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Horrible Bosses

Boss says "If you're 1 minute late I'm docking 15 minutes from your time" gets mad when I don't work the 15 minutes I was docked for free.

'I enjoy what I do but I don't do it for free': Construction worker stands up to boss after getting docked 15 minutes for being one minute late

This dude created a wave of malicious compliance seemingly by accident!
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'Just do as you're told': Boss tells employee to stop asking questions at work and they comply, leading to boss making costly mistake

'Just do as you're told': Boss tells employee to stop asking questions at work and they comply, leading to boss making costly mistake

One of the most important qualities of a good boss is their ability to give informational answers to their employee's questions. If they can't, or won't, help the people who work for them so they can become better at what they do, what is even the point in hiring employees? They can go ahead and just do all the work themselves. I hope the boss in this Malicious Compliance Reddit story would learn that she needs her employees just as much as they need her. An employee shared that after she quest…
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'You asked for this...': Employee gets caught between upper management and supervisors, leading to clever compliance to end their power trip

'You asked for this...': Employee gets caught between upper management and supervisors, leading to clever compliance to end their power trip

Hierarchy is the cornerstone of the business world. There will always be subordinates and superiors in the organization based on seniority and experience. But what would happen if you were caught in the middle of an argument, or perhaps a more accurate description, an ego clash, between two of your managers? Well, the story below is an account of a dissatisfied store salesperson. OP has worked at a single shop for the past six months. Six months is a century in the retail industry, particularly…
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'Boss [is] listening to private conversations': Toxic boss plants secret security camera, records employees' side conversations

'Boss [is] listening to private conversations': Toxic boss plants secret security camera, recording employees at work

Sometimes it feels like your boss is watching your every move because that's exactly what he's doing. This employee realized in the worst way possible that their employer was secretly recording their side conversations like this was some Linda Tripp situation. It turns out that the folks of Reddit were hyper-aware of this surprisingly common practice. As a relatively anxious worker, I always feel the often nonexistent presence of an authority figure breathing down my neck and monitoring my ever…
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War-Veteran Mechanic Wins a $400,000 Settlement After Calling His Dirtbag Ex-Boss's Bluff

Not many of us have the financial luxury to sue anybody. Even if we have a case of a hostile workplace or cut wages or unpaid overtime, usually the cost of a lawyer is enough to dissuade us from pursuing justice. Unfortunately, this is how a lot of blue-collar and minimum-wage employees are exploited time and time again... But there are stories of fabled heroes standing up for the little man, where justice prevails and dirtbag bosses get exactly what they deserve.
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'I quit well over 10 years ago': Worker gets called in to work a shift at the fast food place they left 10 years prior

It's a funny thing, really, leaving a job. One day, a huge part of your life is handling the trials and tribulations of your role, the emotional turmoil of navigating the uniquely terrible sociopolitical drama of your workplace, and the stress of your capricious boss's unpredictable reactions; the next, none of it matters anymore—you're never stepping foot back there again. Of course, the trauma and lasting burnout may take some time to rebound from, but ten years down the track, the very worst…
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'These four paid unused vacation days will cost you THOUSANDS': Manager denies worker's vacation, claiming new rule in unpublished employee handbook

'These four paid unused vacation days will cost you THOUSANDS': Manager denies worker's vacation, claiming new rule in unpublished employee handbook

Things could have been so much easier for this company if this manager just acquiesced and accepted his employee's PTO request. Here, we have a loyal employee who was hoping to use his four paid unused vacation days that had rolled over, only to have his request denied by his manager. It wasn't just a timing or scheduling issue; the days were flat-out taken away from him. The Redditor, who shared his story via this thread on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit, gathered enough evidence and…
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'Ok, then I quit': Employee quits when HR tries to make them work weekends after learning they have a side hustle

It's incredible when your employer thinks they own your entire life just because they're paying you for a small amount of your time. For some reason, they seem to think that giving your time to other interests somehow takes away from your contributions to your work. Almost as if they feel threatened that you have a life outside your career. This probably stems from the fact that their work is probably their entire life, and they probably can't stand being home with their spouse and kids. As a r…
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'Two can play that game...': Overworked hotel employee gets even with upper management following their refusal to accommodate his medical condition

