Micromanager boss insists reliable employee finish urgent project by ‘strictly adher[ing]’ to company manual, so the employee takes his sweet time and purposefully flops on deadline

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Nov 26, 2024 9:00 AM EST

Reliable employees know what's needed to get the job done. That's why when micromanagers try to dictate their every move, they retaliate the best way they know how: Malicious compliance.

Malicious compliance is quite easy. The only thing you have to do is take every piece of unsolicited advice literally. After all, if an entitled, know-it-all boss thinks that they know what's best for efficiency, then you believe them (or at least, act as if you do.)

The user/employee who posted this next story was assigned a big project with an end-of-day deadline. The employee's boss made sure to crack a wise-guy comment, stating that the employee must "strictly adhere" to the company manual. So, instead of carrying out his work in a reliable, "common sense" manner as he always does, the employee takes his sweet time striving for perfection and purposefully misses the EOD deadline. He was just following orders, right?

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  • 01
    "Sometimes, the best way to fix a broken system is to show exactly how broken it is.”
    via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Want it done by the book? Fine, I'II follow every rule.
    via AtomicFile_
  • 03
    So, I work at a company that prides itself on having a detailed, overly complicated policy manual for everything. We've got rules for rules, basically. My manager, let's call him Dave, is the
    via AtomicFile_
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    kind of guy who loves micromanaging. He'd constantly hover over our shoulders, pointing out every tiny mistake we made, saying, "If it's in the manual, you must follow it."
    via AtomicFile_
  • 05
    One day, Dave sent me an urgent email asking me to finish a big project before the end of the day. Normally, I'd do it my usual way-efficiently and with a bit of common sense. But Dave insisted
    via AtomicFile_
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    that I "strictly adhere to the manual" since it was a "high-visibility project" and he didn't want "any mistakes." Oh, Dave. You shouldn't have said that.
    via AtomicFile_
  • 07
    I pulled out the manual and went full compliance mode. 1. Every procedure, no matter how small, was followed to the letter. Normally, I'd skip pointless steps, like writing a detailed log for
    via AtomicFile_
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    every 10-minute task. Not this time. I logged everything. Starting a document? Log it. Saving the file? Log it again. Changing font size? Yep, logged. 2. Requests for
    via AtomicFile_
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    approvals? Oh, absolutely. The manual says certain steps need "managerial sign-off," so I emailed Dave at least five times throughout the day for approvals. "Hey, Dave, just confirming font size
    via AtomicFile_
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    12 is acceptable? Please reply so I can continue." "Hi, Dave, should I use blue headers or red headers as per policy section 14.3.2?" 3. Breaks were strictly enforced. Policy states we get two
    via AtomicFile_
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    15-minute breaks and a 1-hour lunch. Normally, I'd work through a bit of lunch to get things done, but not today. At 12:00 sharp, I dropped everything and left my desk. I also spent 15
    via AtomicFile_
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    minutes at exactly 10:00 and 3:00 "resting." 4. Every department had to be involved. The manual said I needed sign-offs. from IT, HR, and marketing for certain sections, even though
    via AtomicFile_
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    they had nothing to do with the project. I looped them in with formal requests, dragging out the timeline. By the end of the day, the project wasn't finished. I
    via AtomicFile_
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    spent so much time "complying" with the manual that I didn't even get halfway through. Dave was furious and asked why it wasn't done. I calmly explained that I followed every single
    via AtomicFile_
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    policy and procedure in the manual, just like he instructed. I even showed him the email chain proving he'd approved my steps. After that, Dave stopped breathing down my neck
    via AtomicFile_
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    and started letting me work how I wanted. Lesson learned: Sometimes, the best way to fix a broken system is to show exactly how broken it is.
    via AtomicFile_
  • 17
    Snozzberry... 1d ago • • THIS is what comes to mind when I hear "malicious compliance." Following every rule to the T, showing management how back a wards they are
    via Snozzberry760
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    Karma1913 1d ago • "Working to rule" is a time honored and wonderful way to tell a boss to pound sand.
    via Karma1913
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    Technical-P... • 1d ago. Good for you! One thing though, take your breaks every day. It's your personal time. Don't work unpaid for those su ers.
    via Technical-Paper427
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    Cheezburger Image 10433345280
    via carose59

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boss workplace-stories micromanager toxic-workplace bosses work askreddit reddit story horrible-management toxic-boss workplace Horrible Bosses reddit thread red flag bad bosses entitled people toxic-work-environment
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