Man shares powerful lesson on friend who devoted 33 years to a job — and paid dearly for it

Jayson Flint (@jaysonflint) lost a friend at work who'd given 33 years of his life to the company only to learn a painful truth about the corporate world. Jayson posted the eye-opening video on Instagram in August 2025.

Ron, Jayson's coworker, was on his way to work when he suddenly collapsed in his driveway. "Heart failure is what they say — too many years of stress and not enough years of rest," Jayson said. Ron was supposed to retire in 6 months, and throughout his career, he had always been the first to arrive and the last to leave. In fact, he was so driven that he would often miss important events, such as birthdays and anniversaries, to meet deadlines. "The day after he died, they brought in a chic cake from Publix, and they poured warm soda in red cups; they called it a celebration of life. By Friday, somebody was already in Ron's chair," Jayson said, reflecting upon just how quickly the system moves on with or without us. "Half of the department couldn't go to his funeral because the company said we can't have that many people out at one time," he added. Jayson mentioned that the little celebration held after Ron's death wasn't really about honoring him but rather about pretending that people aren’t easily replaced. "Ron gave everything, you all, [but] they couldn't give him a full moment of silence, and now he is 6 feet under," he added. 

A survey conducted by Liberty Mind found that more than half (67%) of employees have missed important personal events due to work. From those surveyed, they found 40% had missed medical appointments, 15% had missed moving house, 10% had missed their children's school events, and 8% had missed a family funeral. Moreover, it was also revealed that 83% of the employees were given a guilt trip for taking time off for a major life event. Ron, Jayson's friend too, was someone who let his work take over everything — only to be replaced shortly after his death. Reacting to the video, @naidarutherford commented, "Schedule your joy because death, grief, and pain will schedule themselves. I am not sure where I heard this quote, but it changed my perspective. As a real-life coroner, I know death is random. So enjoy your life! Live it to the fullest!"

Similarly, @hotxbanana recalled, "I worked at Macy's for about a year. A coworker whom I befriended had worked there for 20 years. We talked and laughed for a few hours. She mentioned it was her last day. The night went on, and we said our goodbyes. She clocked out and left. No celebration. No flowers. No gifts. Just clocked out and walked out like she was never there. 20 years, man! That forever changed me." @justjaysincedayone said, "I was Ron... until I left the office on a stretcher... and my (then) manager was mad because I had the audacity to take the following day off. Left the company a month later." @better1117 said, "I was Ron for 11 years, and when I left, there were no goodbyes, and no one cared at all. Thank you for sharing and reminding us all to keep a work/life balance because these jobs can care less about you!"

You can follow Jayson Flint (@jaysonflint) on Instagram for lifestyle content.

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