What he did on his day off sparked an unexpected twist with his boss... and his advice is going viral

"One piece of advice I’m going to give you: if you have your bosses or coworkers on your social media, block them now!" Gruinber Mazareigos, a young Latino living in the United States, made this clear in a TikTok video that went viral, leading thousands to reflect on the fine line between personal life and work.

Gruinber (@gruinber2m) shared that on his day off, while he was resting at home, he received a call from a coworker that seemed harmless. "He asked me what I was doing, and I, feeling confident, told him I was just getting up," he explained. Later, Gruinber's boss asked him to come in to cover a shift because there was a shortage of staff. However, he declined the request: "I told him that I already had plans for the afternoon."

The real problem arose later when the colleague who called him saw on Instagram that Gruinber was going hiking and, according to the creator, went straight to tell the boss everything. The next day, the boss reproached him: "He told me you knew you had nothing planned and that going hiking was not more important than supporting the work group." Without hesitation, Gruinber replied, "What I do or don’t do on my days off is not your concern." It was then that he decided to block all his colleagues and bosses on social media: "Sometimes they're quite gossipy, and any mistake you make gets taken to the boss."

The story, published four days ago, has garnered over 360 thousand likes, 2.7 million views, and nearly 8 thousand comments, most of which support Gruinber's position and share similar experiences. Some users did not hesitate to highlight how important it is to maintain workplace privacy. "Golden rule: The parasites at your job are never your friends"; "How dare you take a break on your day off?"; "Repeat after me: THERE ARE NO FRIENDS AT WORK."

Others took the opportunity to offer practical advice: "Work-life principle: don’t add anyone to your networks, avoid calls outside of work hours, and keep your personal life private"; "I have two phones, one personal and one for the office. On Friday at 5 p.m., I turn off the work phone and don’t turn it back on until Monday." Many agreed that Gruinber’s situation reflects a common issue: "One thinks schoolmates are bad until you meet coworkers"; "Your coworkers are potential enemies, always ready to pass information to the boss."

Some comments highlighted the absurdity of the boss's claim: "It was your day off, they have no right to bother you"; "Going hiking or just staring at the wall at home will always be more important than supporting the group"; "We are all replaceable at work, so set boundaries. Your rest is your rest, plain and simple."

Gruinber's experience also reignited the discussion about the boundaries between personal and professional life, a topic that clearly struck a chord with thousands of workers. As one user astutely noted: "A day off is untouchable. Even if it means just staring at the ceiling for 24 hours, no one has the right to comment."

Frequently Asked Questions about Privacy on Social Media and in the Workplace