Back in 1948, George Orwell wrote his brilliant dystopian novel, and since then, any boss who wants to overly control their subordinates' every step deserves an invariable comparison with Big Brother. Whom, as you perhaps know, you can love, you can hate (but this is punishable), but who is always watching you. Wherever you are. Whatever you do.
In fact, in some cases, it even becomes really ridiculous - do managers sometimes distrust their subordinates so much that they are sure they will do anything during working hours, but not their immediate duties? In any case, there are many such supervisors, and sometimes their initiatives get some unexpected backlash.
For example, as in the case of this employee, user u/OtherLtDan, whose post in the Reddit Malicious Compliance community has collected about 25.7K upvotes and almost 400 various comments over the past two years. Needless to say, people like to read about weird corporate rules and retribution, like thunder from heaven, descending on the heads of bosses. We also enjoy it...
More info: Reddit
The author of the post once worked for a small private ambulance company that ended up getting bought out by a huge corporation
Image credits: crash71100 (not the actual photo)
So, the author of the original post some time ago worked for a small private ambulance company that ended up getting bought out by a larger corporation. And so, after the takeover took place, the new management decided to issue a directive according to which all employees, regardless of their position and status, had to check their work email at least once a day.
Image credits: OtherLtDan
A new policy got implemented, according to which all employees had to check work emails at least once a day
Such a requirement surprised the Original Poster, who usually played Field Supervisor on the shifts they did work. As they themselves admit, they were a lowly part-timer, so as much as several weeks could actually pass between their work shifts. However, an order from the higher management is an order, and it should be obeyed. So the OP just maliciously complied and set their work email to update every day at the same time on the phone.
Image credits: OtherLtDan
However, the author of the post was not only an obedient worker, but also a law-abiding citizen, and state and federal payroll laws claim that each performance of work functions by an employee during non-working hours must be paid. So the OP just logged their 15 minutes of email checking on their paycheck - in full compliance with the requirements of the authorities. Moreover, the author went even further and made sure to inform as many other employees as they could to do the same.
Image credits: OtherLtDan
The author complied maliciously - and put down 15 minutes to their timesheet every day, though they were a part-timer
Just agree - if you were overly busy on your work shift with your own immediate responsibilities, that doesn’t matter! The main thing is to follow the management's directive, so you can check your work email from home - and then don't forget to put it on your timesheet! Because compliance with laws and corporate policies comes first.
Image credits: OtherLtDan
The managers called the author several pay cycles later and demanded explanation as to why they were doing so
This went on for several pay cycles, and then the managers suddenly became interested in why this part-timer was regularly getting money for time that was not included in their work shifts. There was a call from the manager (on their day off, the author notes), and in the process of communication, which took exactly 22 minutes, the OP explained in detail what principles they were guided by.
Image credits: Ivan Samkov (not the actual photo)
The part-timer claimed that they simply obeyed both corporate and federal rules, so the new policy got revoked soon
When the manager demanded that they stop doing this, the Original Poster explained that it was required by law. However, according to the author, they were not against violating the law a bit - but in this case, they needed a written order from their superiors. And when the manager hung up, the OP just as methodically put down 30 minutes on their timesheet. In the end, is it worth saying that after some time, the directive to check one's work email every day got revoked?
People in the comments supported the author massively, stating that it's a nearly perfect malicious compliance tale
We do have to say that people in the comments literally licked their fingers with such an incredibly tasty story of beautiful malicious compliance. Folks online especially liked the request of the directive in writing for the labor board, "as they love written rules that violate laws," people in the comments note. However, as the Original Poster themselves admits, corporate HR also loved dealing with them.
Image credits: Steven Lilley (not the actual photo)
By the way, some commenters noticed that in this situation, the higher-ups acted illogically twice - the first time, when the new directive was introduced, and the second, when it was canceled. After all, if one of the people in the comments were the employer in this particular situation, then paying out 15 minutes a day to make sure everybody is up to date on what's going on is actually worth it. However, logic is not always the strong point of some managers...
If you are into the topic of passive resistance of employees to higher-ups, you can, for example, enjoy this our post of ours about how cafe staff mocks their boss' "No Chairs Policy". And if you yourself have also experienced something similar at your job, we will be glad to get acquainted with your own tale - just feel free to tell it in the comments below.
Struggling with toxic workplace dynamics like this? Visit our Family Dynamics Hub for expert-backed guides on professional boundaries, gaslighting, and stress management.