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malicious compliance

'Yet another new manager facing the consequences': New boss costs company $6000 in one day after making employees listen to long-winded speech

'Yet another new manager facing the consequences': New boss costs company $6000 in one day after making employees listen to long-winded speech

Some people just love to hear the sound of their own voices . Doesn't matter what the topic is, or if it's even appropriate for them to be yapping: some people just can't help themselves. These days, lots of offices are switching from remote work back to office work. For micromanagers, not having their employees in the office is a missed opportunity to boss them around. They get to feel empowered as they peer over your shoulder every few minutes. But many employees love to work remotely (for th…
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Boss insists employee stay late for no reason, employee gets paid overtime to do nothing: 'There was literally nothing left for me to do'

Boss insists employee stay late for no reason, employee gets paid overtime to do nothing: 'There was literally nothing left for me to do'

It should not be revelatory that the number of hours one spends at the office is completely separate from the amount of work one completes. Productivity and efficiency are relative to the individual worker, and there is something to be said for leaving employees alone when it comes to how they get their work done, provided that no other team members are negatively impacted by their process. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit by u/Fun-Pin9061 , whose boss insisted…
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'I quit and they lose the contract': Overworked software developer given massive projects, agrees to lie to clients

'I quit and they lose the contract': Overworked software developer given massive projects, agrees to lie to clients

Instead of under-promising and over-delivering, one company found themselves doing the exact opposite. Truly, this company sounds like a hot mess. Just ask u/SchalkLBI, a software developer who suddenly found themself with a ton of responsibility for low pay. How low was this pay? It was just $1000 per month, and the software developer had to commute for four hours every day to get to work. Commuting two hours each way on an intern salary? That's tough. This developer writes that they stuck aro…
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Trucker accosted by driver who asks to speak to their boss: 'I kind of smirked at him'

Trucker accosted by irate driver who demands to speak to their boss: 'I kind of smirked at him and told him... he wouldn't like what my boss would have to say'

This truck driver couldn't believe what another driver was upset about. At least they had the ultimate loophole for getting out of almost any work-related scenario. The trucker in this story was driving their 18-wheeler through Texas when they encountered an angry driver. As a trucker, you have the unique privilege of getting to blow that extra-loud horn whenever someone bothers you. A regular car horn is a little loud, but the horn on an 18-wheeler can be heard for miles. It must be so satisfy…
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Company suffers massive financial hardship after forcing out irreplaceable worker: 'The [department] racked up eight-figure losses'

Usually, it's wise to have multiple persons capable of maintaining the continuity of the important areas of your organization. This means not having a single employee who knows essential company processes, secrets, codes, and passwords that can't otherwise be found, learned, or replicated by someone else. If you happen to have one of these workers in your organization or someone who is otherwise essential to the operation of your business, you will do well to treat them well. It would certainly…
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Boss forces assistant to remove headset in the office, she maliciously complies and plays audio at full blast: 'She nagged at me in front of the whole office'

Boss forces assistant to remove headset in the office, she maliciously complies and plays audio at full blast: 'She nagged at me in front of the whole office'

Be careful what you wish for, boss! It's common for bosses to have strange rules and regulations; nine times out of ten, they are tied to a bizarre superiority/inferiority complex. However, we often find that bosses misinterpret perfectly normal behavior as disrespectful, and that's when this becomes an issue. It's rarely insubordination; in fact, most of the time, employees are so laser-focused on their tasks and responsibilities that they do not have their boss's emotions at the top of their…
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'You made your bed...': Company sends random dude a client's information via email, dude responds by clicking 'cancel' on important appointment

'You made your bed...': Company sends random dude a client's information via email, dude responds by clicking 'cancel' on important appointment

Social media sites and communication apps are readily accessible. Oftentimes it feels impossible to keep up with them all. You may feel at times that you are unable to keep up with them all. Therefore, you might occasionally need to compartmentalize and determine what is more important and what can wait till later in order to be informed and not miss any important information. But in addition to the countless texts and emails you receive daily, what would happen if you started receiving dozens…
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‘Overtime pay for zero work? No problem!’: Employee uses overtime to read a book, leading demanding boss to never request they stay late again

‘Overtime pay for zero work? No problem!’: Employee uses overtime to read a book, leading demanding boss to never request they stay late again

