New Delhi: A Gen Z employee’s response to an official instruction to report to work at 6:30 am for a virtual meeting has gone viral. The employee’s response saying that they would not be physically attending a virtual meeting has won many hearts online and sparked a debate on rigid workplace rules.
Sharing a post about the conversation between two employees on X, a user said the Gen Z employees are not the heroes we deserved but the heroes we needed. The post contains a screenshot which allegedly shows an authority asking an employee to be physically seated in the office by 6:30 am for the 7:00 am virtual meeting and failure to do so will be treated as insubordination. The screenshot further said that continued non-compliance may result in disciplinary action, including suspension, as per company policy.
Gen Z employees. Not the heroes we deserved, but the heroes we needed. pic.twitter.com/XNewTYuATE
— Lexis (@niilexis) February 2, 2026
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In response the employee said that they wont be physically appearing for a virtual meeting. The employee said they will be attending virtually as the meeting format suggests. The employee said that threatening suspension over location rather than attendance feels less like policy and more like PowerPoint abuse. The employee said, “I am online.”
Social Media Reaction
The Gen Z employee’s response has garnered widespread praise on social media with several users praising the employee for his sharp and on point response.
One user wrote, “You want him to come to the office by 6:30 for a virtual meeting. If the employer wanted him in the office so badly, why didn’t they make it a physical meeting?”
“This reminds me of a past manager who told me and my coworkers that although we started work at 8 and worked remote, we should still come into the meeting 15 minutes early, just as we would if we had to travel through traffic,” a user wrote.
One user wrote,” That reply is soothingly savage but on point. How do you want someone to be in the office at 6:30 am for a virtual meeting. These Kabogo type of boses deserve such replies.”
“I’m online” took me out. If it’s a virtual meeting, why does the employee need to be there physically? Some employers really do like stretching things cause the threats were unnecessary. Stating why they’re needed in the physical office would have been respectful,” said one user.
