'I have to stop you right here... My day is over': Salaried bank worker starts working stricter hours after bosses criticize them for leaving ten minutes early

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Oct 5, 2023 5:00 PM EDT

If your boss doesn't like you, what can you do about it? This person realized that fact, but only after they'd already been at the company for several months. 

U/aineslis shared a malicious compliance story that took place at their job while they were working in Europe. The rules are different there compared to the USA---workers have different protections and rules around their conduct. 

However, it seems like this person was just perhaps not a good personality fit for that company. In a bank where the bosses reign supreme and employees silently obey, the OP was a bull in a china shop. They started speaking up during meetings and offering suggestions, while they were secretly annoyed that the rest of the team wouldn't say a word. If the boss isn't looking for someone to rock the boat, that person will not curry any favor with their leadership team. It sounds like the bosses realized too late that OP wasn't the team leader they were looking for, and were just looking for little tiny reasons to annoy them out of the job. 

You can check out the OP's entire story below. Next, this customer called up and screamed at her service rep---I bet she would've acted a lot nicer if she knew she'd be hearing her own words played back to her. 

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  • 01
    Font - 'My manager: I heard you left work early on Friday Me: I did. I left 10 minutes early. Manager: Did you ask for permission to leave early? Me: It was 10 minutes... Why are we having this conversation?'
    via Paul Fiedler on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - "Your working hours are 9 am to 6 pm" L OC Edit: First and foremost, thank you for the upvotes and awards. Greatly appreciated, I love all the discussions below. There is some food for thought here. To clarify a few things: this took place in Europe. I was a salaried employee (40hr/week). I left that job about 10 months after the "event" took place. I didn't get into trouble and nobody tried to fire me (my probation period was over and we have employment laws regarding constructive dismis
    via u/aineslis
  • 03
    Font - About four years back, I started a new banking job. All was well, just that the management was pretty strict with timekeeping, which was weird as we were back office (my experience was in a similar field at another bank, and we had flexible schedules and received time in lieu). But rules are rules, so I followed them. I learnt my tasks and got to know the wider team.
    via u/aineslis
  • 04
    Font - Anyway, about four months in, I started to realise my senior manager didn't like me. I'm pretty assertive as a person, and I do know how to stand up for myself. He hated it. I would speak up during the meetings, ask questions, give suggestions, and so on, while the team would stay quiet.
    via u/aineslis
  • 05
    Font - The week everything went south, I was working overtime, which was (obviously) unpaid. On Thursday, I did nearly two hours of overtime. On Friday, I thought I'll leave a few minutes early as I was done for the week. My manager was off. I left 10 minutes early.
    via u/aineslis
  • 06
    Organism - On Monday, I come to work, and I got called into a meeting straight away. There were three of us in the room: myself, my manager, and my senior manager. Our conversation went as follows:
    via u/aineslis
  • 07
    Font - My manager (MM): I heard you left work early on Friday Me: I did. I left 10 minutes early. MM: did you ask for permission to leave early? Me: it was 10 minutes. You know I did about 4 hours of overtime last week. Why are we having this conversation?
    via u/aineslis
  • 08
    Font - Senior Manager (SM): because you left early without asking for permission. As a senior, you should be setting an example for the rest of the team. Me: Is this a joke?
    via u/aineslis
  • 09
    Font - SM: Your working hours are 9 am to 6 pm, not 9 am to 5:50 pm. You shouldn't leave early without asking for your manager or my permission first. Is that clear? Me: Got it. It's perfectly clear.
    via u/aineslis
  • 10
    Font - I listened and started coming into the office at 9 am and leaving at 6 pm on the dot. At first, they didn't realise what was happening, but the week after the meeting was the last week of the month. And let's say the last week of the month was... intense. Especially the final day. The reports had to be completed, signed off, and submitted before the month's end. We covered multiple jurisdictions and would deal with Southeast Asia in the morning and the Americas in the evening. Our team wa
    via u/aineslis
  • 11
    Human body - Here comes Friday, the last day of the month. Showtime!
    via u/aineslis
  • 12
    Font - I'm at my desk at 9 am sharp. Most of the team have already been at the office for at least an hour. I, of course, have a cup of coffee from the cafeteria because I was a bit early. My manager looks at me and raises his eyebrow, but he doesn't say anything.
    via u/aineslis
  • 13
    Font - Work work work. Break time (we had two 20 minute paid breaks and 1-hour unpaid lunch). I'm the only person to go on my break. Lunchtime. Everyone was eating at their desks, while I go to meet my friends for lunch. On the second break, I once again leave my workplace and go for a short stroll around.
    via u/aineslis
  • 14
    Font - Back to work. About a quarter to 6 pm, I get a call from one of the senior managers in the US. She needs the report amended. There were 4 of us on that call. I'm doing the amendments as we speak and closely monitoring the time. I see it's two minutes to 6 pm... One minute... 6 pm.
    via u/aineslis
  • 15
    Font - SM2: *rambling about the report Me: apologies, but I have to stop you right here SM2: yes? Me: It's 6 pm here. My day is over. SM2: Huh? Me: As per my management, my working hours are 9 am to 6 pm, so I must leave now. Have a great weekend, and we'll catch up on Monday!
    via u/aineslis
  • 16
    Font - I logged off, got my coat, wished everyone a great weekend, and left. It was 6:04 pm. Both my manager and my senior manager were dumbfounded by what has happened. Looking pale, and stare at me in disbelief. It was a glorious sight. I wanted to apologise to my senior manager that I wasn't able to leave at 6 pm on the dot, but I thought that would have been way too passive-aggressive, so I just left.
    via u/aineslis
  • 17
    Font - I relaxed the rule a bit after a few months. Yet, I never did more than 30 minutes of overtime. Ironically, once my stakeholders understood that I will not be available for 10+ hours, they started collaborating earlier in the month. I would have most of my reports done and submitted by the last day of the month.
    via u/aineslis
  • 18
    Font - majesticjules This a malicious compliance I can get behind. You are entitled to take your breaks and if they aren't going to pay overtime you shouldn't have to work it. Management knows this, that's why all they could do is raise their eyebrows. 9.7k Reply Share aineslis OP Yep. That's why he was quiet. I think that morning he started realising what am I up to lol.
    via u/majesticjules
  • 19
    Font - TheOGCrysLady The fact that you doing this made your collaborations better is everything to me. My current work is talking about expanding hours and doing all sorts of things, and I'm over here like, "Since when are boundaries a bad thing?" You let people know what the rules will consistently be and they will adjust accordingly.
    via u/TheOGCrysLady

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europe salary boss shift workplace-stories jobs manager job bosses work coworkers hours workplace overtime bad bosses
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