Worker Calls Boss To Bail Him Out Of Jail — Then Takes Him Right Back To Work
His experience sparked a conversation around the need for "human leaders" and bosses.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock A man sparked a debate around the lack of empathy that many bosses have for their employees after admitting that he was forced to go back to work after dealing with an incident that should've granted him a day off.
In a TikTok video, Juan Reyes claimed that his boss had zero concern for him after explaining that he wouldn't be able to come to work because of a legal mishap.
He called his boss to bail him out of jail and was then forced to go back to work.
In Reyes' five-second clip, he explained that after ending up in jail, he called his boss to let them know that he wouldn't be able to come to work, but was stunned at his boss' response.
"I called my work today from jail and told them they need to find someone to cover my shift," Reyes wrote in overlay text. "These [expletive] bailed me out and made me go to work."
While Reyes' video is only meant to be a comedic skit, as the content creator uses his platform to make different relatable jokes about life, it didn't stop people from taking to the comments with their thoughts and even admitted that similar things have either happened to them or other coworkers at their job.
"A guy at my job got arrested while he was at work. They made the police wait until the end of his shift to take him," one TikTok user wrote. Another user added, "Happened to my hubby. They bailed him out went straight to work, took little by little every check till it was all paid back."
However, others shared that their boss had the same expectations for them to show up to work, despite dealing with real-life crises in their personal lives.
Photo: Nicola Barts / Pexels
"I caught a flat tire on my way to work [and] my job asked where. I told them [and] they really sent one [of] the guys to change it so I could come to work," a fourth TikTok user revealed, while another user chimed in, "Our town flooded one year and they had the fire department transport us in a fire truck back and forth to work over a flooded bridge."
The response from other working-class individuals simply proves that employees value an employer who not only has empathy for them but is willing to work around whatever issues may arise in their personal lives that could prevent them from coming to work.
Employees have admitted to leaving a job if their boss is not empathetic.
According to a 2021 survey by Ernst & Young of more than 1,000 American workers, nearly 90% of US workers said that having an empathetic manager increases their productivity and job satisfaction, and cultivates loyalty. More than half of respondents said they had left a job because their bosses weren't empathetic to their struggles at work or in their personal lives.
However, for many working-class people, an empathetic boss is something that comes few and far between.
Photo: Antoni Shkraba / Pexels
A survey of nearly 3,400 employees, conducted in early 2022 by Gartner, found that only 29% report that their leader is a "human leader" — someone who displays authenticity, adaptability, and empathy.
For an abundance of employees, an employer who goes beyond just capitalizing off of their workers and only cares about how much profit they can make for their company is a genuine trait that many job seekers are actively looking at.
They want to know that they mean more than just another number in the system, especially if they are dedicating tireless hours to the success of a company.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.