• BI spoke with four people who use social media to share different perspectives on their jobs.
• Through dances and skits, these individuals showcase community, passion, and purpose.
• Grocery store associates make videos to fight boredom while a teacher highlights diversity in STEM.

Every day, Linisha Smith clocks in at 5 a.m. to restock the aisles at a Safeway in Seattle. After three decades of shelving, it was starting to get boring.

That's when Smith and her two coworkers, Brian Bosch and Melissa Turner, started filming 40-second TikTok videos during their 10-minute breaks. The three of them that make the core cast of #breakroomchronicles.

Business Insider spoke to four people who use social media to share different perspectives on their jobs through skits and dance videos, while also showcasing community, passion, and purpose.

Grocery store workers dance through boredom at work

Three years, more than 400,000 followers, and 11.8 million likes later, the #breakroomchronicles trio has amassed a robust audience by wearing props like neon green boa scarves and frumpy wigs as they dance and lip-sync to songs.

"When I'm with these guys my day goes by quickly," said Turner, 47. "It makes the environment happy.

Sometimes the three of them get recognized at work or are called to the checkout area to take pictures with fans. Bosch, 67, said one customer told him the videos were popular in Uganda.

"We get a lot of comments saying, 'You guys hiring? I should apply,' " Smith said.

A nurse shows healthcare workers aren't just burned out

Mary Kat Wardlow began training to be a nurse two years ago and noticed a lot of healthcare workers shared content about hating their jobs. More than a quarter of nurses planned to leave the field by 2027, per a 2022 survey of nearly 335,000 nurses published in 2023 by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

When she started posting "day in the life" videos about working as an orthopedic nurse with older patients at a hospital in Chicago, she said other healthcare professionals online gravitated toward her positive attitude.

"You get to take care of people when it's possibly some of the worst days of their lives," Wardlow said of her work as a nurse. Despite the hard days where she can be on her feet for an entire 12-hour shift, she is deeply grateful for her work. "I feel like I'm really making a difference in people's lives."

Wardlow shares videos about her work-life balance or dance routines with her coworkers to over 12,700 followers. She enjoys seeing the response from the larger nursing community, especially peers her own age.

"I love seeing the newer nurses being like, 'Oh, this is so inspiring. This is what we want to see as we're entering our nursing careers,' " the 23-year-old said.

A science teacher highlights diversity and playfulness in STEM

It was the beginning of the pandemic lockdown and associate professor of chemistry and neuroscience André Isaacs was transferring his courses online. Several people recommended he check out TikTok to better understand his Gen Z students.

At first, he used it to cope, he said. Then it became a way to excite his followers about science. He wants to change the narrative around stuffy scientists sitting alone surrounded by research. Many of his videos show Isaacs and his students at the College of the Holy Cross wearing lab coats amid beakers and flasks.

Isaacs now has over half a million followers on TikTok and one of his most popular videos, which parodies Kendrick Lamar's recent Super Bowl performance, has over 400,000 likes on Instagram.

"Diversity is our greatest asset, even if the government disagrees… They not like us! POC in STEM are here to stay," the caption for the Super Bowl-inspired video reads, pulling lyrics from Lamar's song "Not Like Us."

That's the other side of Isaacs' goofy dances: his passion for highlighting diversity in STEM and championing science communication.

"As a Black queer immigrant, I remember growing up, I didn't see a whole lot of role models or people who look like me in STEM," Isaacs said.

A teacher uses skits to inspire his high school students

Two years ago, high school marketing teacher Berhanu Dallas did not even have Instagram. Today, his account — which was started by his students — has over 1.4 million followers.

The 36-year-old Forest Park High School teacher became a social media hit once his students started pitching him skit ideas to showcase life inside the classroom. Many of the videos feature comical skits where he eats an apple his students picked from the trash can or is mocked for having dry skin.

Parents and school administrators know it's all in good fun and have given him good feedback, Dallas said. He thinks that's because the videos show a side of school life where students are engaged and excited about school.

