The trick, Mr. Javier said, is to strike the right tone: “If you are a prospective employer, seeing someone vent about a past employer can be a red flag. I encourage everyone to stay positive, to focus on the actions you are taking to find a new job.”
Some people are heeding that advice. Ms. Harris, for example, opted not to say which company she worked for in her videos. “Obviously people can do their research and find out where I worked through LinkedIn,” she said. “But I really wanted to stay positive and not name names.”
Brit Levy, 35, who said she was laid off by Meta in November, used TikTok to talk about her frustrations with the severance agreement she said the company was offering, amassing almost 800,000 views. Dozens of former Meta employees reached out to her after the series of videos she posted, she said. “We are finding a little community with each other,” said Ms. Levy, who lives in Oceanside, Calif.
She said she has also had hiring managers reach out to offer support and give her professional advice on the next steps she should take in her career.
TikTok creators who share details about the circumstances of their layoffs, however, can risk legal trouble, depending on which they talk about. “There are many companies that require you to sign documents to get your severance package,” Mr. Javier said. “If they sign a form, there are legal implications.”
Ms. Levy said she wasn’t worried about the potential consequences of speaking publicly about a former employer.
“Honestly, they should be worried about ramifications from me,” she said. “I now know how to get eyes on an issue I feel is super important.”
