It’s the perfect example of how a “Malicious Compliance” story on Reddit should be.
And we think you’re going to be mightily impressed!
Get started now!
Required to work 40 hours a week?
“Years ago I worked for a company that tried to skate by with as little labor overhead as possible.
A lot of micromanaging was going on.
They’d hire under qualified people and then expect top results. Management was a husband and wife who ran the company like it was a Fortune 500 company. We maybe had 30-40 employees.
They’d implement all sorts of policies. Most of them were arbitrary and very micromanaging.
One of the policies they created was a “mandatory 40 hours” policy. If you missed any work Monday-Friday you’d have to come in on Saturday to make it up, no excuses accepted. If you didn’t come in on Saturday to make up the time you’d get a strike.
3 strikes and you’re gone.
They got a call from the owner…
One day I needed to take off from work 1/2 an hour early and I cleared it with my on-site boss.
On Friday one of the owners calls me and says she double checking to make sure I’ll be there on Saturday. I explain it was only a 1/2 an hour I missed and she said there were no excuses accepted.
I needed to work my 40 hours otherwise I’d get a strike.
It was time to maliciously comply!
Cue my malicious compliance.
I told her okay and I’d be there on Saturday. I get to the site on time for 7 am roll call. The on-site boss takes roll and starts telling people what projects they are going to work on.
There’s about 15 people on site and I deliberately stand in the back waiting. By the time the boss makes it to me it’s about 7:25 am.
He starts detailing my job and I cut him off and explain that I’ll be leaving in 5 minutes.
He looks at me and asks why?
Well, let me fill you in!
I explain to him that I was told I needed to work my 40 hours and that since I missed 1/2 an hour of work I only needed to make up 1/2 an hour and would be leaving at 7:30am.
He asks why can’t I stay all day and get the overtime.
That’s the good stuff!
I reply that I’m only required to work 40 hours and that I have plans.
I left promptly at 7:30am and had a great weekend.
Come Monday I got a “we’re disappointed that you chose not to stay to help your coworkers” speech from the bosses and that was about it.
That policy went away a few weeks later.”
Here’s what people said about this.
One reader talked about a “mandatory” meeting they had to go to.
This individual has a sweet gig.
One Reddit user was impressed by this story.
Another reader made a good point…
And this person has all kinds of questions…
That’s how it’s done, folks.
Malicious compliance at its finest!
If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.