A millennial manager went viral after posting an amused reaction to her Gen Z assistant attending a work meeting while at a hair salon.
Brisbane-based Lucindy Bayly, the founder and director of Bayly PR, posted a TikTok video recently showing herself on a video call with her Gen Z assistant, Lulu Davidson. The text on the video said: “When you call your Gen Z assistant on her “WFH” day and she answers like this…”
Davidson appeared to be having her hair washed at a hair salon as she chatted away with Bayly and the song “Just a Girl” by No Doubt played in the background of the video.
Bayly captioned the video: “This isn’t exactly what I meant by ‘flexible working arrangements’ available but go off queen.”
The unusual dynamics shown between manager and employee have proved popular with the younger generation, and the video has now racked up two million views and over 1,000 comments.
In an interview with Newsweek, Bayly said that she’s 31, while Davidson is a 21-year-old student. Bayly emphasized that she has no issue with staff working from home and using their time how they want, as long as the work gets done.
“I actually voice-called Lulu, and she made it a FaceTime, clearly because her ears were wet and soapy,” she said. “I thought it was hilarious and had a good laugh about it, and then we got down to business.”
She added: “I didn’t know, which is why it was so funny when she picked up like that, but she was online, as I had been texting her and emailing her before that call. So it doesn’t matter where she is to me, as long as her tasks are being delivered on time and delivered well.”
Bayly mentioned that Davidson is “fabulous at her job” and is a great addition to her team.
Gen Z and millennials both share the view that more flexibility is needed in the workplace. A 2023 Deloitte survey of 22,000 Gen Z and millennials around the world found that the younger generations desire a good balance between work and life.
Some Gen Z job seekers are even asking about work-life balance during job interviews, rattling some Gen X and boomer managers.
Millennial and Gen Z viewers flooded the comment section with praise for Bayly’s leadership style and Davidson’s commitment to the job.
“This is goals, honestly having a relationship like this with a manager makes a huge difference. BOTH OF YOU ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE ONE ANOTHER,” one commenter wrote, while another praised Bayly for “creating a safe space.”