"There's this perception that students are rude and disrespectful," Dallas said. "I really wanted to start a channel to show people a different side of teaching. A teacher that loves being in the classroom and students that love being in the classroom as well."

Dallas films with his students on Fridays after school and on the weekends. But the extra work is worth it for Dallas who uses student participation in the videos as an opportunity to engage them toward academic success.

How do you find meaning and purpose in your work? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].

• A hiring slowdown has made it harder for workers to change jobs.
• Job-switching helped many Americans increase their pay in recent years.
• Asking for a raise could help some workers land a pay bump if job-switching isn't available.

Job-switching used to be a solid strategy for landing a pay bump. Now, it could be time to go back to basics and ask for a raise.

Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, previously told Business Insider that wage growth tends to be higher for workers who switch jobs than for those who stay at their employers. However, finding a new job may not be so easy: US businesses are hiring at nearly the lowest rate in the past decade, excluding a two-month pandemic-related dip, per data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For workers who want to boost their pay before the hiring landscape improves, the next tactic is asking for a raise, researchers of organizational behavior and career development told BI. They shared the best ways workers can advocate for a raise — and what they should do if their requests are denied.

Are you struggling to find a higher-paying job? Are you comfortable sharing your story with a reporter? Please fill out this form.

Be mindful of when and how you ask for a raise

Workers shouldn't be afraid to request a raise, the researchers said.

"I would want to push people out of this mentality that asking for a raise is somehow bad or wrong," Jennifer Tosti-Kharas, a professor of organizational behavior at Babson College, told BI. She added that working hard and hoping you'll eventually be rewarded with a pay increase — but not strongly advocating for one — is a risky plan because some companies might be happy to have a high-performing employee at a modest pay level.

However, when a worker asks for a raise can be crucial to getting one. Harshal Varpe, a career trends expert at Indeed, told BI that the best times are typically when the company performs a salary review or after a big accomplishment.

Tosti-Kharas said that workers who've been asked to take on extra work following layoffs, resignations, or retirements should also consider asking for a pay bump.

"The worst case scenario is that you suddenly take on double the work for no additional title, no additional compensation," she said.

However, Tosti-Kharas said that if a worker believes they have a strong case for a raise, they don't necessarily need to wait for the perfect moment to make the request.

Ask for the right number — and be able to back it up

Both Tosti-Kharas and Varpe said it's important for workers to prepare for their conversations with their managers.

Varpe said researching industry pay standards, having a specific pay figure or range in mind, and being prepared to present your accomplishments — using data if possible — could help workers secure a pay bump.

Tosti-Kharas said having insight into how much your coworkers earn could also be helpful — particularly if they're earning more and are at a similar experience level. However, she recommended not citing a specific employee's name or pay and instead speaking more generally about trends in coworkers' pay.

If coworker pay information isn't available or helpful, Tosti-Kharas said employees could point to the compensation levels for comparable roles posted on external job platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed. They could also ask whether there is a salary range for their current role that might be placing a ceiling on their pay.

If an employer denies a raise request, both career researchers said workers should ask for specific feedback about how they can achieve a different outcome in the future.

"A good manager should not keep this secret," she said. "They should be happy to tell you because it motivates you."

Explore opportunities for career advancement

While a raise might help increase your pay in the short term, how high you rise in the ranks could determine your long-term pay trajectory.

During pay conversations with their managers, it could be helpful for workers to signal their ambition for higher-level roles by talking about their desire to take on new challenges and responsibilities, Tosti-Kharas said.

Varpe said that upskilling — or developing new skills — could also increase a worker's chances of a future pay bump. Varpe said high-demand skills related to generative AI, data analysis, and project management could be worth investing in, perhaps by taking an online course.

"Think of it as leveling up in a video game — each new skill is like an extra life," he said.

If all else fails, Varpe said workers could also try asking for non-monetary perks like additional vacation days or remote work flexibility.

"Employers may be reluctant to increase your salary but be willing to offer you other benefits," he said.