'[I] went for another technicality': Employee maliciously complies with HR's photo request

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 11, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

When you're right, you're right. If you can bend the rules without breaking them, it's your prerogative to try! 

U/The-Oncoming-Storm has run into the same dilemma that lots of employees these days face: how do you choose a good headshot photo for your workplace? Some folks choose to get professional headshots, especially actors and those in other performing arts careers. But for the rest of us, paying hundreds for a headshot for work isn't feasible. Instead, you'll need to choose a nice selfie or have your friend snap a nice picture of you. The photo you choose says a lot about the way you represent yourself. You want a photo where your hair looks nice and your clothes are ironed. There can't be other people in the picture, and it's got to have a nice background. 

In an increasingly remote world, a lot of employers require their workers to put a profile picture on their Slack or email profiles. It's nice to know who you're working with if that person is on the other side of the globe. But some people, like this worker, just can't be bothered. Instead of just snapping a quick selfie, this person decided to maliciously comply with the instructions, as you can read below. 

Next up, read about the employees whose bosses were so terrible that they quit on the spot. 

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  • 01
    Commercial break in progress 'I'm lucky my boss has a good sense of humor'
    via Campaign Creators on Unsplash
  • 02
    Boss insisted on everyone uploading a headshot to the company HR system, I complied.
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 03
    Just a small one for you. The boss has been insisting that we all upload a headshot to the company HR system/website. After briefly considering uploading a pic since he didn't specify which head, I decided that I actually like my job
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 04
    and don't want to get fired, so went for another technicality... he didn't say which side of my head. And that's why there's a photo of the back of my head on my HR profile. I'm lucky my boss has a good sense of humour!
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 05

    Here's the worker's proof:

    Personal Job Emergency Performance Goals Assessment + New Goal Hire Date
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm

    Very funny! They're lucky to have a boss with a sense of humor about these things. And, as commenters joked, if they keep the same haircut, people will be able to recognize them at their desk even when they're not looking at their coworkers directly. 

  • 06
    darkrenown My company had something similar, where global HR wanted everyone to have a profile picture on the IM service, and would badger everyone who was still using the default picture.
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 07
    But they weren't actually checking to see what your picture was with their Eyes, they were just using software to see who hadn't uploaded a picture. Some one of my colleagues took a screenshot of the default silhouette and uploaded that as their picture.
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 08
    LongPastDueDate I had a 64 year old employee who hated herself in photos and insisted on using her college yearbook photo (circa 1974) for all company materials. It was a shame, because she had a lovely face and eyes that sparkled with humor.
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 09
    MLXIII So long as you keep that haircut, anyone should be able to find you at your desk easily!
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 10
    HammerOfTheHer... I grew out a full beard in advance of photo day for my work badge. Then I shaved it off the next day.
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 11
    NeedAnOffButton Well played! You did meet the letter of the request if not the spirit. I hate the way its becoming normalized to splash your face next to any mention on any media. It's uncomfortable and unnecessary.
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 12
    COMP455P01N7 Update it, but add googlie eyes
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 13
    virgilreality Ages ago, my first job required a company-issued photo ID to swipe in with. After some time passed, I realized that nobody ever looked at the id so long as swiping it worked.
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm
  • 14
    I taped a smiley face inside the clear card clip right where my face should be (that way, I could take it out and show it normally if ever confronted, and then claim I had been pranked). It stayed there for my remaining tenure at that company.
    via u/The-Oncoming-Storm

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boss workplace-stories jobs job malicious compliance bosses work malicious-compliance-reddit human resources workplace website malicious compliance reddit
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