'Didn't I just sign a paper where I promised that I never would talk back to you?': Fast food worker forced to never talk back to manager after defending coworker, cue malicious compliance

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jul 29, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

There are two kinds of managers in this world: the ones who lead and the ones who enforce ridiculous rules. If you hadn't guessed already, we usually end up having to tell stories about the latter kind on this site because, as it turns out, some managers never learn. In this case, we have a manager who reprimanded a new employee for being slow when the kitchen was backed up. The Redditor, another employee at this fast food restaurant, stepped in to defend the coworker and would later be reprimanded too for this act.

 

After the rush had passed, OP was sent to the manager's office, where they were forced to sign a literal contract prohibiting them from talking back to their manager on the job. Later during their break, the manager tried to break the ice with OP and attempted to make small talk. That's when OP decided to maliciously comply with these ridiculous new rules. They told their manager that they weren't permitted to talk back, so they couldn't respond to their pathetic excuse for small talk. The manager was visibly annoyed but probably understood at this moment that what they had done was a useless method of control. Perhaps a better use of the manager's time and energy would have been to help the employee and their new coworker so that the rush would calm down sooner. 

 

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions in the comments section below. For more content like this, here's another post about an employee who was asked to deduct money from her paycheck in order to be a "team player."

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  • 01
    Yellow - YS "Why don't you just leave her alone?"
    via Kentaro Toma
  • 02
    Font - r/r/MaliciousCompliance by u/Asleep_Bit_9712 Posted 10 hours ago Don't talk back to the supervisor? Ok, then I won't talk back to the supervisor S OC D
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 03
    Font - When I was 18 I used to work at a fast food restaurant, at the time of this happening I was working in the kitchen and I had to coworkers with me, my best friend and a new- ish girl, we were in a rush and my coworkers and I were doing all we could to get the food out as fast as possible, my best friend and I had about 1 year working there so we were kinda used to the rush by now, but our other coworker had like a month working in the kitchen and she was doing all she could,
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 04
    Font - apparently that wasn't enough to the supervisor in charge of our shift because she came (in the middle of the rush, mind you) to scold our coworker because she was just lazing around, my best friend and got mad, not only because the scolding was unnecessary but because we were still mid-rush and this supervisor was just wasting our time, so I said something along the lines of "why don't you just leave her alone?
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 05
    Font - She's new and you are just making it worse, if she's being so slow you should help us (it was normal for the supervisor to step in to help if we were stuck but this one didn't do that) she now got mad at me and started yelling things at me but at this point I was just ignoring her. When te rush passed I was called to the manager's office and the manager and her berated me for talking back to a supervisor,
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 06
    Font - they made me sign some paper where I 'promised' to never talk back to a supervisor again, so like 30 minutes pass and I'm on my break and this supervisor comes to me trying to make some small talk, I proceed to ignore and she gets mad when she notices that I'm not answering her questions, so I calmly reply "didn't I just signed a paper where I 'promised'that I never would talk back to you?" She then got even more mad and left me to enjoy the rest of my break.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 07
    Font - GreenLeafGreg. 10 hr. ago I would've continued to ignore her, then when I got back on duty, would have went to someone else (manager, hopefully) and say "I just signed this paper, so I would appreciate it if she would not try to talk to me anymore, as was requested. Not only that, my break is my time, so I really don't appreciate being approached when I'm trying to enjoy my time away from working."
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 08
    Font - Asleep_Bit_9712 OP 10 hr. ago I didn't think of that! But I think it wouldn't have worked anyway, because the manager was there when she made me sign the paper and he didn't say anything about it, so I guess he agreed with her or something.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 09
    Font - algy888 +3.9 hr. ago I had a coworker file a (false) complaint with HR that I called him "whacko". The HR review didn't go well for him (he had harassed me on previous occasions and I had witnesses) but I was asked to be careful what I say to him in the future.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 10
    Font - I replied "Shouldn't be a problem. We don't generally interact so I just won't talk to him at all. That way you can be assured that I haven't said the wrong thing." Haven't said a word to him in years. It's kinda fun now.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 11
    Font - luxurycrab 5 hr. ago . I worked fast food as a teen too and even now almost 20 years and several career changes later it was the most pointlessly stressful job ive ever worked. People screaming at eachother and ragung for hours because a f sandwich wasnt made quick enough or because theres some crumbs on the floor. It was jarring when i found myself in a role with actual responsibility but with none of the stress
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 12
    Font - dougfmyqx 4 hr. ago Praise in public. Punish in private. Without being an AH.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 13
    Font - gsxreatr02 3 hr. ago I'm union. So we are guaranteed a 30 minute uninterrupted lunch. Had boss come to the break room about 20 minutes into my lunch asking stupid questions so i calmly informed her i was on lunch. When she continued i reminded her that i was quarantined a 30 minute lunch and would be starting over and would talk to her afterwards. Had a nice little break.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 14
    Font - Disastrous_Wash_3292. 3 hr. ago There are two types of leaders. the guy who helps and leads the team or the guy who cracks the whip and gets poorer results. "The beatings will continue until moral improves"
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 15
    Font - Miker9t 2 hr. ago No, one of those is a leader. The other is just a boss, the only thing they lead is morale into the toilet.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 16
    Font - 550-8 GRAM Stabbmaster 3 hr. ago +3. This is exactly why when my kid gets their first part time job, I'm going to have him relay everything that's said and one to/for/with him. So I can tell him exactly what is and is not permissible, legal, or moral. I'll also drill it into his head what a job description is, and why spending more than 20 minutes doing a job that's not on that list is grounds for a raise or refusing to do it anymore.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 17
    Font - cultured_banana_slug +1 . 2 hr. ago Fast food has either amazing managers who know where they're working and have fun with it, or you're stuck with managers who act like they're managing kidneys for infants or some and take it way too seriously. Good managers: the wall, I'm here to help. Bad managers: the wall... SCRUB HARDER! hit hit
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 18
    Mammal - luzer_kidd 5 hr. ago Never sign anything like that.
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 19
    Font - Lagadisa 1 hr. ago Would have written it on a piece of paper and handed it to her. You're nit allowed to talk back. Meaning anytime she initiates a conversation, you can't reply
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 20
    Mammal - The 4 hr. ago FlyingToasterr +1. What a pathetic power trip lol
    via u/Asleep_Bit_9712

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boss workplace-stories toxic-manager employee work stories toxic-workplace manager malicious compliance work coworkers toxic-boss Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit fast food toxic-work-environment
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