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Workplace rules can get silly when someone complains about another employee receiving a small favor.

Why should an empty manager’s parking space sit unused while one worker walks 30 minutes?

Instead of fighting HR, the managers found an easy way around the new rule.

Read on for the full parking-lot showdown.

Managers aren’t allowed to tell me to use their parking space when they’re off? Alright then.

So this happened a good 6 years ago now.

I was just starting my IT career so I was a basic level 1 desktop engineer for a large financial company.

My team consisted of me, a level 2 engineer and 3 managers – one for data, one for people and one overall manager.

The parking situation sounds really unfair.

Parking in town was either expensive or impossible and while management and supervisors got parking spaces in the huge multi-story next to the office, other staff members didn’t get one and either had to pay the very expensive parking fees or park far away and walk.

Being on a low entry-level salary, I opted to walk the 30 minutes into town (and often got sick due to bad weather).

The level 2 guy lived a 5 minute walk from the office and didn’t own a car.

When any of the managers were off, they offered their parking space to me so that I wouldn’t have to walk which was very nice of them and greatly appreciated as it was saving me money too.

Someone complained to HR.

One day, I got called into HR because somebody saw me coming out of the multi-story and got jealous and asked why I get a space and they don’t.

This HR manager was INCREDIBLY condescending and talked to me like I was a literal child with lines like “Back when I was your age, I thought the world owed me everything too” which is absolutely not my attitude but sure, go off on one like you know me.

She said it wasn’t fair on the level 2 guy because he might want the space too, she wouldn’t listen when I said he didn’t drive and even said to me he didn’t want it after I asked if he was okay with me using the space.

A manager came up with a plan.

At the end of the day I went into the management office and we were chatting about the day as we usually did and I told them about the HR meeting and said they weren’t allowed to let me use their space anymore.

The data manager then had a genius MC suggestion.

She was a very selfless soul who sacrificed much of her time to help other people and this situation rubbed her the wrong way and she wanted to do something out of spite.

She said that whenever any of them were on holiday, they’d just tell me that their parking space will be empty for the duration, NOT specifically that I can use it which is what we were told not to do from HR.

Someone else complained.

So the next time they were on holiday, I parked in their space and after a few days, somebody else got jealous and taddled to HR again.

I was dragged into a meeting and asked why I was still using their space.

I said that I just took a chance on an empty space I found in the multi-story (they were rented, not pay and display).

HR wanted to confirm the story.

She went and asked the data manager when she was back in if she said I could use the space, to which she said “No, I just said goodbye before I went on holiday for 2 weeks”.

HR then told her I was in her space in her absence and asked her if she wanted to raise a complaint against me.

She said “No thanks, I wasn’t using it anyway”.

Their hands were tied and there was nothing they could do to prevent me from using the spaces as they’re allocated privately to the individuals for use even outside of office hours and only reclaimed when they leave.

It’s so ridiculous that people who are allowed to use the private parking spaces are told not to tell someone else they can use that space.

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I love that the manager came up with a plan to comply while still getting their way.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

Surely HR has something better to do.

Here’s a tip about taxes.

This person has a theory about why HR said anything.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a delivery driver who tried warning his boss the truck needed new brakes and tires, only to find his truck sidelined during their busiest season.

Here’s another theory about why HR even cared about this situation.

The managers only told this employee when their parking spaces would be empty, and he chose to park there himself.

HR couldn’t punish him because nobody complained, and the person assigned the space wasn’t using it anyway.

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Author

Chris Allen