Hey, if the boss says something, you gotta go along with the program, right?

You bet!

But no one ever said anything about a little malicious compliance fun being thrown in, either…

And that’s how you get a story like this!

Check out what happened.

No more jokes at work? You got it, boss

“A few years back I worked the front desk in a small hotel (just over 60 rooms) in a small town in upstate New York that you really only came to if you were visiting the nearby colleges or the Finger Lakes area in general.

I had been at this job for about a year when this story takes place.

He’s a real jokester…

I’m a very informal guy in general, even at work (I’m still professional, of course, but I like to have fun), so when someone comes in I would joke around with them, make fun of myself, just trying to make their day a little bit better than it was a few minutes ago.

My thought process was if I’m able to put them in a better mood, then they’re more likely to enjoy the hotel and their trip in general.

Also, it was more likely they would remember me and mention my name on a TripAdvisor review, which my bosses liked to see as it showed that the front desk staff were making good enough impressions on our guests that they would remember our names.

Anyway, so the day in question comes around in the late fall/early winter and we aren’t too busy.

I’m working the 3 – 11 PM shift, which is mostly check ins, helping alleviate any problems that our guests have during the time I’m there, and giving recommendations for where they should go to eat for the night and see in the morning. Standard stuff, really.

This husband and wife arrive and check in with me. Smooth as butter, no problems with their payment information or anything, give them their keys, and off they go to their room.

I don’t see or talk to them again until they come back down to the desk a few minutes later to ask me about local restaurants and attractions, which is where I made my “mistake.”

Uh oh…

The conversation went something like this:

Wife: “So, what’s there to do in this town?”

Me, completely joking: “Nothing.”

I waited about two beats before laughing to show I wasn’t serious and explain that I was just kidding around.

The husband laughed, the wife kind of tsk’d, but, I thought, ah, well, you can’t get ’em every time.

I then handed them a list of restaurants and told them my recommendations based on what kind of food they were looking for, and what activities I would recommend if they wanted to stay in town, or if they were willing to drive a little to see some cool stuff.

They both gladly took the info I gave them and went along their way. I didn’t see them again for the rest of their stay.

That didn’t go so well…

Coming in for my next shift after a few days off, one of my bosses told me she was very angry with me and told me to check out our latest TripAdvisor reviews.

I did so and saw that a review was left saying that I made this woman feel like a moron for staying in this town because I “told her that there was nothing to do or see, and that no one ever stays in this town if they know better,” which, of course, is not what I said at all.

Fun fact, we still got a 3/5 rating.

The great thing about my bosses was, as overbearing as they were at times, they always stood by and believed their employees.

I told my boss my side of the story, and she calmed a little and said “I believe you, but no more jokes, no more fun, ok? I don’t want to have this kind of thing happen again.”

If you’ve ever worked in hospitality, you know how important TripAdvisor reviews are, so I understood where she was coming from, but asking me not to tell jokes is like telling a cat not to meow–it goes against my nature.

But, hey, she pays my wage, so I’ll do it, which is where my malicious compliance comes in.

No more joking!

For the next few days, I didn’t tell any jokes at work. But, to try and make it a little more exciting, I also spoke in a complete monotone, remained stone-faced at all times.

I tried as hard as I could to make it look like I was having no fun at all, while still doing all the tasks of the job I had to and being completely professional at all times.

It only took a few more days for another TripAdvisor review to come in and say something to the effect of “Hotel was great, but staff, while professional, is lifeless and seems to dislike their strict working environment.

This probably falls on managements shoulders, so I don’t blame the staff themselves too much.” We got a 2/5 rating.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the end of this story, but guess who was allowed to actually make the guests feel more welcome by being fun and friendly again? That’s right, this guy.

P.S. For anyone who’s curious, this is my favorite joke:

A snake walks into a bar. The bartender says, “how the hell did you do that?””

Here’s what Reddit users had to say.

This person shared their thoughts.

Another individual shared a story.

This reader chimed in.

Another reader spoke up.

And this Reddit user shared how they like to do it.

This made us LOL.

Apparently not everyone was amused, though.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.