The coworker who brought her toddler to Zoom meetings without telling anyone
It’s a hybrid world, so you’re used to seeing your coworkers in their pajamas, coffee in hand, and the occasional “I’m on mute” mishap. But Tessa, a seemingly normal colleague, turned every remote call into a live‑action show that could have been straight out of a sitcom.
During ordinary Zooms, the little hand would pop up over her webcam, a toy would ricochet across her keyboard like a rogue snowball, and a tiny voice would yowl “NOOOO” every time she hit unmute. Once the toddler slammed her laptop shut, the meeting abruptly ended for her—no explanation, no apology, just a quiet click.
Today, though, the plot thickened. We were presenting to a high‑stakes client, all faces serious, the screen split by corporate logos. Tessa answered a question, and the toddler’s voice erupted in the background: “MOMMY I POOPED ON THE FLOOR!” The client blinked, the director blinked, and Tessa blinked. Then she calmly said, “Excuse me for a moment,” and slid off the camera like a spy ending a covert operation. Thirty seconds later, everyone was left staring at their own screens in stunned silence.
Honestly, Tessa handled it like a pro. That scream will forever echo in my mind, though.
This is one of the reasons my last company lost WFH.
I get it, I have a 15 month old toddler and I know how expensive daycare is. I also understand that having a stay at home parent isn’t possible for many. I also understand that many people chose to have kids during covid when everything was remote and assumed it wouldn’t end.
But these type of incidents are the justification that upper management is using to remove those privileges.
I yelled the same thing during one of my wife's Zoom meetings. Her reaction was not as pleasant as this lady's.
She’s the reason why so employers are mandating a firm RTO policy.
One of the issues that developed during COVID was that no one was leaving the workforce, nor were maternity leaves being taken, nor short term disability leaves. I know this sounds great but it’s not. Taking leaves and/or leaving the workforce keeps the workforce healthy. I know some people actually hired baby sitting services even though they worked from home.
That’s not the reason. RTO was first done to get free lay offs. Then it’s been about control. People like this mother will work more hours at home due to guilt of people like you saying things that aren’t true
lol that is not why they’re mandating it.
TL;DR: Zoom meeting, toddler appears, toddler poops, everyone blinks. The real MVP? Tessa, the multitasking mom who turned a client call into a one‑minute sitcom episode.