Fast food worker warned never to talk back to supervisor again, malicious compliance ensues: '[But] I promised that I would never talk back to [you]'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Aug 3, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

Being a fast food worker means you have to take a lot of heat from a lot of unruly customers. To have to deal with an unruly manager on top of all the other nonsense can be too much for some people to handle.

This worker confronted his supervisor after he was giving the new employee a tough time on a busy day instead of helping the team out productively (what a concept!). Instead of listening and learning from his team, the supervisor took the opportunity to chastise the Redditor for talking back, completely missing the real point. 

So what happened when later on during his shift, the same supervisor tried to make small talk with the fast food worker? Well, let's just say there certainly wasn't any talking back. In fact, there wasn't much talking at all. Call it insubordination if you wish; this employee liked to think of it as some well-deserved malicious compliance. For more stories like this, check out this post about a fired employee who cost his store $30,000 as payback.

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  • 01
    662 663 664 665 9999 670 678 686 Open your on 671 679 Press the Ch 672 680 Tap your pho 673 681 "Don't talk back to the supervisor? Ok" Treat time Icedream
    via Zoshua Colah
  • 02
    When I was 18 I used to work at a fast food restaurant, at the time of this happening I was working in the kitchen and I had to coworkers with me, my best friend and a new-
    via Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 03
    ish girl, we were in a rush and my coworkers and I were doing all we could to get the food out as fast as possible, my best friend and I had about 1 year working there so we were kinda used to the rush by now, but our other coworker had like a month working in the kitchen and she was doing all she could,
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  • 04
    apparently that wasn't enough to the supervisor in charge of our shift because she came (in the middle of the rush, mind you) to scold our coworker because she was just lazing around, my best friend and got mad, not only
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  • 05
    because the scolding was unnecessary but because we were still mid-rush and this supervisor was just wasting our time, so I said something along the lines of "why don't you just leave her alone?
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  • 06
    She's new and you are just making it worse, if she's being so slow you should help us (it was normal for the supervisor to step in to help if we were stuck but this one didn't do that) she now got mad at me
    via Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 07
    and started yelling things at me but at this point I was just ignoring her. When te rush passed I was called to the manager's office and the manager and her berated me for talking back to a supervisor,
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  • 08
    they made me sign some paper where I 'promised' to never talk back to a supervisor again, so like 30 minutes pass and I'm on my break and this supervisor comes to me trying to make some small talk,
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  • 09
    I proceed to ignore and she gets mad when she notices that I'm not answering her questions, so I calmly reply "didn't I just signed a paper where I 'promised'that I never would talk back to you?" She then got even more mad and left me to enjoy the rest of my break.
    via Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 10
    GreenLeafGreg 10 hr. ago. I would've continued to ignore her, then when I got back on duty, would have went to someone else (manager, hopefully) and say "I just signed this paper, so I would appreciate it if she would not try to talk to me anymore, as was requested. Not only that, my break is my time, so I really don't appreciate being approached when I'm trying to enjoy my time away from working."
    via Asleep_Bit_9712
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    Asleep_Bit_9712 OP .10 hr. ago I didn't think of that! But I think it wouldn't have worked anyway, because the manager was there when she made me sign the paper and he didn't say anything about it, so I guess he agreed with her or something.
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  • 12
    algy888 +3.9 hr. ago I had a coworker file a (false) complaint with HR that I called him "whacko". The HR review didn't go well for him (he had harassed me on previous occasions and I had witnesses) but I was asked to be careful what I say to him in the future.
    via Asleep_Bit_9712
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    I replied "Shouldn't be a problem. We don't generally interact so I just won't talk to him at all. That way you can be assured that I haven't said the wrong thing." Haven't said a word to him in years. It's kinda fun now.
    via Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 14
    luxurycrab 5 hr. ago I worked fast food as a teen too and even now almost 20 years and several career changes later it was the most pointlessly stressful job ive ever worked. People screaming at eachother and ragung for hours because a f sandwich wasnt made quick enough or because theres some crumbs on the floor.
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  • 15
    It was jarring when i found myself in a role with actual responsibility but with none of the stress
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  • 16
    dougfmyqx 4 hr. ago Praise in public. Punish in private. Without being an AH.
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  • 17
    gsxreatr02 3 hr. ago I'm union. So we are guaranteed a 30 minute uninterrupted lunch. Had boss come to the break room about 20 minutes into my lunch asking stupid questions so i calmly informed her i was on lunch. When she continued i reminded her that i was quarantined a 30 minute lunch and would be starting over and would talk to her afterwards. Had a nice little break.
    via Asleep_Bit_9712
  • 18
    Disastrous_Wash_3292. 3 hr. ago There are two types of leaders. the guy who helps and leads the team or the guy who cracks the whip and gets poorer results. "The beatings will continue until moral improves"
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  • 19
    Miker9t 2 hr. ago No, one of those is a leader. The other is just a boss, the only thing they lead is morale into the toilet.
    via Asleep_Bit_9712

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job malicious compliance work Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit fast food workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment
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