’re about to lose your job?
Well in Britney’s case she did have some forewarning.
Yep.
Because a lot of her colleagues were having suffering the same thing and it was happening in 15 minute intervals. Now last year on TikTok we saw QuitTok which was where people were filming when they chose to resign.
Ah yes.
Now we’re seeing SackTok where.
SackTok.
Where people are filming. I’ve just made that up today.
I like it.
A worldwide release.
Yep.
But you know I think it’s a really interesting thing because all of us have suffered some form of sacking at some point.
Yep.
You know I’d probably say 90% of us have probably had that experience and what I like about her video is she’s very eloquent.
Mmm.
She specifically asks for the facts. Is it performance related? Now there was a movie back in 2009 with George Clooney called ‘Up in the Air’ and this bright young whipper snapper came into the office and said we don’t need to do sackings in person anymore we can do it by video conferencing and of course it all went pearshaped.
Yep.
And then the guy ended up back in the role sacking people individually. So here we are in 2024, in January which is a time when a lot of people do tend to lose their jobs because the employers think they’re being nice and letting them get through Christmas and then they you know rally it out in in January.
Yeah.
So I think the the feedback that she’s been getting has been really positive.
Mmm.
Would I recommend it as a strategy? Possibly not and also what other moments would we film in our lives? I know that we definitely film our weddings.
Yeah child birth and all that sort of stuff.
But not probably getting sacked.
Yeah.
So and also I mean she may be contravening the social media policy of the organisation as well by putting out something that’s disreputable she could face legal action and of course here in Australia, an employer would need to provide three warnings if it was performance-based the reason they were losing their job.
Sue, would you hire Brittany?
It would depend on the role. Now a couple of the comments that were coming through were her being an advocate considering studying law she’s very eloquent she presents the information logically.
Yeah.
Would I want someone as challenging as that to work with on a daily basis? Possibly not, but then me personally I choose to work on my own and avoid politics altogether, so I’m probably not the best person to ask. But I think there would definitely be a market for someone like her and interestingly she hasn’t posted on TikTok for quite a while.
Mmm.
But now she’s she’s really realised that this is a statement she’d liked to make and she wants to share it with the world and it seems to have been picked up and gone very viral.
23 million people if you don’t mind. 13 3693 133693 would you film uh you being sacked would you put it online uh is there a moment in your life you wish you had filmed uh 13 3693 I’m speaking with Sue Ellson who’s a career expert. What you do get from it I mean I.
Mmm.
Yes there is a lot of blather and weazel words coming from the HR department and and the thing that uh upsets Brittany in this. Mmm. Is the fact that she does not know the people who are sacking her.
Yes.
She’s not dealing with her manager.
Uh huh.
And she thought she was doing well and and she had no sense that this was coming.
Mmm.
Or at the very least, she couldn’t see the context for her retrenchment.
Mmm.
Because as she pointed out um she’d only been there three months it was a difficult time of year and and all the rest of it.
Mmm.
You do however feel for the two people who you do not see.
Mmmm.
You only hear them they have they have been given the difficult job of of terminating somebody’s career at this point.
Yes.
How do you think they should have handled it? Do you think we should have sympathy for people who are doing the sacking?
I definitely believe we should have sympathy for the people doing the sacking and traditionally HR cops the blame for the inadequacy of the manager in conveying that point in the first place.
Yeah.
If it was performance related. So yes. Now what I also felt sorry for is they were obviously given a script.
Mmm.
That they had to follow for these multiple sackings.
Yep.
And that you know we’re going to part ways they didn’t say you’ve lost your job.
Yeah.
I mean it was was very eloquent the way they did it but I was impressed by Rosie who was the HR manager. She maintained a very calm disposition throughout it all and she did offer to provide the facts to Brittany afterwards even though she would have left employment and it’s all said and done.
Yep.
And you know it’s probably not relevant and then of course the video goes into the next steps because regardless of whether it was because of performance or anything else Brittany was leaving so therefore they had to go through the process. So I think there were a lot of things that they did as well as they could but one comment said oh well they said sorry so therefore they’re at fault.
Mmm.
I don’t really see that.
No.
I think a lot of people with that task of letting someone go it is a very difficult role as well and it would be lovely hear from some of your listeners who have faced that situation.
Well 13 3693 There is. It’s very hard to put a bow on it. It just is, especially when when you don’t want to be sacked or you feel that you’ve got nothing to go to. This Brittany is smart. She’s um as as you said she’s really articulate. She’s certainly not going to suffer from the exposure this has got. She’s got a bright future.
Mmm.
Ahead of her because she was able to very as I said give a very good account of herself.
Mmm.
And she remained pretty measured throughout the whole thing so um but that said uh it is a low point in our lives that many of us remember. Sue you’ve you’ve uh you yourself have been brilliant and eloquent and I appreciate your time this afternoon.
Thanks Tony.
That’s Sue
Social Share
#SACKTOK // Would you film yourself whilst being sacked online? Brittany Peach did. She was told it was because of her performance. However, she stopped the script and provided clear information about her performance and demanded to know more about why the decision was made.
Tony Moclair and I discussed this topic on Nine‘s 3AW 693AM Radio Melbourne today.
✅#QuitTok from 2023 when people were filming their resignations
✅ #SackTok for the label this year for filming a sacking
✅ online sacking in the movie ‘Up in the Air’ with George Clooney from 2009
✅ contravening social media policy
✅ risk of legal action
✅ opportunities from viral video exposure
✅ suitability for employment after viral video exposure
✅ role of the manager, HR manager and departure adviser
✅ difficulty in being the bearer of bad news
Enjoy the show online at https://sueellson.com/blog/sacktok-on-3aw-693-am-radio-melbourne-with-tony-moclair.
I have added in some additional information on this link as I have been ‘sacked’ several times and been through the difficult transition.
In hindsight, I can see the benefit of moving on.
The first time it happened, it took me six and a half years to stop feeling angry about it and find a process to move on (which I am happy to share).
Thanks to Producer Bianca Johnston for reaching out!
➡️ Do you have any recommendations for anyone who is about to be or has been sacked?
➡️ Alternatively, do you have any advice for people who need to sack someone?
Would love to continue this discussion and help others feel supported through this transition.
#3awmelbourne #careers #sueellson
Further information
QuitTok – Live Quitting Online
https://sueellson.com/blog/quittok-live-quitting-online-on-channel-9-today-extra
Up in the Air movie from 2009
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_in_the_Air_(2009_film)
Can unemployment be good for you?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/can-unemployment-good-you-sue-ellson
Losing a job during lockdown
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/losing-job-during-lockdown-sue-ellson
What to do for your career whilst you are at home
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-do-your-career-whilst-you-home-sue-ellson
What to do before you sack someone
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-do-before-you-sack-someone-sue-ellson
Podcast Recording of the Show – starts at 00:40:13 – 00:46:27
https://omny.fm/shows/3aw-afternoons/3aw-afternoons-with-tony-moclair-16th-january-2024
Additional Comments from Social Media
As an HR manager perhaps too many times, I’ve had to help line managers dismiss staff and sometimes even say the key words. Two suggestions:1. Don’t tell the employee how hard this is for you etc. , it’s incredibly insensitive. 2. do all that you reasonablycan to treat the worker in question respectfully and with dignity. This is the right thing to do intrinsically, shouldnalign with corporate values& IMO can help reduce the risk of post dismissal litigation. If the employer has an employee assistance program. (EAP) it’s wise & decent to remind the worker of it & allow them to use it up to 3 months after termination. Ben Walker
Participate in any outplacement services as you will learn a lot. Sue Ellson
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