Evan (TikTok: @elazie1) hops onto a Zoom call with his boss, camera out, ready for a raise. Unsure why he was called into a meeting, he jokes “What’s this about, my promotion?” He gets no laughs from the peanut gallery – instead, an uncomfortable, closed-mouth half-smile. His boss joins the call and throws in a curveball. In a convoluted skirting of words, he tells Evan he’s been laid off. Apparently, there were budget cuts that ‘impacted his position’ in the marketing department. Painfully awkward. “Okay, awesome,” Evan manages. Touché.

Although it won’t bring his job back, thousands expressed their sympathies for Evan in the comments, writing things like “‘As someone in the marketing industry, it is heartbreaking that we are always the first to go. I’m so sorry,” and “any company that lays individuals off this close to the holidays deserves the worst fate.”

And a few joked about it. “Promoted to civilian,” one comment read.