CCTV Shows Husband's Relatable Reaction to 1st Day Back at Work After Trip

Nothing says your vacation is over like logging back into work email. One man's reaction to his messages has been watched more than 3 million times in just 24 hours—and it has the internet in stitches.

The "relatable" clip from a home security camera, posted on TikTok by his wife on her account @jeanettemcdonald0, begins with the husband sitting at his computer in a corner of the living room, peacefully eating. Then he opens an email, shouts "Oh no!" and swears … at length.

The man then returns to his snack, which tickled TikTokers even more. The video, which can be viewed here, has racked up more than 230,000 likes and close to 4,000 comments.

A total of 319.6 billion emails were sent and received worldwide in 2021, according to Statista. Estimates for how many emails arrive in a typical work-day vary widely, but a 2018 study by Adobe found that Americans spent more than three hours a day dealing with work emails.

TikTokers were curious about the message that provoked the horrified reaction but @jeanettemcdonald0 said in a follow-up post: "I just asked him. And he can't even remember."

This hasn't stopped people speculating, of course. One commented: "This screams 'forgot to set the out of office reply.'"

The top-rated comment on the clip, with more than 12,000 likes, said simply: "If Monday was a video."

Another user wrote: "Doesn't take a holiday for me to get like this. it's an everyday thing."

One joked: "Bro's inbox is as long as the queue to see Queen Elizabeth."

Many TikTokers remarked on the man's "stress-eating" and the reaction of his pet dog, who can be seen in the background of the scene lying on a sofa.

One wrote: "Meanwhile, the dogs thinking 'you ok bro, you don't seem ok.'"

Another posted: "The dogs thinking, 'I feel you mate but can you go and stress out somewhere else, your killing my vibe here.'

The dog: 'I still get to go on my walkies later though right?'"

The couple's home CCTV system captured a stressful moment for the man, but checking work emails when you're on vacation can lead to anxiety and burnout.

To avoid an "Oh no!" moment on your return, media executive Gregory Galant suggests "training other people on the essentials" a few days before you leave and preparing for "common emergencies."

In a 2019 post on LinkedIn, Galant wrote: "You should think about some common ones that may pop up and anticipate them. And take note: your team should only contact you for true emergencies, not small questions or when they simply can't find something."

Newsweek has reached out to @jeanettemcdonald0 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.