'You will do as I instruct you to do': Warehouse manager enforces temperature policy despite warnings from employees, malicious compliance ensues

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 18, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

It's always a good idea as a new manager to run your policies by your employees before enforcing them. Nine times out of ten, they will point something out to you that you may not be anticipating, especially if you're new to the job and haven't been on the ground like the folks reporting to you have been. For this manager, he had a strong belief in how to keep the temperature cool over the weekends in the warehouse where his team worked. The problem was that he completely underestimated exactly how this would impact the temperature control of the neighboring production area. Despite numerous warnings from his staff, the new manager refused to back down, which meant that the only way to prove to him that this was a bad idea was by way of malicious compliance.

Let this story serve as yet another reminder that managers' policies should reflect at least the majority of a team's voice. Without doing so, chaos will inevitably ensue. As for the manager, your team will not necessarily have your back after you refuse to listen to their critiques.

Advertisement
  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10506485504
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • The charming part about the author's retelling of this tale of malicious compliance was that he seemed to have passed this tradition onto his wife, who is currently experiencing a similar discrepancy between management and the will of employees at her place of work. Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the reactions from several members of the online community.

  • 02
    So, my wife is having some issues at her work with multiple people of different levels of management telling her different things to do depending on who's the manager on duty at the moment. I said she should do what the acting manager told her to do and when another manager came on duty
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 03
    complaining about what she was doing to relay what the previous manager had told her and to let them work it out. I also said that she should document everything
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 04
    so that she could relate it to HR if it became necessary to do so. I then explained to her about 'malicious compliance' and what it meant.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 05
    This started me thinking about an incident at my old job at a manufacturing plant about 12 years ago. The building had two areas: A production/packaging area, and an attached shipping/receiving warehouse.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 06
    The production area was air- conditioned/heated. The warehouse was heated, but only had roof exhaust fans and no AC, so it got pretty hot in the summer, but was bearable (we just moved slower). On end of
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 07
    Friday we closed all the dock doors and shut off the exhaust fans and close the overhead door that separated the warehouse from the production areas
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 08
    (during the week the overhead was open but had those plastic flap strips you could drive a forklift through to keep the cool air in production). One Friday the newish manager, who spent little actual time in that building, told us that we should keep the fans
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 09
    on and the separation overhead door open during the weekend to keep the temperature cooler in the warehouse. Why he cared I really can't fathom. We tried to explain to him that with the dock
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 10
    doors closed the roof fans would simply all of the cold air out of the production area, but he blew us off with the standard, "You will do as I instruct you to do". So... cue MC. Monday comes that morning in July and it was hot as in the production area.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 11
    The warehouse was the same temperature as always, and the coils on the production AC units had frozen and we had to have people to come out and service them.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 12
    All the manager had to say was, "Keep that separation overhead door closed at all times!"
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 13
    Cheezburger Image 10506485248
    via Centre for Ageing Better

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 14
    erichwanh 2 hr. ago This started me thinking about an incident at my old job at a manufacturing plant about 12 years ago. Aw, I was hoping to hear how your wife got one over her higher ups.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 15
    Academic_Nectarine 94. 2 hr. ago Keep us updated on if she does any MC. I feel bad for her. I had managers like that that pulled me from my department, then I'd get an unofficial talking to for not being in my department. I didn't mind helping others,
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 16
    but getting a line of people angry because they weren't helped fast and being told I needed to somehow not be found by managers and stay in my department was very frustrating.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 17
    grimes407 1 hr. ago I mean it was kind of silly/shortsighted of your boss, but I kind of sounds like he was just trying to make the warehouse cooler.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 18
    CthulhusSon · 40 min. ago When dealing with idiot managers always get it in writing.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 19
    SnooCapers9313 · 24 min. ago A former big boss was amazing and I've always tried to follow his principle. He had managers for a reason. If he didn't like their decision he'd talk to then not blame the person doing what they were told to do.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 20
    But I also had a boss who put lives in jeopardy because when we questioned him he just said I'm boss.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 21
    hymie0 20 min. ago The last words my ex-boss said to me -- "What is it going to take for you to shut up and do your job" -- were the last words he spoke to me.
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 22
    ManchesterLady 14 min. ago Options A. You walked out B. You just never acknowledged him again C. You hired a homan
    via Illustrious_Log3261
  • 23
    PdxPhoenixActual 2 min. ago Take it as an opportunity to embrace the nihilism of it. Nothing matters. "You want me to do it wrong? OK. It all pays the same to me..."
    via Illustrious_Log3261

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job malicious compliance work employees Horrible Bosses warehouse company workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment
Scroll Down For The Next Article