Wildfires are currently devastating the greater Los Angeles area, burning over 45 square miles, torching over 1,300 structures, and putting nearly 180,000 people under evacuation orders as of Thursday. And yet, TikTok’s LA-based employees are being told to either continue their work from home or use their personal/sick days if that’s not possible, while the company’s LA office remains closed due to power outages caused by high winds.
Already, the Palisades Fire is close enough to TikTok’s office that smoke can be seen out the windows. But although the Culver City-based office itself is not under mandatory evacuation orders at this time, both it and many employees’ homes are impacted by the fires, windstorms, and related problems.
TikTok’s employees in the region hail from all over the broader LA area — some even commuting hours into work — and many of their homes are currently without power, Wi-Fi, or both, we understand from employee sources at TikTok. Some could even be under evacuation orders of their own (though we have not directly confirmed this at this time).
Unfortunately for staff dealing with this large-scale natural disaster, TikTok is telling them to use their personal or sick time to account for the days they need to take off due to these conditions.
In messages from TikTok leadership to LA staff, the company informed employees that the LA office would be closed on January 8 and would remain closed through Sunday, January 12, as the fires continued to ravage the area and the office itself is without power. The days the office is closed are being made Work From Home days as opposed to days off, however — unless an individual team leader decides otherwise.
In one message, an HR representative shared links to other company resources for those impacted by the fires, including a Mental Wellbeing Portal, a way to sign up for free mental health sessions with Lyra, and a link to TikTok’s “PSSL” policy. The latter refers to TikTok’s paid sick and safe leave program — essentially, sick time and personal days.
TikTok’s LA employees have 10 paid sick/personal (PSSL) days per year in addition to 15 PTO (paid time off/vacation) days, if they were hired before June. These sick/personal days are highly coveted, too, as TikTok’s strict return-to-office policy requires employees to work from the office a minimum of three days per week. (The days of the week are chosen by the team and can’t be swapped for other days if needed.)
That means if an employee is feeling unwell, like with a simple cold or flu, and they don’t want to spread their illness to coworkers, they do have the option to stay home. But because they’re required to be in the office for three days each week, they would still have to use their PSSL hours and take the day off on those working–from-home-while-sick days (rather than being allowed to work from home with no penalty).
This week, TikTok’s LA staff are being asked to use their personal/sick days if they cannot work from home due to power or Wi-Fi outages, or if they’re under evacuation orders (unless their entire team has been given time off, which is not the case for many impacted by the fires). This leaves them fewer days later in the year to use in case of an actual illness or other personal emergency, like staying home to care for a sick child. If they don’t have enough PSSL hours available, they can either borrow from next year or use their PTO time instead, we understand.
Employees who can work from home still must go into their “My RTO” portal, where they manage their sick time, and change their work-from-home status to “natural disaster” to not be penalized. This won’t subtract from their PSSL hours, though.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s PSSL policy documentation doesn’t specifically state that the time can be used for natural disasters, such as these massive wildfires.
Instead, the policy says employees can use the time for either a physical or mental health condition, to take care of a family member with a health condition, or if the office is closed by the “order of public officials” due to a public health emergency, including exposures to an infectious agent, biological toxin, or hazardous material. (While, arguably, smoke in the area could be “hazardous,” not every TikTok LA employee facing poor air quality is also under an evacuation order enacted by a public official.)
In several internal messages shared with us, employees are reporting their home has no power, or their city overall has no power. (News reports indicate that some 4 million people are without power due to the wildfires as of yesterday). Some employees are worried about how bad their air quality is getting. Others are worried about using up their precious battery power or generator fuel just to work at home, given it’s unclear how long these power outages will last.
Given the pressure TikTok is under due to the upcoming ban in the U.S., which is probably already impacting U.S. employees’ mental health and stress levels, being told to keep working through a disaster of this scale comes across as a little tone-deaf. In fact, some internal messages reviewed by TechCrunch have very much a “business-as-usual” vibe to them despite the scale of the disaster at hand. One lead, for example, reached out to an employee without power for a status update on some of their work, messages show.
Employees have been told to contact the EAP (Employee Assistance Program) or their HR rep if they are told they need to evacuate. Though there are many messages from leaders stressing that employees should put their own safety and wellbeing first, asking staff to worry about using personal days if they can’t work from home seems to counter that narrative.
TikTok was asked for comment but didn’t offer a response ahead of publication.
Sarah Perez can be reached via email at [email protected] or @sarahperez.01 on Signal.
