Sometimes managers and business owners manage to convince themselves completely that everyone is out to get them. They're certain that their “lazy” workers are looking for every possible option to screw them over by slacking off on the job. Sure, there might be some workers like that out there. But from what I've seen in the workforce, they're completely outnumbered by those who are going above and beyond. Why jeopardize those workers' morale just so you can control the one bad egg? Why cut off…

It's not often that we see a scenario where someone successfully manages to maliciously comply with a malicious compliance… Enter stage right, this clever customer service representative. Reddit user u/pinkfloss9 shared this story about an experience they had at work on Reddit's r/ MaliciousCompliance subreddit. In the post, they tell the tale of an angry Karen who came into the office where he worked at the front desk. She came in guns blazing, and when it came time for her to pay, she whipped…

Unpaid working trials are a thing of the past—well… they should be according to the labor laws in a lot of states and countries. The unfortunate reality is that this is still a practice that takes place in a lot of industries and in even more organizations. There's nothing like having someone actually do the work to ensure that they can do it… right? Companies often have other goals in mind with this strategy, lot of clever-as-they-are-unethical hiring managers will use these “working interview…

This manager took issue because one of their workers was taking discarded bread loaves from back-of-house disposal. Anyone who has worked in food service or the service industry has witnessed this at some point: perfectly good food going to the bin just because they can't move the product and donating the food to a shelter would present a “lawsuit risk.” So away it goes, right into the dumpster. It's always a shame to see all perfectly good food go to waste—even if you have plenty to eat at hom…

There is a quote that is often attributed to the likes of Bill Gates and Walter Chrysler that goes something along the lines of “Always choose a lazy man to do a hard job because a lazy man will find an easy way to do it.” Whether or not either of them actually uttered this string of words (or was the first to do so) is up for debate. But the sentiment rings true in many instances that require innovation: Why hire the guy who is content to do things by the letter when you can hire the guy who w…

There are a lot of people in this world with a lot of different beliefs, and we would do well to seek to understand and accept them. Still, there are some things in this world that just don't seem to add up to any rational sort of thinking. It's all well and good to follow a belief structure that carries a sense of morality and ethics. But what do you do when that structure prohibits you from using the tools of your trade? Is it your organization's responsibility to cater to these needs? Or is…

There's an age-old saying that can—although said in many different ways—be summarized as: If you're going to break the rules, don't break two rules at the same time. It's a simple, logical rationalization that boils down to mitigating risks. When you break multiple rules simultaneously, you just multiply your chances of being caught. In addition to that, when you get caught for one… you're probably going to get caught for both—and pay the price for both. There's also the added risk of more peop…

Give some people even a shred of power, and they will preside with an iron fist… devoid of any sense of justice except the whims of their own stupid ego. They'll generally not be overly concerned with anyone else's needs or wants. All is well—just as long as they have their own way. There's nothing inherently wrong with having to make changes to a schedule or roster; as a manager, that's just part of the job. Still, there are ways to do it and ways not to do it if you care a shred about the peo…

This intern wasn't afraid to burn bridges after his boss fired him out of nowhere! Internships can be truly grueling. Regardless of what industry you're in, as an intern, you can expect to be doing the jobs no one else wants to do, popping out to get coffee for the employees, and even working extra hours. You're supposed to gain career experience , and maybe even gain a job as a result. But in actuality, companies almost never end up hiring interns, and they often don't bother to pay them for t…

The thing about taking over a business your family owns… is that you might not know anything about that business or have any of the skills and experience necessary to manage it. Couple this with an uncompromising ego and a general sense of entitlement, and you've got yourself a nightmare boss in the making. We've seen this exact scenario play out time and time again: "A new owner takes over a business that they are hilariously unqualified to run and proceeds to gut the company of its most essen…

It's often said that you shouldn't meddle with things you don't understand and, by extension, you shouldn't mess with the people who handle the things that you don't understand either. If you've managed to get a contractor in to handle something you can't or aren't willing to do or understand, and they deliver on that product, you'd do your best to pay them the agreed price. After all, we've already established you don't understand that thing, so why are you so certain you've got the upper hand…

It's no secret that the human resource department isn't as benevolent or employee-focused as we might have once been led to believe. At the end of the day, that seems pretty obvious, and we find it hard to believe that the wool could ever be pulled over our eyes. After all, it's in the name . It's an entire department of the company that exists solely to manage and mitigate one of its most costly resources… humans—aka you . Still, HR managers manage to either be the sweetest, most hospitable pe…

The best way to get someone to do what you want is certainly not to insult them.

Getting roasted on your own Reddit post is a sure sign that you have messed up somewhere. You have every chance to twist the entire narrative of a chain of events in your own story to suit your own ends… and somehow, you still manage to turn everyone against you? It's certainly not something we see every day, and if it happens to you, you need to go home and rethink your life. This worker and Reddit user shared their story to the r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit, thinking they had a clever story…

This guy wanted a well-done steak but ended up getting roasted himself. There's nothing that can make a man feel small like his own mother. Even the toughest of gangsters know not to cross their mamma. When mom lays down the line and says, "Enough is enough," then you had better quit. This Dad was determined to act out the Applebee's scene in Talladega Nights before his mother stepped in. The story was posted by their server, u/Papakeely, to Reddit's r/talesfromyourserver subreddit. The family…

Just because the journey's over doesn't mean it has to end. Every ending is a new beginning and offers a chance for reflection on the experiences and lessons learned along the way. Of course, when you're quitting a dead-end job that you've been stuck in for the last ten years… you might not find all that much to reflect on. And the things you've experienced? They're probably best forgotten... What with the unnecessary meetings, micromanaged lunch breaks, egotistical leaders, and general toxic a…