Different jobs have different ways of measuring productivity. You might have a certain quota of assignments you have to do during the day, or maybe get to a certain amount of sales. Or, in some cases, your productivity might be measured simply by how many hours you have been on the job, and not by the quality of your work. This preference for quantity over quality is something that I personally do not agree with. I think if an employee gets the job done, they shouldn't be further kept at their…
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'You owe me...': Mother demands 18-year-old daughter pay her back $700,000 for expensive upbringing

'You owe me...': Mother demands 18-year-old daughter pay her back $700,000 for expensive upbringing

Typically, parents want to give their kids everything they could possibly want—or, more precisely, everything they need to be successful and happy. But what if your parents kept a record of every single expense they ever incurred on your behalf? Do you have to pay them back, or are they supposed to shoulder the cost of your upbringing? The account that follows is the story of an astonished girl. On her eighteenth birthday, the Original Poster (OP) received a lengthy and detailed document detail…
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Toxic CEO enforces dress code policy, employee maliciously complies: 'He strongly recommends [...] not wearing those shirts anymore'

There always seems to be something that the toxic bosses of the world feel the need to enforce. if it's not showing up to work early enough, then it's leaving work too early despite fulfilling your responsibilities. If it's not which days you come into the office, it's your attitude and morale when you do show up in person. And if it's not the things you say in the office, it's the clothes you elect to wear. This CEO already caused drama when he started requiring employees to return to the offi…
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'Even after our mistake, we had done exactly what he asked': Man demands his funds be transferred after $500k+ stock market loss, ignores advisor's warnings and loses more money

This story takes place during the 2008 financial crisis, but it's still a good lesson, nonetheless. And with today's volatile market, it's worth taking some notes from this man who lost over $500k, partially due to his representative's mistake and partially due to his own ignorance. This man wanted his money from his retirement account to be moved to a more stable market. Well, his rep misunderstood him and only placed his new contributions into a stable fund instead of moving all of his money.
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'Give me a 30% raise': Boss denies employee's raise request, shocked when they leave

It's difficult to picture your life any different than it is in this exact moment… and that's not talking simple wishful-thinking. It's easy to say “I wish things were better” or “I'm grateful and lucky for what I have” or “I'm glad things aren't worse." But that's not the same as being able to actually see yourself—
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Entitled manager bans overtime calling employee a 'time thief,' then blames employee after turning down last-minute million-dollar project: 'Let's agree to disagree, this has been one big miscommunication'

After being abruptly banned for working overtime and being called a 'time thief' by a new manager, one employee decides to maliciously comply with the new rules. Even though he's never worked overtime by more than 30 minutes, those 30 minutes add up in the long run. Because of this newly instated rule, projects start falling through the cracks. But the employee actually has no choice but to let this happen, considering the new strict rules. Things get worse when the new manager comes running to…
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'I tried to negotiate... then I realized what date it was': Teen maliciously complies with Dad's rules in order to attend party

'I tried to negotiate... then I realized what date it was': Teen maliciously complies with Dad's rules in order to attend party

This teenager wanted nothing more than to go to a party. But as they shared in a story all about malicious compliance, their dad “wouldn't let me go anywhere.” Parents of teenagers have a hard job. Teens are notorious for getting into trouble, but they're also at a point in their life where they need to learn independence.
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Breakfasting workers get back at their authoritative boss by working scheduled hours: ' You have to be here at your desks at that time'

Managing is something that is best done in a careful and calculated manner with lots of planning and moving pieces over a measured period of time; not with emotionally fueled outbursts and snap decisions intended to assert your authority or to beat your subordinates into submission. Yet, still, there are plenty of people (and plenty of managers) out there who have something to prove, a chip on their shoulder, or just lack emotional maturity. This creates even more situations where workers are t…
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'He's coming after my pay': Vindictive manager docks overworked employee's pay, employee leaves business in shambles

'He's coming after my pay': Vindictive manager docks overworked employee's pay, employee leaves business in shambles

When managers get frustrated by their own incompetence, it's common for them to blame anyone but themselves. That seems to be the case with this local company, where an employee practically dragged her boss and manager into the 21st century by updating their business and payment structure. Of course, the manager did not adapt well to this change and decided that the reason could only be that his younger coworker was causing all the problems. Now, the other important layer to this story is that…
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