Most people have done something at work they probably shouldn’t have. Maybe left a little early, stretched a lunch break, or taken home some extra supplies.
But one man decided that a client visit was close enough to this natural attraction to justify blowing off the rest of his shift entirely while still in his work clothes. Would you have done the same thing?
Ditching Work For Natural Beauty
In a viral video with more than 2.5 million views, comedian and creator Kevin Fredericks (@kevonstagetiktok) confesses one of the better workplace detours you’ll ever hear.
The picture that goes with it says everything: Kevin standing in front of a sweeping, snow-covered mountain landscape, arms raised, wearing a button-up shirt and tie.
The story starts innocently enough. Kevin was working at a bank where he also sold life insurance, and he had to drive 45 minutes out from the branch to get a client to sign some policy documents—standard stuff. But on the way back, he did some quick math.
“By the time I got to her house, I was like, ‘Dang, Mt. Rainier is only another hour fifteen,'” he says in the TikTok. “So instead of going back to the branch, I said, ‘Man, I’ve never been this close to Mt. Rainier.'”
So he went in his slack shirt and tie, took pictures, had hot chocolate, and spent the whole day there.
When he finally returned to the branch, his manager flagged the timeline.
“He’s like, ‘That took a lot longer than I thought,'” Kevin recalls. “I was like, ‘Yeah man, she wasn’t ready. It took a long time. She offered me tea, so I ended up staying.'”
But when Kevin posted the photos online, it wasn’t hard to tell that he’d skipped out on work.
“Obviously I wore the same thing to work,” he says. “But you know what, I wouldn’t regret it—because Mt. Rainier is majestic, and you gotta go majestic over job.”
In the caption he added that “they absolutely should have fired me from the bank.”
What It Means To Be Fired With Cause
According to The Muse, being fired with cause means your employer ended your employment for a specific reason tied directly to your behavior or performance.
Employees fired with cause typically don’t qualify for severance pay, and in most states, they’re also disqualified from collecting unemployment benefits. Common reasons include gross misconduct, insubordination, theft, and violating company policies.
If you do find yourself fired with cause, The Muse recommends starting by seeking clarification from HR and reviewing your employment contract to understand your rights.
If you believe the termination was unjust, you can gather evidence—emails, performance reviews, written warnings—and consult an employment lawyer about whether you have grounds for a wrongful termination claim.
And when it comes to your next job interview, the advice is simple: Be honest. Keep it brief. And focus on what you learned rather than relitigating the whole situation.
If you were fired without cause, that typically means a layoff or restructuring, and in most cases, you’d be entitled to severance pay, continued benefits for a period of time, and unemployment benefits while you look for your next gig.
Is Mount Rainier Worth Losing A Job Over?
According to Outside, Mount Rainier is the tallest peak in Washington at 14,410 feet and the most glaciated mountain in the lower 48. It looks, in every season, like a picture of what a mountain should be.
Located about two hours from Seattle, it spans over 236,000 acres of hiking trails, alpine meadows, and sweeping glacial views.
John Muir once described the Paradise area (one of the park’s most popular spots) as “the most luxuriant and most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings.”
Commenters React
“This is so Michael Scott of you,” a top comment read.
“ONLY 1 hr 15 is killing me because that isn’t a quick stop,” a person said.
“Looks like top tier customer service,” Indeed wrote.
“These are the things u will never regret in life lmao,” a commenter added.
@kevonstagetiktok I went to Mt. Rainier during a work day. They absolutely should have fired me from the bank.
BroBible reached out to Kevin Fredericks for comment via TikTok direct message.