Workplaces need rules; if not for employee safety, then at least to ensure people can do their jobs smoothly. Nevertheless, workers tend to hate rules that management imposes unnecessarily. Dress code rules are a common annoyance, with 44% of workers claiming they’d quit if the code didn’t align with how they present themselves.
Yet some rules get implemented because one or a few people just don’t know how to be a person the right way. These are stories about ridiculous work rules caused by someone’s mistake or sheer ignorance. They come to you from an online thread where one netizen asked, “What’s a rule at your job that exists purely because one idiot ruined it for everyone?” From no open-toe shoes or shorts in the office to stealing trays of food during work events, these dumb dumbs just had to go and ruin it for everyone.
#41
Beer taps weren’t turned on until 4pm. Used to be all day, but apparently too many people couldn’t understand that you’re not supposed to drink all day at work. Yes this was in tech. And yes it’s probably stupid to have any alcohol at an office.
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8points
#42
During Covid we had office breakfasts. Every week one section would would cook breakfast on a Friday for the entire workplace. It was so much fun and we really enjoyed the time getting to know colleagues we wouldn’t normally meet.
Until one woman decided it should be a competition between the sections! So each Friday became more and more elaborate, people began planning their sections breakfasts weeks in advance, spies were deployed across offices, there were sabotage attempts and HR had to step in (I was HR at the time)
Because of one person, what started as one guys really sweet and thoughtful way to bring us all together over the pandemic, turned into arguments, tears and a total disaster.
Until one woman decided it should be a competition between the sections! So each Friday became more and more elaborate, people began planning their sections breakfasts weeks in advance, spies were deployed across offices, there were sabotage attempts and HR had to step in (I was HR at the time)
Because of one person, what started as one guys really sweet and thoughtful way to bring us all together over the pandemic, turned into arguments, tears and a total disaster.
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8points
#43
I had to lock the supply room door at my last office because one guy would lose 4+ pens a day and kept taking more.
At first I tried just stopping him specifically and telling him he wasnt allowed more pens. But he started having other people get him pens.
It might not sound like a big deal, but we bought really nice weighted metal pens because we did a lot of paperwork still. The things cost $4 a piece, so $16 a day, $80 a week, $320 a month. And this was at a relatively small company, my monthly supply budget was only $600 and this guy was pissing away half of it. Before he showed up a box of 20 pens lasted us 2-3 months.
Im honestly not convinced he wasnt doing it on purpose, or selling them or something. I dont understand how you lose 4 pens a day that often.
At first I tried just stopping him specifically and telling him he wasnt allowed more pens. But he started having other people get him pens.
It might not sound like a big deal, but we bought really nice weighted metal pens because we did a lot of paperwork still. The things cost $4 a piece, so $16 a day, $80 a week, $320 a month. And this was at a relatively small company, my monthly supply budget was only $600 and this guy was pissing away half of it. Before he showed up a box of 20 pens lasted us 2-3 months.
Im honestly not convinced he wasnt doing it on purpose, or selling them or something. I dont understand how you lose 4 pens a day that often.
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8points
#44
I work in a large store and like most we have a giant safe/ money dispenser for the cash in the store. I used to be able to get into it to work on it when bills would get jammed. In extreme situations we might have to call tech support but 90% of the time I could unjam it and we could go about our day.
Then someone at another store in another city gave away about 50k to a phone scammer. Now none of us are permitted to open the machine to work on it during business hours without another manager's verification and calling tech support for them to open the doors to the machine remotely. One idiot and an entire corporate chain has to change all their security policies and make everything harder to navigate.
Then someone at another store in another city gave away about 50k to a phone scammer. Now none of us are permitted to open the machine to work on it during business hours without another manager's verification and calling tech support for them to open the doors to the machine remotely. One idiot and an entire corporate chain has to change all their security policies and make everything harder to navigate.
