Workplace policies only function well when they make sense for everyone involved.

Imagine having a new manager change the lunch break rules. If you knew the new rule was a bad idea, would you point out the error in judgement or comply and see what happens?

This woman used to work in a company with flexible lunch break hours, but when a new manager came in, a rigid lunch break rule was implemented.

She and her coworkers decided to follow it to the letter.

Read the full story below to find out what happened.

Boss said we MUST take lunch at 12:00. So we did

At my old job, we used to have flexible lunch breaks at work.

You could go anytime between 11:30 and 2:00 but just make sure someone was covering for you.

It worked fine.

This woman and her coworkers complied with the new manager’s rule.

Now, new manager comes in. He says, “Everyone must take their lunch at exactly 12:00. No exceptions.”

Okay then. 12:00 hits.

We all just… walk away.

Phones ringing, customers mid-sentence… not our problem.

Boss looked panicked, trying to handle it all.

The next day, the new manager brought back the old policy.

By the time we got back, it was a complete mess.

Next day?

New rule: “Lunch between 11:30 and 2:00 is fine.”

Oh, so back to normal?

Cool, boss.

It’s always great when a manager can learn from their mistakes.

Let’s see how others reacted to this story on Reddit.

Short but true!

This user shares their personal thoughts.

Here’s a somewhat related experience from this person.

This person makes a valid point.

Finally, here’s a really sensible lesson.

Don’t fix what’s not broken.

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.