There’s a reason people say you shouldn’t mix work with pleasure.

One person took to Reddit to share their story.

So this is my favorite story of malicious compliance from my own workplace. I was working in fast food at the time (overnights under golden arches) and I had been working there about 9 months at the time.

Now I had started talking to someone who used to work there as a manager after this person quit.

This person decided to come back a few months later, but by that time, we were engaging in an intimate relationship.

The relationship did not hold up.

Fast forward 6 months, me and this manager had been on and off a few times, but this person was a manager on my shift the entire time.

Now I had never notified the company of our on/off or relationship to begin with, assuming this person informed them upon hiring and that the company didn’t need constant notification of our on/off.

As a punishment to the failed relationship, the manager cut hours.

At this point though (6mo later) my hours disappeared. I thought it was an accident on the schedule at first, and my higher manager would authorize me clocking on anyways (I was a good employee and they needed the body).

The worst part about it was that I was scheduled 9pm-3am on the only two days I had left out of my availability.

The employee had obstacles in their way.

This meant I had no way to get home (I ride the bus) and I couldn’t legally be scheduled out of my availability in the first place. (It’s Oregon they can ask you to prove your availability but they can’t schedule you outside of it unless you have already failed to prove it).

Eventually managers from other shifts began telling my managers, and I said it was because of our on and off again relationship.

My shift’s managers were also told any manger would be written up if they authorized me clocking on when I wasn’t scheduled.

The higher up management was no help.

When I texted my GM about it, I was sent the relationship policy. While it did include that management needed to be notified, it also stated that new hires were responsible for notifying management of all relationships, not pre-existing staff members.

At this point I was pretty point blank stating we were in an intimate relationship when they were hired and if my hours were not reinstated, I would apply for unemployment and report them for harassment.

The employee had no problem stating the facts.

I also threw my manager under the bus, saying they should be the one in trouble here, not me, because I was a bit irritated they hadn’t notified the company upon rehiring.

The GM told me a meeting would need to be scheduled with the regional manager, but made no attempts (from my perspective) to make that happen.

All attempts at resolving the situation were at the employee’s downfall.

GM also offered to switch me to days for less pay or to another store with the same pay cut. I denied this because I would quit before working days in fast food again or taking a pay cut because someone else didn’t do their job.

My hours didn’t come back the following week either. I believe the main overnight manager was on vacation that week.

So cue malicious compliance.

I worked the hours I was scheduled and not a minute more.

The employee stuck to their minimal schedule.

They called me twice that week asking me to come in and help with cleaning.

I said, “no, I don’t want to get anyone in trouble for working unauthorized hours.” So the GM had to come in at 3 in the morning and do my usual deep cleaning tasks because nobody there knew how.

I didn’t hear another word about it but my hours were back and within my availability again the next week.

I quit and so did my managers about 3 months later, but it felt nice to get this win.

Reddit users were somewhat baffled by this story.

One person asked if this issue was exclusive to the United States.

Another reader brought up legal issues.

This person also suggested taking legal measures.

At least they are onto better things now!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.