We all know the type – the people who, if they’ve given any type of power or authority at all, will lord if over anyone they can.

OP worked in IT at a university, and the woman in charge of the media center had a policy that she would not deal with anyone who did not have their name badge.

I worked for a university IT department as a student worker for a little over 4 years. We had a sister department, the media center, who loaned out laptops, projectors, and other technology to professors as needed.

In my 4th year in employment, I was on a first name basis with nearly all the employees of the university, including the head of the media center. We’ll call her Katie, because obviously.

Katie was the queen of her Kingdom and had quite a few obnoxious rules in place, but most importantly was an iron clad employee ID policy for checking out laptops.

Under normal circumstances I completely agree with this policy, however this wasn’t a normal circumstance.

She called for help at the end of the day, because she had a professor trying to check out a laptop that wouldn’t log into the network (this was a 2005 scenario).

We got a call from her at 4:40 on a Friday (we closed at 5) that a laptop she was trying to loan out to a very important professor wasn’t able to log into the network, and she requested we come look at it. Sure thing.

When OP got there she asked for his badge, despite being on a first-name basis with him, and when he said he forgot it at his desk in his hurry, she refused to let him work on the computer.

I make the 10 minute walk across campus from our office to the media center with my tool kit. When I get there I see the professor and Katie and ask to see the laptop, she says “Wait sawser, you need your name badge. Where is it?”

Flash to My name badge, clipped to my jacket, hanging on a coat rack in the ITS office.

“Ah, It’s on my jacket Katie. I forgot to grab it rushing over here.” I chuckled a bit.

Deadpan, she says “Sawser, you can’t work on this until you go get your badge.”

“Katie, I thought this was an emergency. Do you need me to fix this right now?”

“Yes of course,” Katie explained, “but we still need to always follow policy.”

He said ok, went back to his office, and then called and cited the policy against student workers staying after hours. She was forced to loan out her own laptop for the week, and he fixed the other one the next business day.

“Fair enough. Policy is incredibly important. I’ll go get my name badge”

I left the office, trekked the ten minutes back to my office. Then I picked up the phone and called her.

“Hey Katie, just letting you know that because it’s 5:20 and policy states student workers can’t work after hours, I’ll have to come back Monday. Have a great weekend!”

She fumed at me for a few minutes until I essentially hung up on her.

Policy is very important.

Does Reddit appreciate his using policy to combat policy? Let’s hear it!

This comment says there is for sure a best part.

IT in the 200s was a wild time.

This comment says the other woman’s policy makes little-to-no sense.

All of this was really her fault.

Because it’s a lot more fun to make rules than it is to follow them.

I hope she learned her lesson.

We all know she probably didn’t, though.