Middle-aged manager kept targeting her Gen Z coworker for 'drinking too much water' — until one harmless request led HR to fire them overnight

Ageism in the workplace is a real thing, and Chrissy Baron (@chrissyvbaron) experienced that firsthand. In a TikTok post, she stitched her response to a video about preparing young women for workplace drama, especially with older bosses. Fresh out of college, 21-year-old Baron joined a medical supply company, but her enthusiasm quickly died when her middle-aged boss kept picking on her, complaining about her water and bathroom breaks. When Baron asked to switch teams, little did she know that this request would blow up both their lives. The video was shared on July 10, and it reached 1.9 million views, 226,000 likes, and 4,465 comments.

Too many bathroom breaks

Baron explained that it was a full-time job, but she had the option to pick a shift. She started at 6:00 a.m. and clocked out at 2:33 p.m. Her daily routine included picking up her dogs from daycare, dropping them off, training, and coaching for CrossFit. Her boss, who had already worked 30 to 40 years at the company, would come around 7:00-8:00 a.m., and ask her what she had been doing since morning. Baron admitted that she did not realize she was being discriminated against at first. But she was singled out from time to time, and "accused of drinking too much water, peeing too much." Baron explained that she was competing in CrossFit, which was why she needed to drink lots of water.

'Can I switch?'

Baron did not want to work under her boss anymore because of the constant complaints, "I was so naïve that I didn't know what she was doing was that bad... I actually asked another boss, 'Hey, can I switch to your team?'" She had a friend who worked under another boss, Tara's team, and asked if she could work under her as well. Her request was forwarded to HR, and when they asked her why she wanted to switch, she told them the truth about her boss. She asked them not to fire her since she would quit soon, but HR did not listen. They proceeded to fire the boss, and everyone in the company blamed Baron. She lasted at the company for a year and quit when she got another job offer in Belgium. 

Horrible bosses drive people out

A 2019 Robert Half survey conducted on 2,800 employees aged 18 and older revealed that almost half (49%) of working professionals quit their jobs because of a bad boss. The survey also revealed that the majority of employees who quit due to a bad manager were between the ages of 18 and 34 (54%), while employees aged 55 and older were the least likely to quit for the same reason (41%).

'Couldn't imagine treating them the way I was treated'

Women in the comment section had various opinions. @jasmine_tea___ wrote, "It’s 10 times worse when you’re they’re manager." @comradebeanss shared, "I cried daily! It was awful. My self-esteem still hasn’t recovered."

You can follow Chrissy Baron (@chrissyvbaron) on TikTok for more lifestyle and work-related videos.

More on Scoop Upworthy

Sarah Jessica Parker calls out misogynist ageism: 'This would never happen about a man'

Women in leadership face widespread ageism at every stage in their careers, study suggests

Hiring team labeled candidate 'too old' for the job. Their words cost them $495,000 from the company's pockets