OFFICE SPACE: Broke Worker Who Moved Into Cubicle Wins Pay Rise For Colleagues
An office worker who went viral on TikTok for moving into his work cubicle to protest about living costs has won a three per cent pay rise for his workmates.
Simon Jackson, 28, made the announcement on his ‘Calm Simon’ TikTok page, where he boasts 166,000 followers.
Earlier in March, Simon went viral with nearly 17 million views when he moved into his office cubicle because he was too broke to afford his apartment.
He said: “I am moving from my apartment and into my cubicle at work… They do not pay me enough to do both. So as a matter of protest, I am just going to live at my job.
“We’ll see how long I can get away with this.”
The clip shows Simon unpacking his belongings into work shelves and office drawers at the offices of the engineering company Arcadis.
He explained that there are showers available in the company’s second building and that he keeps his food, mostly consisting of ham and pineapple, in the staffroom fridge.
At the time, Simon told Newsflash that he had “moved in” to his new home and sleeps under his desk, adding: “I’ve saved money by living in my car in the past, but in my current city, I have no car… but I have a cubicle!
“I started this just to save money in between apartments and I posted the TikTok mostly as a joke… then it blew up.”
Simon said: “As a way of saving money, it’s effective. I truly could do this for years if I wasn’t on social media.”
As for his stand against the cost of living crisis, Simon said: “I can’t comment on the effectiveness of this as a protest just yet, time will tell.”
In an update this week, Simon told Newsflash that “the CEO of Arcadis released an email yesterday saying that everyone in the company is getting a 3 per cent raise in addition to merit increases”.
The TikToker also shared a screenshot of the email, telling his viewers in a video update: “You’re f*cking welcome every goddam employee!”
The email reads: “In recognition of our collective success and the challenging external environment, the Executive Leadership Team has decided to award an additional salary increase in 2022 to be payable in the next payroll run.”
However, Simon called the pay increase “trash”, as inflation is currently at eight per cent, telling the company to “do better”.
The TikToker, who has since left the company, adds that he “sacrificed myself for y’all” and “may never work in the corporate field again”, but is happy that his actions led to a three per cent pay rise.