Company Director Joins Video Call From Surprising Place—but There’s a Twist

Online technology has given many people the ability to work from almost anywhere with an internet connection, and one worker’s solution to work-life balance has gained viral attention.

A video posted on TikTok by the health brand Ritual shows the moment Tricia Desjardins, its senior creative director, dialed into a meeting while at a hair appointment, with foil in her hair and a bustling salon in the background—to the amazement of her colleagues. The clip has received 3.8 million views and more than 213,000 likes.

The video’s text overlay says, “Our creative director hasn’t been stressed a day in her life.” However, there is a twist to the viral moment.

“I feel bad bursting everyone’s bubble, but this is scripted content from us,” said Mikaela Sprauve, Ritual’s senior director of communications and community.

“We wanted to capture a moment that heroes our new product, Stress Relief, and the overall sense of ease it provides through the course of the day,” Sprauve told Newsweek. “I think everyone can relate to how stressful or annoying a ‘cameras on’ meeting can be when we’re getting our work done. We wanted to show the kind of feeling we’re hoping to capture for our customers—being unfazed even through stressful or unexpected situations.”

She added that Ritual had a flexible work environment that encouraged its team members to prioritize their health—even if that meant midday hair appointments.

Flexible working is more common than ever, and research shows it has real benefits. In the Gartner 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey, 43 percent of respondents said having flexible working hours made them more productive, while 30 percent of those surveyed said spending little or no time commuting made them more productive.

Happiness may also be a productivity booster. In 2019, research by Oxford University‘s Saïd Business School found that happy workers were 13 percent more productive than those who weren’t.

TikTokers’ reaction to the video has delighted the team, Sprauve said. “Going viral is always fun and a little strange—but we’re so happy this video was one that got to show people our sense of humor as a team while we introduced a new product into the world,” she added.

Earlier this year, a remote worker shared how he avoids awkward small talk in video calls. Taylor Tijerina showed how he did everything he could to avoid joining a call too early, such as stretching or playing with his dog before joining the call at the last moment.