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18th Mar 2022

Man moves into office cubicle to save money on rent – and it doesn’t end well

April Curtin

He literally moved all of his stuff in and donned a onesie around the office

An office worker actually moved all of his belongings into his office cubicle because he said he wasn’t paid enough to work and rent at the same time.

Chibuzor Ejimofor, who uses the name Simon Jackson professionally, went viral after recording a TikTok of himself moving into his work cubicle.

Talking over the video, he said: “This is me taking all of my belongings from multiple bags and unpacking them. I’m moving from my apartment into my cubicle at work.

“They do not pay me enough to do both so as a matter of protest I am just going to live at my job and we’ll see how long I can get away with this.”

The video was only published on March 8 but has already been viewed over 12 million times.

He also posted follow-up videos showing his huge stock of candy, protein, books, clothes and fabrics (“I make clothes sometimes”) which he brought with him into the office.

However as well as millions of people online, the move came to the attention of his employee – and the whole thing did not end quite as well, apparently…

In one of his follow-up videos, Jackson claimed he was forced to leave the Seattle offices at design and engineering consultancy firm, Arcadis, just four days after he’d sorted out his new set up.

The 28-year-old said that when his TikToks were discovered, the human resources department called him and demanded he clear his things from the desk. Jackson claims they told him to delete his TikTok videos from the social media platform or he would be terminated.

So, Jackson said he chose to leave the company.

Speaking to The New York Post, Jackson said that, while it was a “protest”, he was also in a sticky situation time-wise.

The lease was ending on his apartment and the rent was going up, so he had to move out and no apartments had accepted his application.

“[The apartments] were too expensive anyway, and I was denied a performance review by my employer,” he claimed, “which would have offered him a potential raise.

“When I found my company had an empty office downtown, this was the perfect solution as it was close to all of the venues I frequent and it would be free.”

Sadly, he said he believes his time living in the office might have lasted a bit longer if he hadn’t posted about it online.

Despite this, he said he understands the employer’s decision.

Simon Jackson said is feeling positive about his future [TikTok: @calm.simon]
Speaking to Insider, Jackson said: “I wish they approached the TikToks differently and maybe had a conversation with me about whether there was something more serious going on in terms of money,” he said. “But do I understand their response? 100 percent.”

The TikToker, who has been staying at an Airbnb in Seattle, still has bright hopes for his future.

He told the Post: “I’ve gotten so many views now, so maybe I can take that and work on building my brand. I can always find another job if that doesn’t work out.”

“I might get back in the corporate game, but until then, follow my travels and connect with me on IG or TikTok!”

JOE contacted Arcadis for comment but is yet to hear back.

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