You will be hard-pressed to find someone who is excited to go to work everyday. Even if its something you love, a 9-5 just beats you down.

But those employees that are always at a 10, even when they get on your nerves, are sometimes the only thing keeping the energy up in the office.

So when this user was told by his boss to tone down his excitement when helping customers, he soon realized his mistake when the store became absolutely miserable!

Check it out!

Hyzer, you’re too excitable and loud… Ooookay. Involuntary malicious compliance.

It was early 2018 and I was a sales rep for a corporate location of one of the big US cellular companies.

Working in a very busy and very tiny old store. I’m also one of the top sales reps in our district.

My job is to sell. I do well at my job by recommending things I’m genuinely enthusiastic about and transferring that enthusiasm to my customers.

I did exactly what they wanted, I got to know my customers and found things that they would actually use and love and they would be my loyal customers and buy my recommendations.

But one day, OP’s enthusiasm was just too much for a senior customer bothered by noise…

We also were required to do as many demos as possible in a day.

I was throwing my phone in its otter box, pumping up music on the Bluetooth. Having a fun time with my customers while transferring their data.

3 times across 3 months we’d have some senior that literally needed to call customer service and didn’t need to sit in our tiny sales floor and have us make their call…

Then they would get upset they couldn’t hear over the tiny room full of reps and customers actually you know… Buying stuff which is what the sales location is for.

So OP’s manager told him to tone it down, which he would soon end up regretting!

My boss kept pulling be aside, telling me things like: “I know you get enthusiastic but your voice carries and it’s a small place you have to tone it down.”

By the 3rd time I just felt defeated. I was depressed. I was walking on eggshells.

I was quieter. For a week. I had 2 days in a row off, I came back in and same boss pulls me aside again.

To the manager’s credit, he owned up to his mistake!

“Hyzer, remember how I told you to bring it down? I was wrong. It’s terrible. You are the engine that brings this team together.”

“It’s like you’re a ghost. The vibes of the whole place are trash now. We need YOU back. Forget I ever said anything it was dumb. We need you!”

I danced my way back onto the sales floor. He started telling the complaining boomers to go home and call if they wanted quiet, we’ve got a job to do.

Only time I’ve had a boss admit they screwed up.

This must be the only time I ever heard anyone’s manager tell them to be LESS enthusiastic about their job! And look how it turned out for them!

Reddit loved seeing OP recognized for his spirit, but was even more shocked that a boss admitted their own screw-up!

And this user said that accountability for mistakes goes both ways, and is just as valued in an employee as an employer.

This person remarked on how sad it was that this type of story was the exception, not the rule.

And finally, this user said they would have milked the situation for all its worth!

Never crush somebody’s enthusiasm, especially an employee.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.