One always hopes their bosses will be sympathetic when they have family emergencies.
But when Hillary Zinks needed to take time off from work to be at the bedside of her dying sister, one of her bosses did not act with the sympathy she expected
This resulted in Zinks recounting her fairly harrowing saga in a series of TikTok videos.
After one video was taken down by TikTok for harassment and bullying, (but eventually restored), Zinks posted another video filling in viewers on her unfortunate journey to be at her sister's side as she passed away, declaring she hoped people could "learn a lesson from it."
WARNING: NSFW language
@hillary.zinks this gets good. Wait until the end.
Zinks first explained her career is working as a make-up artist in film and television.
But to support herself between projects, she also works as a server at a restaurant.
She then revealed while she was working on a film set, she received a call her sister was in the hospital, brain dead and could die at any moment.
Her boss on the film set, whom Zinks would later tell Buzzfeed was "very well known and HUGE in the industry", told her to run to be by her sister's side without any hesitation.
"When that boss found out she was like 'Hillary please go home, do whatever you need to do'."
"'Be with your family, be with your mom, whatever you can'."
"'There's no job in this world that is worth missing life over'.
After rushing to her car and driving to Las Vegas to be with her sister,, Zinks realized she needed to also let the restaurant know she would be missing work.
Hoping to get a similar reaction from her restaurant supervisor to her boss on the film set, Zinks instead received a reaction which she described in the video as "inhumane".
She revealed the details of their exchange with a screenshot of their text conversation as a background, even taking an opportunity to mock her supervisor’s use of an Android rather than an iPhone.
"I said I won't be able to make it in this weekend, I had to drive to Nevada because my sister's dying in the hospital there."
While Zinks revealed her boss at the restaurant did express sympathy towards her predicament, she questioned why she did so a mere two hours before her shift.
Attempting to hold back her surprise at her boss's seemingly heartless reaction, Zinks replied she couldn't tell her any earlier since she left for Nevada at one in the morning.
But her boss remained unconvinced, as evidenced by the screenshot of the text conversation and Zinks' unapologetically sarcastic tone while reading it.
"We have a fifty top today and only 2 scheduled staff members are expected for the shift."
"We will make it work, we always do."
"It just makes it hard on the crew that does show up."Zinks let it be known in the video she was "fuming" at this response and she couldn't hold back her anger at her boss and her apparent complete lack of sympathy.
"I don't give a damn about the 50 top or how hard other people will have to work today."
"If your'e so concerned then put on a servers outfit instead of telling me that other people will have it hard today."
Zinks' impassioned response to her boss was met with a mere, "take care."
Utterly shocked by her boss's complete lack of compassion, Zinks made a decision upon arriving at the hospital where her sister lay comatose to quit the restaurant, claiming she felt her sister telling her to do so.
She ended the video by showing the picture she sent along with her resignation, featuring her comatose sister flipping her boss the bird.
Zinks believed her sister, who did sadly pass away, would be "laughing her a** off" and "proud as f*ck" for how she handled the situation.
Many of the video's 1.3 million viewers were also proud of Zinks for standing up against her boss, with several sharing their own horror stories of past employers.
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
However, in a follow up video Zinks revealed there was a little bit more to the story after she quit the restaurant.
WARNING:NSFW language
@hillary.zinks Reply to @djsbeercave go watch part one FIRST
Zinks began the video by clarifying she and her supervisor had a good working relationship before her unsympathetic response to her family emergency..
The video then cut to a screenshot of her manager's response to the picture of Zinks' comatose sister flipping her the bird.
The manager revealed she tragically lost her son four years earlier, and believed Zinks "read [her] completely wrong", and apologized for "triggering" her.
But while Zinks was heartbroken at the fact her manager lost her child, she confessed this information only made her even more confused at her almost complete lack of compassion earlier.
"I believe she had no compassion because she was basically calling me a liar."
Zinks then revealed she also let the restaurant’s manager know she was quitting, expressing how she could no longer work under that supervisor.
When the manager asked if she was comfortable forwarding her conversation with her supervisor, Zinks made it clear she was ready and willing.
After being asked by the manager to call her two days later, Zinks revealed he was the complete opposite of her supervisor, in showing care and compassion from the top of their conversation.
"First thing he asks is how was my sister, and I said 'well she passed away that weekend, but she was an organ donor, and she died a hero."
"Over the phone I could hear his heart sink for me, and I believe it sunk not only for my loss but for how his supervisor treated me."
Zinks was then informed her supervisor was no longer working at the restaurant, and if she wanted her job back it was hers.
The details of why her supervisor was no longer working there, as well as whether she quit or was fired, were not made clear to Zinks.
But she did make it clear to her TikTok followers it was never her intention for her supervisor to lose her job.
"I just wanted her to take a step back, and realize what she said to me, so she would never say anything like that to another employee again."
"I hope she learned a lesson from it, I know I did."
Even with this newfound information, TikTokers remained in agreement with Zinks her supervisor's earlier behavior remained inexcusable.
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
@hillary.zinks/TikTok
After sharing her story with Buzzfeed, Zinks had a message to all employers on how to treat their staff.
"Your employees are so much more than robots here to make YOU money."
"Real life doesn't stop so people's work lives can proceed uninterrupted. Treat your employees with kindness and compassion in situations like these"
