Corporate Erin Is Both Hilarious and Shockingly Accurate
Published Jan. 17 2024, 6:11 p.m. ET
Sometimes, the best form of escapism is making fun of the most mundane parts of life. There are countless service workers on TikTok who have gone viral for recreating some of the ridiculous and infuriating conversations they've had with customers or managers, providing hours of comic relief for users. And those who work corporate jobs can also find similar comedic relief on the app with skits like "Corporate Erin," making viewers laugh while also reminding them of their day jobs.
Lisa Beasley's "Corporate Erin" has gone viral on TikTok.
Anyone who has worked a corporate job knows that it involves a lot of mundane tasks day-to-day, and in some of the worst cases, the managers in these jobs make things worse.
TikToker Lisa Beasley embodies those infuriatingly incompetent managers with her character Corporate Erin, the "Managerial Managistic Manager for Managerial Logistics."
Lisa's TikTok introducing Corporate Erin takes place at a virtual meeting at nine in the morning, featuring a slightly disheveled Erin who uses corporate buzzwords like "bandwidth," "deliverables," and "onboard" as she explains her presence. This intro video alone has more than nine million views currently, and the comments are filled with viewers complimenting her portrayal of the typical busybody manager.
"The dry swallow is everything!" one commenter said, while another acknowledged the various buzzwords. "Cadence, bandwidth, wheelhouse, critical, deliverables, give you your minute back, Nailed it."
"I’m sorry for whatever you went through that made you SO good at this. My condolences," another commenter said, to which Lisa replied "Feeling seen. Thank you #ptsd."
Lisa's character not only conducts these virtual meetings micromanaging her various employees, but she also does livestreams to explain why there won't be raises at the end of the quarter, despite record-breaking profits.
"It’s so wild how they say everything but nothing at the same time," one commenter said.
As Lisa's followers get more into her character, they continue to almost roleplay the mundanity of corporate life in the comments.
"Will the time we spend in office on Monday be given back to us as a Comp day? We have a cookout scheduled and the portal keeps freezing when I request the time," one commenter joked on a video where Corporate Erin declared that everyone had to be in the office on MLK Day for the "finale celebration" of Black History Month.
Of course, all of these videos are meant as satire and not an entirely accurate portrayal of the environment at any one office, but it's a niche that many TikTokers can relate to. Thanks to these videos and livestreams, Lisa's account now has more than 307,000 followers. Many of her top-performing videos are of Corporate Erin, each bringing in anywhere from 100,000 to more than 1 million views apiece. She's even collaborated with Nicole Daniels, who does the non-profit boss skit on TikTok.
Though this is "just a skit" for Lisa, it's one that clearly hits home for a lot of viewers. Lisa, of course, has other characters she portrays on her TikTok page, but Corporate Erin's vocal inflection and tone continue to make her a favorite among many.