Alabama woman says she was fired for posting TikToks at work, but claims coworkers who trained her did the same thing and kept their jobs

An Alabama woman says she lost her full-time job after posting TikTok videos that were recorded at her workplace. The creator, who goes by Liz Phillips on TikTok under the handle @lizard_83, shared a tearful video shortly after being let go, which has since gained over one million views on the platform.

In the TikTok video, Phillips said she had posted a clip earlier that day about wanting to pick up a second job to help cover her expenses. According to Phillips, she was called into HR less than 10 minutes after that video went live. “Not 10 minutes after I posted that video, they called me into HR and I just got fired from this full time job,” she said in the follow-up clip. “So now I don’t know what to do.”

Phillips did not name her employer in the videos, and the exact workplace policy she may have violated has not been publicly confirmed. The company’s side of the story has not been reported.

Phillips claimed she only filmed during breaks and was not the only employee using a phone on the job

After the video spread online, some viewers questioned Phillips in the comments, suggesting she should have known better than to film at work. In response, Phillips clarified that she did not believe she had broken any rules. “I always posted while outside on my breaks or lunch. I didn’t know I couldn’t record myself,” she wrote in the comments, according to the post.

She also alleged that other employees at the same workplace regularly used their phones during work hours without facing any consequences. “Others who trained me posted videos and even FaceTimed people while working. They watch movies on their phones and everything,” Phillips claimed in the comments. Her statements have not been independently verified. In a similar case, an Olive Garden waitress claimed management delayed her tip and then fired her.

The situation took a further turn when a user claiming to be the coworker who reported Phillips to HR allegedly entered the comments section of one of her videos. That user appeared to suggest there was more behind the firing than just the TikTok videos, though they did not provide specific details publicly. The account was later deleted, and the claims made by that user could not be confirmed.

Viewer reactions in the comments were divided. Some sided with Phillips and argued that phone use at work is widespread. Others were less sympathetic, with one commenter writing, “Why would you risk your job for a social media video?” Another commenter appeared skeptical of her original plan, writing, “How can you work two full time jobs? That doesn’t add up.” A separate TikToker’s rant about financial burnout sparked a fierce debate on whether women should work.

Some responses were more blunt. One commenter wrote, “YOU CAN’T FILM AT WORK EVER! How is this not common sense? Some companies will fire you if you just comment where you work.” Another wrote, “Pull it together, girl! We are all on the struggle bus, move forward.” A fifth commenter kept it short: “Hope we learned our lesson.”

Phillips’s original TikTok video, in which she was shown sitting at her desk thinking about her financial situation and the possibility of taking on additional work, appeared to be what triggered the HR meeting, according to her account. She said in the follow-up video that the timing between posting and being called in was nearly immediate.

It is unclear whether Phillips had been previously warned about phone or recording policies at her workplace, or whether the termination followed any prior disciplinary steps. Those details have not been made public. Phillips’s account represents her own version of events, and no statement from her former employer has been reported.

The original video showing Phillips at her desk and the follow-up clip posted after her firing were both still publicly available on her TikTok profile at the time of reporting. The follow-up video, in which she describes being fired, has drawn the bulk of the attention and viewer commentary.

Phillips has not publicly announced what her next steps are following the termination. Her comments on the videos suggest she was still processing the situation shortly after it happened, and she has not indicated whether she plans to take any formal action regarding her dismissal.