‘If you think you can find a loophole, think again’: Software developer maliciously complies with new boss’s strict 9-5 hours, team productivity tanks

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 15, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

Who doesn't love when a manager's strict and unnecessary rules get called out in front of senior management in the most humiliating way possible? We guess that the manager didn't love it, but clearly, everyone else on this software developer's team enjoyed this comeuppance.

This manager, Dave, came waltzing in and insisted that all software developers adhere to a strict 9-5 work schedule with minimal breaks. The Redditor explained how this was not ideal for the team's productivity, given that coding takes time and creativity. Furthermore, emergencies happen and sometimes people are needed before or after normal work hours. Well, Dave needed to flex his muscles despite having no legitimate coding experience himself. So not only did the Redditor maliciously comply with these demands, but also the entire team followed his lead. It got to the point where productivity plummeted and Dave had to answer for himself in a meeting with senior management. 

Keep scrolling below to see how his team behaved during said meeting when the clock struck 5pm. For more stories like this, check out this post about how all 32 remote employees found a loophole to get around their CEO's regulations.

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    "Work my hours, or we'll find someone who will" T Y L D F G 1 Z x C V B N M option command K co
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    our clients were happy, and our team morale was high. That is, until we got a new project manager, let's call him Dave.
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    The results were predictable. Projects that usually took a couple of weeks started dragging on. Tasks that we could have completed in days with a bit of overtime took much longer
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    In the meeting, Dave spent half an hour shifting blame and berating individual team members. He didn't even mention the 9-5 policy that had led to the whole situation.
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    As the clock ticked towards 5:00 PM, the tension in the virtual room was palpable, and our team hatched a plan over text.
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    Right on cue, as the clock struck 5:00 PM, one of the employees spoke up, "In compliance with Dave's 9-to-5 rule, we must log off now." Without missing a beat, every team member clicked "Leave Meeting," leaving a stunned Dave to face the executives alone.
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    And as for me and my team? We made sure to celebrate our little victory with a well-deserved happy hour... after 5 PM, of course.
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    5. maybe bring donuts on every Friday? It's really that easy. You don't just go to a new place and start making changes, everyone will hate your guts Imao
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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job malicious compliance work reddit thread Reddit company workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment
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