Employee starts leaving work at 5 pm after boss denies them a raise: 'I am packing up at 4:58'

Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 17, 2023. It has since been updated.

After a period of working, every employee expects to get a salary hike or a promotion at their workplace. But ultimately it falls on their boss to grant them the raise they deserve. One such worker was denied a raise at their office and came up with a rather interesting way to protest. A TikTok video shared by @culturekidsgroup on the platform shows how one employee leaves their desk as soon as the clock strikes 5 pm. The @culturekidsgroup describes itself as an "International creative agency run by Gen Z" and their popular video has gained over 2.9 million views so far.

In the video, we can see an employee demonstrating how they have started taking the 9-to-5 job seriously and are walking out of their office as soon as the digital clock on their laptop shows 5 pm. The text overlay inside the video reads: "When your boss denies your raise request, so you start taking the 9-5 seriously." The person swiftly shuts off their laptop, scoops it up and makes an exit from the office space. Taylor Swift's hit track "Karma" plays in the background, making the video even more relatable. The traditional 9-to-5 work hours expect any employee to work from 9 am and wrap up by 5 pm, but there are times when the work hour stretches beyond the designated time slot and employees often do not even get paid for it.

The video appears to be a hilarious enactment of how employees should treat their 9-to-5 jobs when they are not given their deserved raises. Several TikTok users who stumbled upon the seven-second video found it relatable and started sharing similar situations they faced in their respective workplaces. @ronyarr123 wrote: "Me, when I was denied a raise that wasn't even a raise just asking to be paid the same amount my colleagues who do the exact same job I do." @frankdmrt noted down a few important things: "Always get there at 8:58, always exit at 5, no exceptions and always do the minimum target required." 

@therealtemikus commented: "I’m in upper management and I actually encourage people to take 9-5 seriously. I had to kick people out of the office a couple of times." @ssurema shed some light on the hardships at workplaces and wrote: "When you don't feel appreciated, that really changes how you work. You want to do the bare minimum, but they hate that and now they want to fire you." @el_profeivan added: "Never give away a single minute of your time for free. Companies certainly don't do it, why should we?"

According to The Washington Post, there are several pros and cons of working 9-to-5. Jobs like these guarantee to provide you with career security as you finish your assigned task and get paid a fixed wage. After you wrap up your 9-to-5 job, you can invest your time in polishing your skillset to look for better career opportunities. This schedule is great for people who need consistency to feel comfortable, but jobs like these won't provide you with flexibility in terms of working hours.

At the end of the day, 9-to-5 jobs might not be everyone's cup of tea. As a result, a vast majority of people are opting to build their own businesses and become their own bosses to seek freedom and fulfillment in their work environment.