“When My ‘Sick Day’ Was Live-Streamed by Accident”
The Lesson :
“Always check your settings before you join a meeting. Especially if you’re in your pajamas eating chips.”
It all started with a sniffle.
I woke up that morning feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. Or, more accurately, like I had contracted the worst cold possible while battling an ongoing caffeine addiction. Head pounding, throat sore, nose clogged—classic sick day symptoms. I was absolutely NOT about to drag myself into the office or go through a Zoom meeting. No thank you.
So, I did what any responsible adult would do on a sick day—I emailed my boss that I was “unwell” and would be taking the day to rest and recover. The email was short, simple, and polite. No drama. Just a “I’m sick, don’t bother me” message.
But somehow, it turned into a full-blown live-streaming disaster.
The Unintentional Live Stream
It began innocently enough. I propped up my laptop in bed, hoping to catch up on some TV shows while simultaneously praying I didn’t need to actually do any work. My plan? To just zone out and enjoy the chaos of the latest reality show.
Then, my phone buzzed with a notification: “You are scheduled for the team meeting in 30 minutes.”
I cursed under my breath. I completely forgot. It was a standing meeting I couldn’t skip, and I had already sent the “sick day” email. At this point, I thought: What’s the worst that could happen?
I joined the Zoom call.
My laptop was angled awkwardly on my bed, and I didn’t bother to turn off my camera. I figured, it’s a sick day. I didn’t need to look professional, right?
The Horrifying Moment
I had my camera on, but I thought the room was private. I didn’t realize my webcam was set to auto-record.
It started as a quiet, typical meeting—everyone giving updates on their tasks. But then I sneezed. And then another sneeze. And then, in a moment of utter stupidity, I turned off my microphone and started talking to myself out loud:
“Ugh, why do I feel like I’m slowly melting into the couch? Should I even bother turning on the humidifier? Also, do I have any more snacks?”
I absentmindedly grabbed a bag of chips and opened it.
But what I didn’t know was that the meeting was still recording.
The Realization
About 20 minutes later, my phone buzzed again. It was Tina from HR:
“Hey, are you okay? You’re on mute, but I think everyone heard your snack break…”
I froze. Wait, what? I checked the Zoom window, and sure enough, my screen was still active. I had been live-streaming my sick day for the past 20 minutes!
Apparently, my camera was still on, and the meeting had been recorded. So, my colleagues had not only seen me sniffling and sneezing into the camera, but they also had heard my commentary on my snacks, my “melting” feelings, and even my attempts to figure out if I had any cough drops left.
The Fallout
What followed was instant chaos. I got an onslaught of direct messages in Slack:
- “We loved the snack commentary. 😂”
- “Tina’s right: Your Chip Break was iconic.”
- “Should we be worried about your health?”
And then there was Steve from IT, who decided to make a meme from a screenshot of my “I’m melting” face and circulated it around the entire company.
But the real kicker was the meeting recording, which—of course—was shared in the company’s internal Slack channel with the caption:
“What to do when you need a sick day… and snacks. 🍿 #LiveStreamFail”
The Aftermath
The next day, I logged into work and was immediately greeted by “Hey, Alex, love the behind-the-scenes footage of your sick day!” from nearly everyone I interacted with. My inbox? Overflowing with memes and snack-related jokes.
In the end, my sick day didn’t stay “private.” It became a company-wide sensation. I got an impromptu title at the next all-hands meeting: “The Snack Break Queen”. And don’t even get me started on the Sick Day Live-Stream Highlights that somehow made their way to the company’s monthly newsletter.
The Lesson (Shareable Quote):
“Always check your settings before you join a meeting. Especially if you’re in your pajamas eating chips.”
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