New COO Goes on Power Trip, Demands Everyone Take Lunch at Noon — It Backfires

If you're someone who loves a juicy story about a company executive going on a (short) power trip that ultimately backfires, grab some popcorn because, boy, do I have a story for you!

Now, I’ve never been the CEO or COO of a major corporation with dozens of people working under me, so I can't exactly know how it feels to have that much power.

But one thing I do know, I’d never abuse it or hold it over people's heads. I’m all about equality, whether you’re signing the paychecks or cleaning the toilets. Equals!

But apparently, the new COO at the company where TikTok user @unpluggedmoments works doesn’t quite share that philosophy. He tried to throw his weight around, but she and her co-workers got the last laugh when it all backfired after the CEO caught wind of what happened. Here’s what went down.

The COO's power trip lasted all of an hour, but it’s certainly one for the books. Here’s what happened:

TikToker @unpluggedmoments shared that a new COO joined her company and told everyone that all staff had to take lunch at noon, with no exceptions.

She mentioned that she had allowed her team flexibility to take lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. (hinting that she’s part of the executive team too), explaining that the system had worked flawlessly for four years with no issues.

Naturally, she asked for clarification, to which the COO replied, "Well, I'm the new COO, so that's the rule," and further pointed out that it also affected her. Clearly engulfed in his power, she responded with a simple, "OK."

So, when noon rolled around, she looked at her watch and said, "Let’s go!" Employees, a bit surprised and unsure, asked, "Are we really doing this?" She replied, "You, secretary, admin, custodial, you on the Zoom call with China, go ahead and hang up. You over there on the sales call, and you in the presentation, come on out. We're all going to lunch right now."

Ironically, while everyone went to lunch, she got a call from the COO. But, in accordance with his "no exceptions" rule, she ignored it because, hey, that was her time. After returning from lunch, she found a message from the COO requesting to see her.

When she headed over to his office, he asked, "What’s the meaning of this?" Before she could respond, her phone rang. Surprise — it's the CEO, who, as you can imagine, was wondering what had happened after the entire staff dispersed, some mid-meeting.

She explained to the CEO that she wasn’t sure what had gone down but that, per the COO’s instructions, everyone had taken their lunch at 12 p.m. Unsurprisingly, the CEO asked to speak with the COO, and that call lasted all of a minute. Moments later, she received an email from the COO advising, "Lunch can now resume between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m." And just like that, his so-called rule was gone.

She ended her video with some advice for anyone stepping into an executive role: Wait at least six months to a year before you start shaking things up.

It’s good practice to observe what works and what doesn’t, because making swift changes without proper evidence will only create more problems than solutions, as we saw here.