A IT worker from California who founded her own business claims she lost her telemedicine job as a result of sharing a TikTok video of their conversation.
Michelle Serna, 24, told Insider, “I didn’t aware that my meeting was in the background until I was fired.
Serna, who shared her story in a popular TikTok video, said she was let go from her position as a product lead at Visionable Global, a UK-based digital business with a focus on healthcare, after she shared a video of a meeting on the social media platform.
Serna said that around 5 am on August 1, she uploaded a since-deleted video to TikTok that showed her coffee maker spilling coffee all over the counter because she had forgotten to put a cup beneath it.
She claimed in the video that viewers could hear her 4:30 am meeting even though her laptop was in another room.
The next day, Serna said she was summoned to a meeting at 3 o’clock with her chief product officer and human resources. Serna said that a corporate employee had reported her footage.
When the HR representative brought her into the meeting, she admitted to Insider that she did not anticipate being fired.
We had a very, very tight friendship and a very intimate relationship since “she was the one who first recruited me,” according to Serna. “Therefore, it was common for her to just ask, “Hey, do you have a minute to chat?” I didn’t panic or anything, so.”
Serna was informed by human resources that she would be fired right away from the firm for producing a private social media video while at work, recording a private chat without the company’s or her colleagues’ permission, and betraying the confidence placed in her by the employer.
When her former boss informed her that the firm had “completely lost faith” in her as a result of the error, Serna said that was when it stung the most.
“I adored my chief product officer. I was very wounded when he became so furious with me since I truly did love him. I enjoyed doing his job. I thought he was teaching me a lot “said Serna.
Serna claimed that HR had given her the go-ahead to erase the video, which she said had barely had 2,500 views before being taken down.
“I’d say I sobbed for maybe five minutes. But finally, I was just so startled that something so little would cause them to fire someone who had just received a raise a few weeks before “Serna remarked, noting that her work performance at the firm had never been a point of contention.
“absolutely nothing. not even one phrase “She spoke.
When contacted for comment, Visionable Global did not reply.
Serna, who had worked there for eight months, said that she was not angry for very long before admitting her error and stating that she wanted to move on.
“I won’t say that I agree with their conclusion that that was cause for dismissal, but I’ll admit it. I erred, and I ought to have exercised greater caution, “said Serna. I was angry, but after a short while I sort of thought, “Okay, what comes next?”
Serna said that she started her own business the same day that she was fired.
I’ve always known I wanted to launch this business, and it simply seems like the right time to do it, Serna said. “This business is something I’ve spoken about a lot, even in COVID, was something I previously worked on and attempted to achieve but simply wasn’t able to do it since I had a full-time career,” the entrepreneur said.
Serna said that despite the incident, she is continuing to be optimistic.
Everything gets derailed when nasty things happen to you, Serna said. “All I can say is that rejection is redirection, and when shitty things happen to you, maybe it’s not being fired from a job, but shit things happen.
“There is only success for you if you continually maintain the attitude of “No matter what, I’m going to keep trekking ahead.” Just maybe it’s not linear.”