I was paid so little I was forced to move into my office – I was sacked but now I’ve won pay rise for my ex-colleagues
A DISGRUNTLED worker who says he was sacked for moving into his office in protest of his low salary claims his stunt won a pay rise for his former colleagues.
Simon Jackson, 28, went viral on TikTok after sharing a clip of him living in his office cubicle in Seattle as he said he was too broke to afford his apartment.
“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,” he told his 166,000 followers.
“We’ll see how long I can get away with this.”
But after the video was viewed almost 17million times, Simon claims he was fired from his job four days later.
The clip shows Simon unpacking his belongings into work shelves and drawers at the offices of the engineering company Arcadis.
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He explained that there were showers available in the company’s second building and that he kept his food, mostly consisting of ham and pineapple, in the staffroom fridge.
At the time, Simon said 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!
“As a way of saving money, it’s effective. I truly could do this for years if I wasn’t on social media.”
Now, Simon has claimed his stunt earned his former workmates a pay rise, saying the CEO of Arcadis ” released an email saying that everyone in the company is getting a three per cent raise in addition to merit increases”.
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The TikToker also shared a screenshot of the email, telling his viewers in a video update: “You’re f**king 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”.
Despite the employer putting the pay rise down to “collective success”, Simon claimed it was his actions that led to the increase – saying he “sacrificed myself for y’all”.