'I'll make sure it's $30 Every. Single. Time': Employee gets in trouble for expensing $1.02 above the limit, maliciously complies and costs the company 3x her normal spending

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Apr 5, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

Sometimes, being a stickler can backfire majorly. This manager learned that the hard way after calling out an employee for expensing a mere $1.02 more than the usual limit. She was given a stern "talking to" despite the fact that she rarely spends anywhere close to the $30/day amount when she travels for work. 

Well, that all changed quickly when the Redditor decided to maliciously comply following her manager's unnecessary tirade. She shared her story via this thread on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit and documented how in the subsequent she would spend as close to that $30/day limit as possible… so much so that if you were to calculate her expenses now, it would be close to three times what she was spending prior to her manager's speech. Sometimes, giving your employee a hard time is not worth it and can only lead to far greater consequences. 

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from folks in the comments section. When you're done, feel free to take a look at this post about another employee who ended up getting fired for taking from the communal electronics bin. 

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  • 01
    "Sure, I'll keep my meals under $30 as per the policy"
    via Alexander Grey
  • 02
    r/r/MaliciousCompliance Posted by u/Cinnamon Bun Bun Sure, I'll keep my meals under $30 as per the policy. I'll make sure it's $30 Every. Single. Time M OC
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 03
    I do a lot of fly-in fly-out travel for my job. Usually I am so busy with work while onsite or I am stationed somewhere with food options I don't want to waste my calories on and I don't eat anything the whole day or just buy a coffee.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 04
    Our employee expenses policy at work is $30 a day which is mostly fine. But there are some high cost of living cities and sometimes my meals go above that policy because there is not many options,
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 05
    especially if I want to eat healthy which is important when you are constantly on the road. Plus so many airports have completely shut down their food courts and haven't reopened them yet so there's hardly any options but fast food.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 06
    So I submit my expenses one month and I have gone $1.50 over the daily limit because I treated myself to a coffee that morning as well as a lunch because I was tired after the god awful early flight I had to take.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 07
    The company had recently changed their policy and now a different set of people are approving expenses. The previous people didn't mind going over by a few bucks because it balances out with trips where I didn't eat anything but this new group are absolute sticklers and rejected the expense citing I was over the daily limit.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 08
    I tried to argue I had 10 other visits that month in which I didn't eat a single thing but they still weren't budging. It really left a sour taste in my mouth.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 09
    Now every single visit I force myself to spend as close to $30 as I them. My can because husband is happy because it means I now bring back (slightly squished but free) food for him. I feel bad for wasting food but often I just buy a meal and eat a few bites and throw it in the bin.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 10
    However, the expense policy is $30 a day and by god I am going to stick to it now.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 11
    While in the past I might have billed $100 for the entire month because I didn't bother to eat, I am now billing twice or three times that. I also used to push myself to keep working all day but now I religiously take my 30 minutes to go and buy some food so that's 30 mins less work they are getting from me too.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 12
    SweetDove ⚫ Hey man, if you still want to stick it to em, just pay $30 on someone's bill who looks like they could use the help, win win. 6.5k Reply Share
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 13
    Jonesy1939. THis is actually the best lol. Just go around paying for random people's meals, on the company dime, lol 1.8k Reply Share
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 14
    night-otter. My first business trip, my manager called me in and pointed out my food expenses were low. "Well I grabbed McDs for breakfast, a sandwich at the convention center and we did Denny's for dinner." "Your per diem is $75 a day. $15-20-40 B-L-D is the split and you only need receipts if you go over $50. Now what were your food expenses again?" ***ETA: Holy Bat Guano! 5K upvotes. Thanks. 6.0k Reply Share ...
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 15
    No Pineapple6086 Beautiful. I used to do the same at my last job. If we had to stay past 8pm we got a free meal, delivered and cab expenses. After being ducked around on a few minor items, guess who started staying until 8:01 pm, a lot. 3.7k Reply Share
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 16
    dezignator Our expenses policy is $33.33 per meal period (so 3x daily, hundred bucks a day), and we just get the full amount as part of travelling, counted from when you leave your house to when you get back. No need for claims, and if you spend less, the difference is a thank you for the pain in the that is travelling for work. If you spend more (in this case, covering any work-related expense, not just over-limit food), the customer just has to sign off on it (since they're billed directly) fo
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 17
    TomatilloAccurate475. I used to expense account the unused balance right on to a gift card at the restaurant to make up the difference up to the allowable amount, did this every time. Then you have about 3 options here is where it's fun to be malicious: 1. Use gift card toward next meal that you expect exceeds allowance 2. Save all these small gift cards (a dollar here, five dollars there) to take home and use on your own tabs on a night out away from work.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 18
    Or my favorite 3. Use the gift card that your company is paying for to immediately towards your alcohol beverages separate tab, right then and there. 1.0k Reply Share
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 19
    Lord_Schmurda Ouch $30 a day? I think that is well below most expense policies. 10 years ago it was $75 a day at my first real travel job. Sometimes if I had money left in my daily budget I'd stop in at a restaurant and get myself a $25 gift card to use later. I don't don't really have limits now - they just don't want bottles of Dom P showing up on the lunch tab (unless clients are there - then spend whatever). If Im traveling away from my family, sleeping in a bed that's not mine, I'm going to
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 20
    Cinnamon Bun Bun OP. It's like $100 if it's an overnight trip but I prefer not to do those as I miss my family. But yeah after this I really plan on looking for a new job next year. I cannot stress what a bad mood this put me in. As you can imagine, as you've done it, FIFO work work and is anyone that does it deserves their comforts.
    via u/CinnamonBunBun
  • 21
    I am just waiting as I am up for promotion in January as I have been there X months and I can use that to leverage myself I to a better paid job. I tried looking for a new job a couple of months ago but although the pay was better I couldn't make the jump into the promoted role I am hoping for. 328 Reply Share
    via u/CinnamonBunBun

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job malicious compliance work food reddit thread Reddit company workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment
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