‘Don’t be alarmed’: 30yo’s working from home act sparks debate
A CEO has fired up over what she claims is an “arrogant” act, after a young Aussie went viral for sharing how she answered a “serious” video call.
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A working from home debate has erupted after a young Aussie answered a work video call while in a pool.
Chloe Baradinsky, who quit her corporate job in December after 18 months with the company because she felt isolated and unsupported, is refusing to abide by “rigid” work structures in 2025.
The 30-year-old posted a video that has now amassed over one million views. In it, she shared that she’d just taken a “really serious” call while relaxing in the pool and, in the caption, claimed her work attire is “strictly a string bikini”.
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She said that when the man answered, he assumed it was a “fake background”, but when reality dawned on him, he was shocked.
He reportedly said, “Oh god”, before expressing his disbelief that she was “actually” taking a call from the pool in her bikini.
“I’m sorry, but ever since I left corporate, I just refuse to participate in those really rigid structures,” she said.
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Despite the man’s shock, the meeting continued, and the 30-year-old stayed in the pool for the remainder of their discussion.
“We were talking about serious things, and I was obviously here splashing in my magnesium pool, and I was like, ‘Just don’t be alarmed if you see some white horses trot behind me because lots of white horses roam this property’,” she said.
“He was like ‘Who are you?’”
While Ms Baradinsky isn’t in a corporate job anymore and is her own boss now working on her robe company, K-Juliet, the clip took on a life of its own, and people debated whether this was acceptable behaviour while working remotely.
There were plenty of Aussies that loved her boldness.
“When I grow up I want to be you,” one praised, another said the act was “iconic”, and someone else called taking work calls from the pool “goals”.
“Can we normalise this?” one begged.
“So jealous!” another admitted.
Others claimed they were “manifesting” this kind of work life for their future and plenty pointed out how “happy” she looked.
Lyndall Spooner, the CEO of Consultancy Company Fifth Dimension, said this kind of behaviour is “inappropriate” if you’re having a work meeting.
“It comes down to being professional and showing respect to others. If you have a meeting and other people have given up their time to be there then you must be respectful and give that meeting your full attention,” she said.
“Claiming to be sitting at a desk and focusing on what you are being paid to do in the ‘corporate world’ or implying those of us who do so are ‘stupid’ is incredibly insulting and arrogant.”
Ms Spooner said there’s nothing wrong with taking a break, but it can be seen as “arrogant” and “insulting” to take a call in such an unprofessional environment.
The CEO stressed that there’s nothing wrong with taking a break in the day to go for a swim, run or a walk, but it shouldn’t bleed into your actual work time.
“For many businesses it is impossible to do our work effectively while sitting in a pool and if they were meant to be in a meeting it would be completely inappropriate and would warrant a serious discussion on their commitment to work,” she said.
In general though, Ms Spooner is pro WFH and said she’s very “comfortable” with her team working from home and taking breaks when they need to.
“I believe my team are happier having a hybrid working environment and they are completely professional whenever we have a work call or a meeting online with a client,” she said.
“It comes down to the person and not the policy. If you have great people who have integrity you have no problem.”
Last year, a clip of two women typing away on laptops from the beach in their bikinis went viral, as big companies like Amazon, Tabcorp, and the NSW Government axed their WFH policies.
The response to the bikini workers was mixed, mostly with people wondering how effectively anyone could work from the beach.
“Can’t think of a worse place to use a laptop,” one mused.
“I’m surprised their laptops don’t overheat,” someone said.
“My laptop gets too hot and I couldn’t see the screen properly,” another shared.
“Time to grow up and go back to work, and as an employer, I’d be tracking your every movement and location if I was to even consider letting people WFH,” one claimed.
“They must have their cameras switched off,” someone else theorised.
Recruitment expert Roxanne Calder told news.com.au that effectively working from the beach probably comes down to what kind of work you’re doing.
“I think if you’re doing something solo and it works for you, then sure, whatever it takes. For most people I think it is fraught with issues,” she said.
Ms Calder pointed out that privacy should be a massive concern for workers when deciding to work in public places.
“You need to be careful who can view your laptop screen and who has access to it,” she warned.
The recruitment expert said that if you work remotely, it is the remote worker’s responsibility to make it work.
“We have a co-worker who is based in the UK, and she’s been working remotely for us for seven years, and that works because she’s the one that puts in the effort to make it work,” she explained.
“She’s committed, she’s structured and she builds relationships.”
Ms Calder said that bosses contact her “all the time” because their remote workers are taking a mile when they’ve been given an inch, and are working from places the employers are concerned aren’t productive.
She explained it often comes down to making sure the expectations are clear when people are working remotely.
“It becomes a problem if you don’t have a good policy in place,” she said.
Originally published as ‘Don’t be alarmed’: 30yo’s working from home act sparks debate
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