Thelife- Gen Z TikTokers are poking fun at their older colleagues who use the term "out of pocket."
- Millennials and boomers use the phrase to say they'll be away for part of the day.
Have you ever been "out of pocket" while at work? Your answer probably depends on whether you're part of Gen Z.
The TikToker @notahand pointed out in a video on Saturday that different generations had different understandings of what it meant to be "out of pocket" — and dozens of Gen Z commenters are poking fun at their older colleagues for using the term "incorrectly." As of Monday, the video had over 900,000 views and 1,000 comments.
@notahand #stitch with @Andrew Schiavone imma. E outta pocket for a minute #millennial ♬ original sound - notahand
For millennials and boomers, the term can mean they'll be away for part of the day and may be unreachable, like if they have a dentist appointment.
For Gen Zers, the phrase means acting chaotically or out of hand — so the idea of your manager being "out of pocket" for the afternoon has younger workers absolutely losing it.
"My boss, every time she's going to be out of the office for a portion of the day — not a whole day but for, like, a doctor's appointment or something — she'll say, 'I'm going to be out of pocket today from 1 to 2,'" the TikToker said. "It just cracks me up every time because it's like, 'What are you going to get up to, girl?'"
The video struck a chord with other young people whose bosses say the same thing.
"A client casually said my manager was out of pocket that day and I almost asked 'omg what did he do this time,'" one commenter wrote.
Meanwhile, some millennials in the comments section were shocked that it could mean anything other than "busy" or "unreachable."
One person wrote: "39 and I have never heard that used for other than, not available. I feel so very old rn."
The term has created a generational divide for at least the past year. In December, The Washington Post published a "cringe quiz" to help workers determine whether they're "fluent in Gen Z office speak."
One of the questions read: "You say you're going to be 'out of pocket' for a week. Your Gen Z colleague is confused. Why?"
Meanwhile, a 2022 post on the subreddit r/unpopularopinion called out both definitions of the term — being unavailable or going wild — saying neither made much sense.
People don't "understand the meaning of the phrase 'out of pocket' and use it wrong," the original poster wrote.
They went on to say that the term made sense only when it conveyed that you had to pay for something yourself.