A catering operations manager sparked a viral debate after sharing on TikTok that her creative out-of-office (OOO) emails, featuring stories or wellness tips, were deemed “unprofessional” by her boss. Taking to her TikTok page on November 22, Theo Moise explained in a viral video that she used artificial intelligence (AI) to craft engaging auto-replies.
In the video, which has since amassed nearly 2 million views, Theo started: “So I keep getting the same talking to from my boss about the exact same situation that I just apparently am not learning from.
“So I wanted to bring it to you because you let me know if I’m like, overreacting, if I’m bugging, or I’m just like a crash out because I don’t really understand.”
Theo went on to share her frustration over repeated conversations with her boss about her OOO emails, which ranged from quirky stories about adventures with squirrels and sharks to historical facts and wellness tips.
A catering operations manager sparked a viral debate
Despite revising her approach multiple times to align with professionalism standards, her boss continued to find the emails unsuitable.
The TikToker expressed disappointment, as she exclaimed: “Tell me why I had another conversation with this man today about how unprofessional that is?”
She added: “How is an out-of-office email unprofessional? Like, I’m out of office, and it’s literally just a fun, little quirky story, and you’re saying that it’s unprofessional?
“Like, how is it unprofessional? And I just feel like my personality is being smothered by corporate America right now, so I’m just, like, crashing out.
“But giving you 10 ways you can, you know, be a little healthier at your desk is unprofessional?”
A slew of people seemingly disagreed with Theo as a TikTok user commented: “‘How is an ooo email unprofessional?’ Here are 3 examples lol.”
She shared on TikTok that her creative out-of-office (OOO) emails, featuring stories or wellness tips, were deemed “unprofessional” by her boss
A person wrote: “He gave you three warnings. Just leave it as a simple OOO email before you’re OOO permanently.”
Someone else penned: “This is not the job market to be playing around in sis.”
“I don’t understand what you don’t understand,” a netizen added.
An observer noted: “He wants you to stop altogether. Hope this helps!”
A commentator stated: “Is this worth losing your job? You’re clinging to an entrepreneur’s creative freedom mindset, but in a 9-5 corporate setting, that won’t work.”
“How often are you OOO to be crafting so many stories,” a cybernaut shared.
Taking to her TikTok page on November 22, Theo Moise explained in a viral video that she used artificial intelligence (AI) to craft engaging auto-replies
An additional viewer remarked: “This isn’t the hill to die on lol.”
“Imagine you sent an urgent email to someone and their automated response was a story instead of letting you know who to contact while they’re out,” a person countered.
A separate individual chimed in: “Maybe start a newsletter or blog friend.”
Theo is a catering operations manager at a science museum. She admitted she never meant to be disrespectful or unprofessional.
The TikToker told People on Wednesday (November 27): “I sincerely thought it was a missed opportunity to showcase personality.
“I just wanted to be creative and create a spark of joy in people’s mundane 9 to 5. And when a few people gave me positive feedback about it, I thought my intentions worked, now I am not sure if they were being sarcastic about it.”
She reportedly explained that she also wasn’t crafting her funny email stories on the clock, but instead using AI to generate them.
Her video has since amassed nearly 2 million views
@chefmoisehere Like who wants to write some boring ah email #chefmoise #corporatelife #oooemail ♬ original sound – Theo🇭🇹🏳️🌈
Theo said: “I didn’t take company time to write a fable, I just put in a prompt into AI and 15 seconds later, a whole email.
“It’s very simple and, nowadays, accessible to be unique. I do not fear being different, I fear being forgettable.”
Theo expressed feeling stifled by corporate culture, lamenting that her personality is being “smothered by corporate America.”
@chefmoisehere #chefmoise #oooemail ♬ original sound – Theo🇭🇹🏳️🌈
While some online suggested she tone down her creative out-of-office emails, she also revealed facing harsh criticism, including accusations of being a “personality hire” or a diversity, equity, and inclusion hire.
She told People: “I am uniquely qualified, self-accomplished, very educated, and experienced.
“I am doing so well for my age … I am valuable. It highlights what people truly think about me and people like me in the corporate space.”
On Tuesday (November 26), Theo shared a humorous update on TikTok, admitting: “All jokes aside, I understand why I shouldn’t do this anymore.”
Theo’s video continued to ignite different reactions
