When the enhanced community quarantine was enforced, part of the workforce was asked to work from home. Those used to the office setup struggled with the free-for-all of remote work. Perhaps the biggest struggle is how to handle the inevitable videocall meetings. Not many know the “rules” of what to wear, where to sit, and how to get the rest of the family to cooperate. As a result, we’ve seen hilarious clips of people clearly naked or peeing in the toilet while on a conference call (that’s me on the upper right, wearing just a silk robe. The following meeting, my boss asked us to wear pants).
We compiled some of our favorite stories and you can read them below:
9. The one with the rooster
May isang incident na may job interview ako using Skype. Yung interviewer ko Amerikano. Biglang tumilaok yung manok dito sa amin. Ang sabi nung nag-interview sakin, “Oh, it’s morning there in the Philippines. Heard a loud rooster a minute ago.” – Christian L.
8. The one with the cat
I was on a company call with the entire workforce. We were required to have our cameras on. I was tasked to do the report for our department so I made sure that my makeup was on point, hair was in a bun, the family informed to not make noise, and that my corner was well lighted. My turn arrived and I started presenting my deck. Everything was going well when halfway my cat decided to join. She then proceeded to show her butt on camera so when you look at my screen, it’s half her butt, half my face. I did half the presentation with her pink butt in plain sight, obscuring half the monitor, while she cleaned my entire face. My coworkers were trying so hard to not laugh the entire time. It’s a good thing my boss was very understanding. – Kathy N.
7. She made the extra effort
Last week was my first week at [redacted]. So I also had my first client call. Nag-blazer pa ko, ganern. Tapos si client naka t-shirt pambahay lang. NR lang siya! – Anonymous
6. The hubadera
Nakipag-video call with [a client] and naka–sando lang ako. Na-shookt si [client]. Ano daw yung suot ko. Ang hubadera ko naman daw. [Sila naka] t-shirts. – Anonymous
5. The one with another cat
I was in a Skype meeting when my cat screamed bloody murder. My colleague asked me if my baby needed something. I blurted out something like, “Yes! No! I mean, yes he needs something, but he’s a cat, not a baby! I don’t have kids!” Now whenever I have a Skype meeting, I make sure my cats have had their treats so they don’t scream at me. – Mich E.
4. She’s a singer
My sister was singing a Ben&Ben song, totally feeling it, not knowing her mic was on while someone else was presenting a report. Everyone in the meeting knew it was her because hers and the presenter’s were the only mics on. – Cami V.
3. The angry mom
Habang nagwo-work ako, biglang tumawag yung boss ko. Inutusan ako ng mama ko. As in pinapagalitan pa ako habang may kausap ako sa Skype. – Melanie L.
2. Seriously, what is up with the pets?
[Ito naman yung] officemate ng ate ko. Manganganak na yung aso niya. May meeting sila [tapos] pumasok yung nanay niya, sabi, “Ano, ako ba magpapaanak ng aso mo?” – Nessa T.
1. The worst possible thing that can happen on a call
I was on a conference call with my team. Then my nanay walks in just wearing panties while getting more laundry. She was about to take a bath. Buti na lang hindi siya nahagip ng camera ko. Que horror. Ever since that incident, I enable the blur background of Microsoft Teams. Pero mahirap siya pag Facebook Messenger or sa phone lang. – Anonymous
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