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8points
#45
No headphones or earbuds in the building, at all. One person kept wearing them in a not safe area even after multiple warnings. So the company said no one is allowed to use them. Even sitting at our desks, in the office.
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7points
#46
Nobody besides bartenders behind the bar. Sounds okay in theory until you’re slammed and you want a server to help out with sodas or something. Welllll a younger server came behind the bar and was drinking from a soda nozzle none of us knew existed. He got very very very sick.
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7points
#47
Work at a movie theater and we have a few...
1. Customers can no longer request posters when we're done with them. We used to have a sign-up sheet, with the understanding that staff get first pic, so there was no guarantee they'd get the poster they wanted. We'd take their number and call them if we had extras. But one guy ruined it by signing up for like a dozen different posters for movies where there clearly wouldn't be extras, and then showing up and causing a scene that was so bad, we banned him and almost called the cops. Like he was screaming, swearing, hitting the walls, etc. because he could get free stuff.
2. We are no longer allowed to speak to customers outside before we open, nor can open the doors for mailmen/deliveries without manager approval. Like we're not even allowed to open the door and say "Hey, we open in ___ minutes." Because we've had more than one instance of customers literally grabbing the door, forcing their way in and refusing to leave if we crack the door open to answer a question. And they always think they're in the right despite literally committing a crime. (Like they literally committed B&E.) It's unbelievable.
3. We don't allow bikes anywhere near the front of our building (and definitely not inside) because we had a group of 14-year-old pricks literally ram through the doors and ride around the inside for about a minute, screaming and causing a scene. (Cops were called; they were banned.)
Honestly I can think of a few more if I really thought about it...
1. Customers can no longer request posters when we're done with them. We used to have a sign-up sheet, with the understanding that staff get first pic, so there was no guarantee they'd get the poster they wanted. We'd take their number and call them if we had extras. But one guy ruined it by signing up for like a dozen different posters for movies where there clearly wouldn't be extras, and then showing up and causing a scene that was so bad, we banned him and almost called the cops. Like he was screaming, swearing, hitting the walls, etc. because he could get free stuff.
2. We are no longer allowed to speak to customers outside before we open, nor can open the doors for mailmen/deliveries without manager approval. Like we're not even allowed to open the door and say "Hey, we open in ___ minutes." Because we've had more than one instance of customers literally grabbing the door, forcing their way in and refusing to leave if we crack the door open to answer a question. And they always think they're in the right despite literally committing a crime. (Like they literally committed B&E.) It's unbelievable.
3. We don't allow bikes anywhere near the front of our building (and definitely not inside) because we had a group of 14-year-old pricks literally ram through the doors and ride around the inside for about a minute, screaming and causing a scene. (Cops were called; they were banned.)
Honestly I can think of a few more if I really thought about it...
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7points
#48
Someone complained that the company hadn't raised amount of the food voucher they started giving to employees during covid. They stopped them altogether.
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7points
#49
At an old job, they would escort you out of the building the day that you submitted your resignation letter. HOWEVER, they'd keep paying you until your resignation was official.
So your two weeks notice was pretty much a two week paid vacation.
Long story short, someone lost [it] while being escorted out and that was the end of that.
So your options were stay and work for two weeks with very limited system access and get paid, or leave that day and not get paid.
So your two weeks notice was pretty much a two week paid vacation.
Long story short, someone lost [it] while being escorted out and that was the end of that.
So your options were stay and work for two weeks with very limited system access and get paid, or leave that day and not get paid.
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7points
#50
I worked at a giant data center. It would take up to 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other of a single building. We had Razor Scooters (unpowered) to make transiting faster. Until one idiot got caught doing stupid things on one.
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7points
#51
Blue Jeans Friday went away. When it was announced, it was clearly stated that tops had to cover the jeans at all times even when the wearer lifted their arms, no visible midriffs/muffin tops. The announcement said *specifically* that it was a trial to see if people could adhere to that rule.
It lasted for ONE Friday. Not just one idiot, apparently about half the building couldn’t read. We got the email cancelling the trial on Monday morning.
