CEOs Posting About "Coasting" Workers: ICYMI Podcast on Workplace Drama

The "Coasting" Controversy

• 🎯 Lindsey Carter, CEO of athleisure brand Set Active, sparked online workplace drama by criticizing employees who leave work at 5 PM, calling it "coasting" without ambition.
• 💡 Carter's TikTok video, which was later deleted, suggested that leaving work promptly at 5 PM leads to career unfulfillment.
• ⚠️ This statement drew criticism for being tone-deaf, especially given previous controversies surrounding Set Active's workplace practices and employee reviews.

Set Active's Workplace History

• 📉 Set Active has a history of workplace issues, including a 2023 incident where the social media team was reportedly dissolved and their work distributed internally.
• 📊 Glassdoor reviews for Set Active paint a picture of poor work-life balance, high turnover, and a "messy" work environment, with an overall rating of 2.8 stars.
• 💬 Carter's response to the backlash involved doubling down on her stance, accusing critics of misunderstanding, and referencing "cancel culture" on her Substack and Instagram stories.

Workplace Drama as Marketing

• 📈 The podcast discusses how workplace disputes are increasingly becoming public marketing moments for brands and CEOs.
• 🎭 CEOs are encouraged to become personal brands, blurring the lines between company and individual identity, as seen with the Tarte brand trips and other influencer-style CEO behavior.
• 🗣️ This trend is criticized for creating an unequal playing field where CEOs use platforms like TikTok to lecture employees, rather than addressing issues internally through HR.

The Impact on Employees

• 😕 Employees often feel unheard and misunderstood when CEOs use social media to air grievances, especially when these platforms are not primarily for professional discourse.
• 🚫 The hosts argue that CEOs should not use social media to post passive-aggressively about employees, suggesting that direct communication or HR channels are more appropriate.
• ⚖️ There's a call for clearer boundaries, potentially through labor laws, to prevent CEOs from treating social media like a personal messaging system directed at their staff.

Broader Trends in CEO Communication

• 🎙️ The rise of podcasts like "Diary of a CEO" has exposed employees to more of their leaders' voices, sometimes revealing narratives that differ from the daily worker experience.
• 📱 Platforms like TikTok are seen as tools for the general workforce to share experiences and find solidarity, not for CEOs to deliver lectures or critiques.
• 💔 The podcast concludes that while consuming workplace drama can be entertaining, employees would likely prefer direct communication from leadership over public social media commentary.