Mandated busy work is the worst.

For everyone, the boss included.

It may sound like a responsible, cover-all-bases idea at first, but this story proves how that can go completely off the rails.

“I wAnt aBSolutEly evEryThiNg aDdeD tO the CaLeNdaR!!” sure thing, boss

Supervisor introduces a new project management tool to the team.

Our team is only three people and we don’t need a giant professional software solution.

Both of us underlings point this out.

Supervisor insists.

We worry about it being a waste of time.

Supervisor says it will be worth it.

We ask for clarification about what exactly do we need to enter into the new tool.

Supervisor says: “Everything!”

Do please elaborate, Mr. Supervisor Guy.

“Everything?”

“Absolutely everything you do should be entered and checked off.”

Who else is seeing the Grinch meme with the smile spreading across his entire head?

Coworker underling gets a gleam in his eye. I understand.

So we enter everything into the calendar.

Leave home for work? Entered.

Arrive at work? Entered.

Sit down at desk? Entered. And so on.

And every time we accomplish a task, we log on to the program and mark it as complete.

Coffee? Check. Write an email? Check.

Oh but THIS is the best part, right here.

And every time we do this, the program automatically sends an email to supervisor that the task is done.

To supervisor’s credit, he took it well and laughed about the overwhelming emails.

And it was only a few days later that he dropped the program and we went back to the way it was before.

Now let’s see what folks thought of this move.

This person highlighted how utterly useless all the tracking of tasks really ends up being.

While this person had a response for the ages.

This person recalled a similar story.

And this commenter pointed out that it doesn’t always end up this well.

Well-played, underlings, well-played.

Sometimes you just have to show your boss the error of their ways.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.