'Two can play that game...': Overworked hotel employee gets even with upper management following their refusal to accommodate his medical condition

The business world is cruel. They take great pride in their well-known motto, which emphasizes the value of family and how they treat their staff as one large, happy family. But when the chips are down, who gets pushed aside first? Yes, exactly. Think about that for a moment. The story that follows is from a dissatisfied hotel employee. At the time of the incident, OP had been managing multiple duties. He drove the shuttle for one of the airline crews and was responsible for loading and unloadi…
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'You’re manifesting my business's failure': Dispiteous boss accuses employee of "manifesting failure" of her business

Get your Tarot cards out and crystals ready cause we're out here trying to manifest the failure of every terrible boss we've ever had. Try or not, in a way, we're all manifesting something… I “manifested” two tacos and a side of sweet, sweet guacamole not thirty minutes ago. But, what I've recently consumed isn't really the point here, we're more concerned about accusations of the manifestation of a businesses failure being thrown around like the Salem witch trials.
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Update: 'Am I being ghosted?': Ex-employee denied final payment, DOL agent steps in

Update: 'Am I being ghosted?': Ex-employee denied final payment, DOL agent steps in

Nothing says getting back at your former boss like a call from the Department of Labor. This employee shared that he was being ghosted by his ex-employer regarding his final paycheck. After numerous texts and attempts at communication, he shared his story via this thread on Reddit . Once folks in the comments section suggested that he get in contact with the DOL, he decided to follow suit. We come across many stories here at FAIL Blog that follow employees getting mistreated and horrible bosses…
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Teenager sabotages boss's business after getting his pay docked: ''[I] took the phone off the hook [and] locked the door'

Teenager sabotages boss's business after getting his pay docked: ''[I] took the phone off the hook [and] locked the door'

There are some managers out there who are just asking for their employees to enact some petty revenge on them. For starters, docking someone's pay constantly and for unnecessary reasons is a great example of what to do if you're trying to inspire the opposite of loyalty among the people working for you. This Redditor , who was a teenager at the time, was in constant fear of getting his pay docked for no good reason. Tensions were rising as the biggest day of business for OP's boss was approachi…
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Worker quits their job by walking out without saying anything: 'I had zero intention of doing a two-week notice'

People don't quit their jobs—they quit their bosses… And there's no better way to get back at a terrible manager than to be the one pulling the string that unravels their entire working world—just as this worker did to their terrible boss.
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'You expect me to work an 18 hour shift without extra pay?': Overworked bookkeeper finds a way to get even with upper management after their refusal to allow changes in work shifts

'You expect me to work an 18 hour shift without extra pay?': Overworked bookkeeper finds a way to get even with upper management after their refusal to allow changes in work shifts

Working in a corporate setting sometimes means having to silently give in to senior management. Whether or not we agree with their business tactics is irrelevant; what matters is that we ease their burden by complying with all of their requests without causing any trouble. The story below is an account of a bookkeeper who works for a huge home improvement store. For whatever reason, despite the rigorous hours, upper management insisted for years that bookkeepers close and open the store. To put…
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'Is this allowed?': Delivery worker forced to come into work last minute despite not being scheduled, manager gets roasted online

'Is this allowed?': Delivery worker forced to come into work last minute despite not being scheduled, manager gets roasted online

What is the point in filling out a schedule if your availability is not going to be honored by your manager? It's kind of the whole point in having an elaborate shift-based schedule in the first place. And look: we are sympathetic to the fact that last-minute crises occur and schedules have to be adjusted accordingly. However, when those instances do occur and managers need to call in favors, they should remember that they are in no place to make demands. Asking nicely if someone can shuffle ar…
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‘I took no part in cleaning it up’: Boss takes employee off project, employee watches project go down in flames

‘I took no part in cleaning it up’: Boss takes employee off project, employee watches project go down in flames

Why is it so common for bosses to feel threatened by their competent employees? A competent employee means the whole team’s work is stronger. A competent employee means you don’t have to monitor their output every second of every day because you can count on them to get their work done and to get it done well. A competent employee does not mean that you should feel the need to take them off certain big projects because you are worried that their competent work will make your output seem incompe…
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