After an employee’s grandmother died, they texted their manager that they’d be taking bereavement leave for the funeral. The response became a case study in how not to manage grief.
The manager pushed back, questioning whether the grandmother counted as “immediate family” and calling the timing “terrible” with a big upcoming pitch meeting. The exchange reached millions when George Stern, a former McKinsey consultant, read the texts deadpan to camera, becoming one of his most viral Instagram and TikTok videos.
The outrage from his followers didn’t surprise Stern, who now runs a firm that grows and sells small businesses when he’s not creating content. But the volume of recognition did. Stern says he’s since received roughly 100 more bereavement stories from people who had been treated similarly at work.
“Corporations are losing trust, like every other institution in the country right now,” Stern said. “They’re out of touch with the experience of their employees on the ground.”
Stern has built an audience, he says, by putting that disconnect on display—and he thinks HR leaders should pay attention.
