Overview

• An employee meant to vent privately about her manager’s use of “Let’s circle back and align cross-functionally” but mistakenly posted the screenshot in a group chat that included her team, manager, the manager’s boss and HR.
• Her manager responded with initial silence before HR emailed and then met with her, warning her to be more cautious without issuing a formal reprimand.
• After the blunder, the manager adopted an unusually formal and passive-aggressive tone and stopped using the employee’s name in communications.
• The employee’s detailed three-part Instagram video series about the incident went viral and continues to trend online.
• Social media users have turned the incident into a cautionary tale about the risks of digital miscommunication and corporate jargon in hierarchical workplaces.