It lasted for ONE Friday. Not just one idiot, apparently about half the building couldn’t read. We got the email cancelling the trial on Monday morning.
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7points
#52
Im a back up for a daily environmental inspection. I mainly do weekends because the primary guy does M-F every week. We used to go do the 2-3 hour inspection, scan forms and send them to our boss for review then leave. If there were any issues you could just text the forman for the day about it.
Well the previous primary falsified the inspection for the better part of a year, so after he got fired we now have to do a bunch of extra [nonsense] to prove we were on site, including tracking down the foreman for a signature which has taken me upwards of an hour extra at times.
Well the previous primary falsified the inspection for the better part of a year, so after he got fired we now have to do a bunch of extra [nonsense] to prove we were on site, including tracking down the foreman for a signature which has taken me upwards of an hour extra at times.
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7points
#53
We used to just have to move a card over to show that we were there, but people started coming late and having other people move their cards for them, so now we have to actually sign a sheet of paper.
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7points
#54
I can make it worse, how about everyone being idiots?
We used to have a flexi-time system at work, then one day everyone took it apart from me and when the manager called to speak to someone I had to inform him no one but finance and I were there.
After the call, finance walked in and put up a note: NO MORE FLEXI.
We used to have a flexi-time system at work, then one day everyone took it apart from me and when the manager called to speak to someone I had to inform him no one but finance and I were there.
After the call, finance walked in and put up a note: NO MORE FLEXI.
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7points
#55
No birthday cakes or celebrations.
Worked in a very large call center - about 1k employees. Team managers had a discretionary budget to buy little awards, or do something nice for the team. A subset of managers would buy their team members a cake, to share amongst the team, for their birthday. Other team managers used their budget for other things.
This resulted in complaints to HR: why does Sally get a cake for her birthday and I don't. But y'all got pizza instead didn't cut it. So....
* No birthday cakes or other celebrations allowed. As in you couldn't even bring in cookies you made and give them to someone (at least according to the rules)
* Every month on the 15th, the company provided cookies to all employees to celebrate birthdays. The 15th because it evenly split the month to remove any bias.
* You got one cookie. There was a flavor selection until one time they ran out of a flavor and people complained. After that, it was a sugar cookie.
* If you weren't scheduled on the 15th, your manager took your cookie and locked it in their desk for delivery on your next working day.
Worked in a very large call center - about 1k employees. Team managers had a discretionary budget to buy little awards, or do something nice for the team. A subset of managers would buy their team members a cake, to share amongst the team, for their birthday. Other team managers used their budget for other things.
This resulted in complaints to HR: why does Sally get a cake for her birthday and I don't. But y'all got pizza instead didn't cut it. So....
* No birthday cakes or other celebrations allowed. As in you couldn't even bring in cookies you made and give them to someone (at least according to the rules)
* Every month on the 15th, the company provided cookies to all employees to celebrate birthdays. The 15th because it evenly split the month to remove any bias.
* You got one cookie. There was a flavor selection until one time they ran out of a flavor and people complained. After that, it was a sugar cookie.
* If you weren't scheduled on the 15th, your manager took your cookie and locked it in their desk for delivery on your next working day.
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7points
#56
We used to get vacation days assigned the 1st of the year, and they were also available as soon as you were hired.
One guy came in, and three days after declared "My family takes a one week trip to a cabin every year, so I need the week off next week."
There was nothing preventing him from doing this, so HR changed it so you "accrue" vacation days every pay period. So, if you get 4 weeks vacation, you got like 25.92 hrs per 2 week pay period. In effect nobody got access to their full vacation benefits for an entire year.
THEN they started wondering why nobody was taking time off until the last quarter of the year when it was our project season. Hmmm...MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN EVERYONE ACTUALLY HAS ANY VACATION DAYS????
We've since switched to an unlimited PTO policy, but somehow that's worse. If you don't have a finite amount of time to use, people tend to take vacations less and feel "guilty" about asking for time off.
