'It’s satisfying watching the management scramble': IT department brought to a standstill when upper management decides they need to approve everything

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Mar 25, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

There's this thing that happens every now and again in organizations where someone, usually high up on the food chain, decides that everything—every decision, order, expense, or report—needs to pass across their desk. They do so severely underestimating the gravitas of what they've just requested, with little comprehension of just how many things they're going to be handling, dependent on their pen stroke to proceed. Of course, maybe not right away, but at some point, things are going to begin piling up. And when everything is waiting on your approval, nothing is getting done, and the peeved-off workers who have been deprived of all agency in their roles aren't going to make things any easier for you by complying with your demand to the letter.

You've probably read about or experienced this situation before, and if you've been hanging around here or r/MaliciousCompliance for long, then you've certainly seen this exact scenario play out in a similar story. This story is no different, with upper management deciding they need to keep a tighter leash on something that they don't understand in the name of chasing even higher profits—bringing the whole thing to a standstill.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    "Approval for everything? ok!" TPD Estimate
    via Wesley Tingey
  • 02
    So I'm in IT, and where I work, my team is awesome. We are usually allowed to our own devices about everything related to the network and equipment related to keeping everything running. Our manager usually just wanted reasons for everything, and if it made sense, it was cleared same day. Anyways, the present day: around the beginning of the year our higher managers decided they're going to keep a tighter leash on spending and such, so they looked to the IT
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 03
    department because we do at times need $6k+ of hardware for replacements (normal wear and tear over the year, and we recently did a $75k network rebuild because of corporate decisions), but we've kept to the assigned budget. In order to keep IT under their thumb, they've switched to requiring submitting approvals before submitting the official Purchase Order. So the malicious compliance: The notice said essentially if IT needs to order it, we want to approve it first. So everything gets an appro
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 04
    point where something that took us 1-2 weeks for delivery now takes 4-5 weeks for the same thing, which has caused strains on everything we usually work on. Parts that need replaced are still on order, so stations and computers are offline until replacements are approved. It's satisfying watching the management scramble to mass-approve things once it's brought up as impacting the site's work.
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 05
    dynamitediscodave 21 hr. ago. edited 21 hr. ago Good. Excellent. Well done. Worked at an aircraft maintenance place, boss wanted approvals for every part we orded. Oh that aircraft you needed on contract isn't flying?? Parts order form in your inbox for last 2 weeks. Your problem champ. Eadc Vote Reply Share ...
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 06
    BlahLick 16 hr. ago • I hope every individual bolt, nut, washer and split pin got their own form - just so they didn't think you were trying to rort the system, and for total accountability → Vote Reply Share
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 07
    dynamitediscodave 16 hr. ago I was that petty. I submitted single line items. The equipo knew what i was doing, hated the additional paperwork, but understood. Like we have 12hrs over night to do all servicing and repairs before its on the lines ready for 15min notice to move. Being petty over 1/4" bolts ffs. If you don't have spares, it don't fly. Clown ✰ Vote Reply Share
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 08
    Imaginary-Yak-6487 21 hr. ago I'm a community manager for an apartment complex & I feel this with my soul. We site managers were instructed to make a proposed budget for our property for 2024 years n July last year. Now, we had to call our all our approved vendors to ask if there were going to be any increase in pricing & how much. OC they couldn't tell us bc it's July.
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 09
    So I based mine on what had been spent for the last 12 months. I upped appliances by $300, HVAC supplies by $200. We have very expensive tankless gas water heaters. So I upped that by $300. & the reserves for all 3 by $500. Just in case. I asked for 6 ac units. We are going to need 37 water heaters but I asked for 10. Appliances, I asked for 7 each, fridges, dw, stoves, microwaves, garbage disposals. for 2024 bc what we have is close to 15yrs old. They are wearing out.
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 10
    I got cut drastically by our former regional vp. So this is only March., we've replaced 3 wh, 6 fridges, 4, stoves, 10 mw, & fixing to replace our 3rd ac unit. I have new regional & a new RVP for my property. They said we need to talk about my spending. The WH were 2100$ last year. This year they are $4300. Fridges were $1000, now they are $1600. Dw went up by $ 400, stoves are over $1000. AC replacement close to $5k.
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 11
    I asked my regional to see what I had been budgeted for bc i never received it. H sent it & I said oh, I got cut & under budgeted. They are coming in a couple weeks & I'm going to show them what I proposed & then ask them to compare with what the other RVP did. We know our property better because we're at site they're not. We get hammered for over spending when they are the ones that cut the budget. Vote Reply Share . . .
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 12
    Thorboy86 22 hr. ago I did a project in Aluminum Casting which supplied a frame part to a large German automotive company. The company was a Tier II supplier, which meant we sold the part to someone else who added to it before selling to the German company directly. When casting you need die lube. And a lot of it. After each part is cast, a robot sprays the mold before the next part is made. This lube takes 2 weeks to deliver because no one thought to set up a supply chain with
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 13
    local stock. So each order was considered "custom" and was sent out of state to be mixed and produced. On top of that, the Assistant General Manager wanted to Approve every purchase over $2000. We ran out of lube because the Approval sat on his desk for 3 weeks. They ended up flying 2 barrels from a sister company in Michigan down south for $$$$$. We shut down the German Automotive Company for 6 hours because we didn't have
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 14
    lube..... The best part is the supplier said they could set up a recurring order based on how much we use so there is always some stock locally and more stock being mixed/made out of state. Something they told me they offered when the Die Cast machine was installed but the Assistant General Manager decided he didn't want to do that. This German Company then fined us a large sum of money for shutting down production for 6 hours....... That project was sooooo much fun /s Vote Reply Share
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 15
    saracor . 22 hr. ago I am so glad I have blanket approval of most everything. Not that I have much of a chain above me, but unless it's multi thousands, I just approve it for my team. Having to do this is just beyond frustrating. Good for you to show them how stupid this is. Vote Reply Share
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 16
    Obstreporous1 · 22 hr. ago While we do have some small blanket PO's for critical issues, for larger or capital things our process involves getting the necessary signatures. Fortunately, our system does route tracking. "Where are the widgets we need?" Oh. Manager #3 has let this go for seven business days without reviewing. Funny how the others in the signoff loop get #3 to do their job that day. Vote Reply Share ...
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 17
    • unkyduck 18 hr. ago In the '90s I worked on a TV graphics workstation station that depended heavily on 3.5" floppy disks. Invoices over $100 had to be approved by the station manager, so to avoid the boss finding out that it cost money to run a tv station, my manager made me buy 19 floppies at a time for $5 each, several times a week, instead of buying a box of 500 for $500. I took the opportunity to walk slowly to the computer store and back. Vote Reply Share
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 18
    • PatchworkRaccoon314 17 hr. ago The department that deals with the most expensive equipment spends the most money? How is this possible?!? Surely they must just be wasting it. Vote Reply Share ...
    via u/syskey_tv
  • 19
    BobsUrUncle303 · 21 hr. ago Typical Manglement fix it till it's broke plan. Wonder what they will do when all their IT workers leave looking for better bosses? Vote Reply Share
    via u/syskey_tv

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

workplace discussion workplace-stories jobs tech support talesfromtechsupport job malicious compliance work it IT guy workplace Tech workplace malicious compliance employment in the workplace
Scroll Down For The Next Article