Corporate policy writing is not something to be left to Type B people. The moment you leave a loophole, someone is going to find it, so get your most meticulous person on the job. Someone who dits every I and crosses every t, twice.
Or you will be dealing with people like this Redditor who saw a standing policy offering a 10% raise for bilingual staff. He decided it was finally time to connect with his Welsh heritage, and spent enough time on an online course to carry on a rudimentary conversation in a language that has been spoken continuously for over 1500. This is not what corporate had in mind.
Finding a corporate loophole juicy enough to exploit is one of life's little pleasures
A man from Texas saw that he was eligible for a 10% pay increase if he was bilingual
He sprang into action learning Welsh, a language old enough that no one at work could double check if he actually spoke it fluently
Corporate had to comply with their own policy, even though they actually just wanted employees to learn Spanish
They quickly changed the rules to be much more articulate about what they actually meant
Welsh is spoken by approximately 538,300 people, around 17.8% of the population aged three and older in Wales, with about 431,700 of those speaking it daily. For a man from Texas whose ancestors left Wales in 1745, this was never going to be a practical workplace communication tool. Nobody on the job site was going to need a Welsh translator. That was, in a sense, entirely the point.
The company's bilingual policy was not entirely without merit, even in its unintended application. Research shows that even rudimentary language learning produces measurable cognitive benefits within weeks. A month of consistent study improves pattern recognition, strengthens both short- and long-term memory, and sharpens focus and mental alertness. The employee who learned enough Welsh is a sharper thinker for the effort.
Finding the loophole also says something interesting about the person who found it. Spotting a gap in a policy requires analytical thinking, attention to detail, and the ability to read a text exactly as it is written rather than as it was intended. If anything, this guy is starting to sound like the kind of person you will want on your team! Not to mention, the pure dedication it takes to learn even a few basic words in such a difficult language.
There is a widely misattributed quote from Bill Gates that says, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Although he didn’t actually say it, there is something true about hiring people based on their critical thinking skills. We hope HR keeps this “boi” (yes, we learned one Welsh word) around for a long time!
People in the comments loved this twist, applauding this innovative Texan for his critical thinking
There were even other folks who found similar ways to stick it to the man when it came to language policies
