You'd probably be horrified at how common these types of requirements are within certain industries. The industries where manipulative employers tell you with a smile that you're a "family"… while simultaneously plotting how they can squeeze as much unpaid labor out of you as possible. Working in the service and retail industries is no walk in the park—that should not come as a great surprise to anybody. The frantic and inconsistent demands of these businesses place considerable strain on staff…

It's always surprising when decisions directly contradict an organization's stated values and fly in the face of their own data and analytics. Yet, many companies' responses to remote working are exactly that, choosing to return to offices despite increased productivity and record profits. It leads one to wonder… why? The real answer we'll never know, but it is probably close to what is often theorized in these discussions: Somewhere a manager—who still hasn't adapted to their perceived loss of…

This manager denied their employee a mere three days off which was requested three months in advance. So now, instead of managing a schedule three months in advance, they get to organize a permanent schedule—a man down… immediately. Constantly needing to organize an adequate schedule with minimal resources is one of the worst parts of managing retail. Typically, these companies run staffing at a bare minimum to save on labor costs, offering poor compensation, meaning that when a full-time worke…

Undertaking a gambit with the sole purpose of making someone else look ridiculous—well, that's a risky move. There's a good chance that the whole thing could backfire and make you look ridiculous instead. After all, you should never put down all your best monsters at once when your opponent has a trap card face down on the field. (Mirror Force, anyone?) This manager tried to use a security guard's report as an example, presumably as a way of humiliating them to get them to leave the company. Th…

When you have a job, it's usually best to do that job if you want to keep it… Not get embroiled in a war of petty acts against a coworker who wanted no part in that war in the first place. If you choose the latter pathway, you need to be prepared for any consequences that follow. Redditor u/Peach_Gfuel shared this story to Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit about their coworker who insisted on getting revenge on them for a perceived slight. u/Peach_Gfuel had previously worked for the Qual…

Being embroiled in an ongoing prank war sounds like a lot of fun—until you find yourself in one. It turns out there's not much that's desirable about constantly being on edge, wondering when the next strike will happen, especially when that strike is likely to come at the most inconvenient time. This is doubly true when you didn't consent to partake in the prank war, to begin with, and it always seems to come from that one clueless coworker who thinks they're hilarious despite being merely obno…

Having too much work to do and unrealistic expectations from your superiors about that work is a surefire way to make you hate your job… and your entire existence. This will usually happen in some sort of toxic workplace environment where middle managers have been selected and promoted on their willingness to enforce any policy they're told to rather than on any actual skills in operations, administration, or management. These middle managers are more than willing to pass any pressure placed on…

Just because you're in charge doesn't mean you know better or have more experience—that's not your job. It's your job to ensure that the people who know how to do that job are getting it done and have the resources and ability to do so. A lot of managers get this confused or let their gargantuan ego get in the way, and then they end up with situations like this. Bonus points in these situations apply if the experienced subordinate is also significantly younger than the manager, which will often…

Sometimes the warning signs that you might not want to work somewhere are readily apparent as if someone commissioned them to be made in neon and hung in the lobby for all to see. Other times, they're not so obvious, and it's highly likely you won't notice them until you've started working there and have learned to read between the lines. These workers came together in a viral internet thread to share their stories and experiences to help uncover some of the things that we might be missing in i…

Rules are usually there for a reason, but sometimes that reason is that a middle manager was bored and didn't have any actual work to do to pass the time. https://amp.cheezburger.com/20248581/i-am-in-dress-code-boss-shortsightedly-bans-shorts-but-not-kilts This worker was told off for wearing shorts to work by their new boss. They went home and consulted the employee handbook and were disappointed to find that the defined dress code backed up the boss's tirade. However, the dress code said noth…

What often gets lost in translation in our workplace culture is how important leave is. In fact, it's just as important as the work itself. From a business-first perspective, you need to be able to maintain an appropriate work-life balance in order to remain at peak effectiveness. Even if you're someone who is all about your career, taking time off will help you come back refreshed and reinvigorated—with the right headspace and fresh ideas to tackle your job. This worker shared their story of h…

This military wife commanded her husband's soldiers to salute her and the stickers on her vehicle, which led to a little tom-foolery from the soldiers who maliciously complied with their orders (as grunts are wont to do.) As commenters have pointed out, what is it with the "Military Wife as an entire personality" stereotype? I suppose it's not an entirely unique phenomenon—people will build a personality around the darnedest things. I'm not preaching from a pulpit here; I do it too. If you had…

Taking credit for your subordinate's work is a part of being in charge. After all, if you're managing the team, delegating, and making things work, you deserve it—partly. However, it's incredibly important to give credit where credit's due and recognize the people who actually did the work, came up with the ideas, and put in the time; pretending you did it yourself is dishonest and a good way to get a whole lot of bad karma barreling down on you. Plus, you might end up in a circumstance like th…

Interviewing for a new job can be tough, especially when the employer has unreasonable expectations about the job they're hiring for. Common examples of this will be wildly unmatched desired levels of experience versus compensation on offer or an advertised position that has just too many duties for one person to reasonably attend to. This usually means that the job is a non-starter and not worth pursuing. The employer is constantly going to be disappointed by the tasks that aren't being comple…

This manager found their workload increased dramatically when their co-manager was fired for a ridiculous reason. They then had to operate the entire store alone, which was rife with unique issues. The boss continued to be pettier and pettier. When they finally hired a replacement co-manager, they expected the manager to "cut their hours" immediately, which led to the titular confrontation. This thread was posted to r/MaliciousCompliance by the manager in the story, Redditor u/A-Stackhouse. Whe…

It's generally expected that you'll do whatever you possibly can to keep your superiors happy—whether it's your boss, teacher, or parents. But should we really be going out of our way to do something for someone who couldn't care less about showing the same respect in return? Normally, when your boss passed you criticism in the workplace, you might become anxious and worried about this. But should you really be? If you're already performing the expectations of your role, why waste the energy? T…