As wildfires continue to devastate the greater Los Angeles area, burning over 45 square miles, torching over 1,300 structures, and putting nearly 180,000 people under evacuation orders, TikTok's LA-based employees are being told to either continue working from home or use their personal/sick days if that's not possible. This directive comes despite the company's LA office remaining closed due to power outages caused by high winds.

The Palisades Fire is close enough to TikTok's office that smoke can be seen out the windows, and although the Culver City-based office itself is not under mandatory evacuation orders, both it and many employees' homes are impacted by the fires, windstorms, and related problems. Employees in the region hail from all over the broader LA area, with some commuting hours into work, and many of their homes are currently without power, Wi-Fi, or both.

Unfortunately for staff dealing with this large-scale natural disaster, TikTok is telling them to use their personal or sick time to account for the days they need to take off due to these conditions. In messages from TikTok leadership to LA staff, the company informed employees that the LA office would be closed on January 8 and would remain closed through Sunday, January 12, as the fires continued to ravage the area and the office itself is without power.

The days the office is closed are being made Work From Home days as opposed to days off, however — unless an individual team leader decides otherwise. This means that employees who cannot work from home due to power or Wi-Fi outages, or if they're under evacuation orders, will have to use their personal/sick days, leaving them fewer days later in the year to use in case of an actual illness or other personal emergency.

TikTok's LA employees have 10 paid sick/personal (PSSL) days per year in addition to 15 PTO (paid time off/vacation) days, if they were hired before June. These sick/personal days are highly coveted, too, as TikTok's strict return-to-office policy requires employees to work from the office a minimum of three days per week.

Employees who can work from home still must go into their "My RTO" portal, where they manage their sick time, and change their work-from-home status to "natural disaster" to not be penalized. This won't subtract from their PSSL hours, though. Meanwhile, TikTok's PSSL policy documentation doesn't specifically state that the time can be used for natural disasters, such as these massive wildfires.

Instead, the policy says employees can use the time for either a physical or mental health condition, to take care of a family member with a health condition, or if the office is closed by the "order of public officials" due to a public health emergency, including exposures to an infectious agent, biological toxin, or hazardous material. While, arguably, smoke in the area could be "hazardous," not every TikTok LA employee facing poor air quality is also under an evacuation order enacted by a public official.

In several internal messages shared with us, employees are reporting their home has no power, or their city overall has no power. Some employees are worried about how bad their air quality is getting. Others are worried about using up their precious battery power or generator fuel just to work at home, given it's unclear how long these power outages will last.

Given the pressure TikTok is under due to the upcoming ban in the U.S., which is probably already impacting U.S. employees' mental health and stress levels, being told to keep working through a disaster of this scale comes across as a little tone-deaf. In fact, some internal messages reviewed by TechCrunch have very much a "business-as-usual" vibe to them despite the scale of the disaster at hand.

TikTok was asked for comment but didn't offer a response ahead of publication. The company's decision to prioritize work over employee well-being during this crisis has sparked concerns about its priorities and the impact on its employees' mental health.

Contact Sarah Perez at sarahp@techcrunch.com or @sarahperez.01 on Signal for further information.