One guy came in, and three days after declared "My family takes a one week trip to a cabin every year, so I need the week off next week."
There was nothing preventing him from doing this, so HR changed it so you "accrue" vacation days every pay period. So, if you get 4 weeks vacation, you got like 25.92 hrs per 2 week pay period. In effect nobody got access to their full vacation benefits for an entire year.
THEN they started wondering why nobody was taking time off until the last quarter of the year when it was our project season. Hmmm...MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN EVERYONE ACTUALLY HAS ANY VACATION DAYS????
We've since switched to an unlimited PTO policy, but somehow that's worse. If you don't have a finite amount of time to use, people tend to take vacations less and feel "guilty" about asking for time off.
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7points
#57
Not my current job, but my last one. A few people so badly took advantage of work travel that we were forced to use a very rigid booking platform which for the most part did not save money. I had a situation one time where the best I could do on the platform was $1200 for a two night trip. I went to the finance group and pointed out that I could literally get the same trip for $500 if I just used JetBlue vacations instead, with all the printed proof that it was the same flights and hotel. They said no.
The absurd thing was that the booking platform was super vulnerable to manipulation, because on flights it had departure and arrival sliders than could be adjusted down to maybe 5 or 10 minutes, and it only demanded secondary approval if you didn't pick the cheapest flight *within your specific search parameters.* So if you really wanted a specific flight, even if it was more expensive, you could just adjust the departure criteria to match that flight, and it would let you book it without any additional approval, even if it was 3x the price of the least expensive flight on that route for that day.
The absurd thing was that the booking platform was super vulnerable to manipulation, because on flights it had departure and arrival sliders than could be adjusted down to maybe 5 or 10 minutes, and it only demanded secondary approval if you didn't pick the cheapest flight *within your specific search parameters.* So if you really wanted a specific flight, even if it was more expensive, you could just adjust the departure criteria to match that flight, and it would let you book it without any additional approval, even if it was 3x the price of the least expensive flight on that route for that day.
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7points
#58
Not me, but my version of this story isn’t as funny.
Girlfriend’s stepdad used to work for some sort of road company that dealt with big trucking equipment. At one point, some idiot decided to tie a rope to the back of one, get on skis, and have his buddy drag him around in the truck like a dogsled.
There is now a “no skiing” warning symbol on the back of these vehicles.
Girlfriend’s stepdad used to work for some sort of road company that dealt with big trucking equipment. At one point, some idiot decided to tie a rope to the back of one, get on skis, and have his buddy drag him around in the truck like a dogsled.
There is now a “no skiing” warning symbol on the back of these vehicles.
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7points
#59
A stupid person complained at a meeting that we don't have enough oversight on nights or weekends. Now we have a manager on site on the weekends.
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6points
#60
Did a lotto pool at an old workplace. While it never became against the rules per se, the district manager did politely ask us to stop.
One employee thought that by contributing one dollar, she got one thirteenth (total participating employees) if we won. At that time, everyone was putting in 5-10 dollars. She didn’t handle that she got a maximum or 1/61st if we won.
So she called it in as harassment. Every week. Which the DM had to investigate every time. After a couple of months he (very politely, honestly) asked if we could stop, because he was having to dedicate a half day to a nothingburger complaint each week.
…her next complaint was ‘I KNOW they’re still doing it but just not telling me!’
We had legitimately stopped.
One employee thought that by contributing one dollar, she got one thirteenth (total participating employees) if we won. At that time, everyone was putting in 5-10 dollars. She didn’t handle that she got a maximum or 1/61st if we won.
So she called it in as harassment. Every week. Which the DM had to investigate every time. After a couple of months he (very politely, honestly) asked if we could stop, because he was having to dedicate a half day to a nothingburger complaint each week.
…her next complaint was ‘I KNOW they’re still doing it but just not telling me!’
We had legitimately stopped.
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6points