Employee maliciously complies after being told to take shorter breaks: 'I decided to take short breaks every five minutes'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Dec 13, 2024 12:00 PM EST

There are the kinds of places where the boss is watching you like a hawk, counting the minutes that you're spending at your desk. Meanwhile, they're going out for a smoke break with their favorite staff, what seems like every five minutes. This is exactly why most places have laws around what breaks an employee is entitled to because even with the laws, too many business owners and managers have their own ideas about when and even how breaks should be taken, whether or not those ideas are aligned with what is fair or even reality.

This worker was told to follow their workplace's rule of not taking long breaks, and they decided to push this to ridiculous lengths to prove just how silly the rule was, taking a break for thirty seconds every five minutes no matter what they were doing, even if they were in the middle of a meeting. See this act of workplace defiance below, followed by the reactions from the community where it was first posted.

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    Cheezburger Image 10441745408
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    Image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Image is for illustration only and subjects are models.

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    They told me not to take long breaks, so I decided to take short breaks every five minutes! S At work, there was a strict rule about not taking long breaks. So, I decided to follow the rule literally, but in my own way! I started taking a 30-second break every five minutes! If I was in a meeting, I'd suddenly raise my hand and say, 'Sorry, quick break!' and step out of the room for a few seconds. At first, my
    via Zharuai
  • 03
    colleagues thought I was crazy, but they soon realized I wasn't breaking any rules... because I was taking short breaks exactly as required! The result? Breaks became a part of the office culture, and soon everyone started stopping work every five minutes. Eventually, the rule got changed to allow breaks every half hour instead of just once an hour!
    via Zharuai
  • 04
    Koolest Kat Smoke break Bro... I heard this sh for weeks while I was expected to keep working. I finally had enough, grabbed a pack and joined the smoke crew. Boss got p them but ME!! ed.....not at
    via Zharuai
  • 05
    delulu4drama Sounds like you "broke" the rules
    via Zharuai
  • 06
    RunZombieBabe Only heard about 5 minute breaks every 50 minutes of being online and it sounded crazy to me. Might try it.
    via Zharuai
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    MisterSirDude... That's really stupid and doesn't make any sense. I have questions about your designated break structure, but I'm not even going to ask. Good luck.
    via Zharuai
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    Other_Ad_613 I don't understand why an office, or any job, needs to regulate breaks. Just give me my work and let me do it. We can have a conversation about work habits if I'm not getting it done. I'm lucky to work someplace that assumes that you are an adult until you prove otherwise.
    via Zharuai
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    Other_Ad_613 I don't understand why an office, or any job, needs to regulate breaks. Just give me my work and let me do it. We can have a conversation about work habits if I'm not getting it done. I'm lucky to work someplace that assumes that you are an adult until you prove otherwise.
    via Zharuai
  • 10
    Squirrely_Jack... Wow what a great.... hold on, i'll be right back
    via Zharuai

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workplace discussion workplace-stories jobs employee job malicious compliance work workplace workplace malicious compliance employment in the workplace
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