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I was about to make malicious compliance my new religion until I came across this example of it going the exact opposite way it was expected. Maybe it’s time to give up on our mischievous endeavours and turn back to old, regular, direct communication. When something like this backfires, we get two problems where there used to be one.

Manteinance employee maliciously complies with his manager's new rule and in an unexpected turn of events, his manager loves it: 'As you can tell from the title, this did not go how I was expecting'

IT fails to fix employee's computer, leading to their account and login being deleted, employee spends over two weeks unable to work: ‘What a clown show’

IT fails to fix employee's computer, leading to their account and login being deleted, employee spends over two weeks unable to work: ‘What a clown show’

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Some things we can only figure out in retrospect. People often act in ways we deem incoherent and irrational, and only after everything ends can we see the underlying motives for their behaviour. Becoming too close way too fast with someone might be a cause for concern.

Resentful manager goes from bonding immediately with new server to sabotaging her every move: 'Looking back, it suddenly made a lot more sense why she seemed to go from friendly mentor to treating me like public enemy number one'

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‘I love my job, I love my job…’: Skip this 9-to-5 mantra, it's time to clock into work memes

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Boss refuses to admit they underpaid employee after they quit, then proceeds to blame them for their lack of empathy for the business: ‘The working conditions are not sustainable’

Boss refuses to admit they underpaid employee after they quit, then proceeds to blame them for their lack of empathy for the business: ‘The working conditions are not sustainable’

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I think there is something to say here about a road paved with good intentions, but anyway. Sometimes we analyze a situation and come up with the best solution we can think of, and we end up breaking something that was steadily functioning. The key to success might be communicating our plans to fix the thing instead of doing it as a surprise, but well, everybody makes honest mistakes, and it even feels unfair to call a situation like this a mistake.

Employee spends months thoroughly organizing communal folder in secret, only to wind up causing office chaos: 'I’m sitting here, staring at the perfectly organized, color-coded, and searchable directory I created, terrified to say anything'

Manager fires UX architect after selling their work to a client at great profit, leading the employee to work directly with the client instead: ‘The company crashed’

Manager fires UX architect after selling their work to a client at great profit, leading the employee to work directly with the client instead: ‘The company crashed’

Employee takes an hour-long nap every day before shift starts until boss finds out, who demands they clock in early and work instead: ‘I'm thinking about calling it quits’

Employee takes an hour-long nap every day before shift starts until boss finds out, who demands they clock in early and work instead: ‘I'm thinking about calling it quits’

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Hiring managers accidentally send post-interview discussion to a job candidate, leading candidate to hear everything they had to say about her: ‘Well, that's authentic feedback’

Hiring managers accidentally send post-interview discussion to a job candidate, leading candidate to hear everything they had to say about her: ‘Well, that's authentic feedback’

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'It all started when...': Pour a dash of these laughs into your morning coffee for extra energy (June 20, 2026)

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Boss ignored employee for their two weeks' notice period, waits until an hour before their last shift ends to send them tasks, employee simply leaves: ‘Radio silence’

Boss ignored employee for their two weeks' notice period, waits until an hour before their last shift ends to send them tasks, employee simply leaves: ‘Radio silence’

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Interviewer demands candidate arrive for the job interview in a costume, forcing candidate to pass on the opportunity: ‘Why… just why?’

Interviewer demands candidate arrive for the job interview in a costume, forcing candidate to pass on the opportunity: ‘Why… just why?’

Employee is put on PIP after refusing to join a 10 PM work call, tries to understand if they're getting fired: ‘Is this a genuine improvement plan?’

Employee is put on PIP after refusing to join a 10 PM work call, tries to understand if they're getting fired: ‘Is this a genuine improvement plan?’

Did they fire her cause her coworker got defensive, or was she just out of place? In some work environments, challenging authority might be celebrated or even encouraged. Think tech, entrepreneurship, and similar fields that value geniusness and are always on the lookout for the next best unapologetic persona. Still, even in those fields, the person has to find a way to challenge authorities without resorting to passive-aggressiveness or petty comments.

Frustrated employee accidentally fires coworker because of a passive-aggressive e-mail: 'I mean...technically, she got herself fired? But I still feel bad'

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Top employee quits job and starts his own business after boss refuses to give him a raise, he thrives in the new business while old boss struggles: ‘What a fool’

Top employee quits job and starts his own business after boss refuses to give him a raise, he thrives in the new business while old boss struggles: ‘What a fool’

When one mistake catapults extreme measures. Oftentimes, after we make a mistake, it’s very difficult to prove to somebody who’s in charge of us that we won't make that same mistake again. That’s where malicious compliance comes in handy. I struggle with the use of the word ‘malicious’ for it, even though, of course, I understand what that word is trying to evoke, but I think that maliciousness is not malicious at all; in fact, I think it’s civil, graceful, and assertive.

Manager demands to proofread every email that employee sends, and he maliciously complies, causing problematic delays for the company: ‘We suddenly got loads of follow up requests, responding to which of course needs approval from the manager’