Managers make unreasonable requests and expect employees to comply.

This science lab employee was told that daily reports are due earlier, even when some data are still missing. The whole lab complied, and the manager regretted his decision by the end of the month.

Read the full story below.

I need this report earlier!

So I work in a science lab, and normally, we write up our results for the day around 2 p.m., when all of the testing is done. We leave at 3:30.

The boss’s boss, being mostly admin and managerial, works 9–5.

The boss’s boss wants this report magically earlier in the day, before we’re done with all of our testing. He walks into the lab holding one of the reports (this is paraphrased).

“I need this earlier, you guys are always giving it to me after the day’s already over, and I can’t make any changes. I need to know what’s going on sooner rather than later to make adjustments. Eleven would be much better.”

I try explaining the report’s done at 2 because that’s when all of the numbers are in. If I do it earlier, it won’t be complete.

He says back, “What will be missing?” … (this and this, I point to the sections). He says, “Oh, those aren’t important, we don’t make changes based on those.” So I ask him to send me an email as a reminder to me and to the rest of the lab as well, so they can make this change.

“Will do.”

This employee’s manager was left to do all the hard work at the end of the month.

He walks back down to his office and sends it. I’m floored.

So I ask my direct boss, and she smiles too, knowing what would happen.

For the full month, we comply, but we leave two uninteresting numbers off the daily report every day simply because the numbers aren’t in yet, the testing hasn’t been done, and everyone in the lab is on board with this.

So, the end of the month comes around, and the boss is looking to print out his monthly compliance report, and he has a big empty section for two pages. He can’t figure it out.

All of us have left by 3:30, and what should be a simple five-minute print-and-hole-punch job he does at the end of every month becomes a problem because he has to go find where two points of data are kept.

The boss’s boss was stuck staying late on the last day of the month to get the report in.

My boss ignored his calls for a few hours, but finally gave in around 7 to get back to him and tell him where he could find the numbers. (Everything is labeled in the lab; he should’ve been able to resolve it himself.)

He was there till about 8, putting data in.

It’s always entertaining when a boss’s decision backfires on him.

People in the comments are piping up.

This user is baffled.

This one shares a similar story.

More details, says this one.

Here’s a good rule to follow.

And here’s a hilarious comment.

Early report or complete report? Your choice.

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.