'Be more proactive': Employee told to step up their game at work, maliciously complies by micromanaging his micromanager

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 24, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Always be careful what you wish for, especially when it comes to what you demand from your employees. This micromanager decided to go out of her way to inform her employee, who shared this anecdote online, that he needed to step up to the plate more at work. Well, the employee decided to go for it, albeit via some well-deserved malicious compliance.

As some folks in the online community pointed out in the comments section, it's fascinating that few employees have considered turning the tables around to micromanage their bosses. It might be the most effective way to prove how unnecessary and ultimately counterproductive this leadership style is. In this instance, if the purpose was to inspire more follow-through and productivity from the employee, all this managed to do was add more anxiety and stress to the work day and not even from the employees! We're talking more anxiety and stress for the micromanager in question! 

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    Cheezburger Image 10509046528
    via Unsplash+ (Yunus Tuğ)

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

  • The most enjoyable aspect of this tale was the collective response and amusement from other employees in the office. Kudos to the author for having the confidence and audacity to manager their boss's schedule in such an intense and over-the-top way. Others would have wanted to enact this kind of malicious compliance but would have likely backed out at the last moment. This author took the risk so everyone else could enjoy the subsequent benefits of their boss backing off.

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    At my office job, my manager pulled me aside during a meeting and said, "I want you to be more proactive about our projects and deadlines."
    via TechieTemptation7
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    Fair enough I was ready to step up. But since the instruction was pretty vague, I decided to take it
    via TechieTemptation7
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    literally and start being proactive about everything including my manager's tasks.
    via TechieTemptation7
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    I began sending them. daily reminders about upcoming meetings,
    via TechieTemptation7
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    status updates they needed to give, and even their lunch breaks. For example, I'd say, "Hey,
    via TechieTemptation7
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    just a heads-up, you have a meeting in 30 minutes," or "Don't forget to submit the quarterly report by Friday." I even started
    via TechieTemptation7
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    suggesting when they should take breaks, because I figured staying on schedule was being proactive.
    via TechieTemptation7
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    At first, I thought I was being helpful, but my manager's tone quickly changed from appreciative to... less so.
    via TechieTemptation7
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    They looked increasingly annoyed at every email ping and calendar reminder I sent. By the end of the week, they
    via TechieTemptation7
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    Cheezburger Image 10509047040
    via Unsplash+ (Yunus Tuğ)

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

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    scheduled a one-on-one with me to say, "I appreciate the effort, but I didn't mean that kind of proactive."
    via TechieTemptation7
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    Meanwhile, the rest of the team got a kick out of watching the usually calm manager get overwhelmed by their own "helpful" employee.
    via TechieTemptation7
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    Productivity went up, but the office vibe was... tense.
    via TechieTemptation7
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    I learned that "be more proactive" needs clearer boundaries, and sometimes it's better to ask what they really mean before micromanaging upward.
    via TechieTemptation7
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    Electrical_Angle_7... • 2h ago I was told that once. I asked for examples as guidance. The administrator could give no examples of me being insufficiently proactive nor ways to be more proactive.
    via TechieTemptation7
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    theUncleAwesome... 2h ago Not gonna lie... I think this is the first time I've ever heard of someone micromanaging their manager. As someone who's been micromanaged by some gold medal-level micromanagers, I applaud you... *chef's kiss*
    via TechieTemptation7
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    fernandoarauj • 2h ago So you took valid feedback and threw a tantrum?
    via TechieTemptation7
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    cchillur 1h ago When i was a teacher a kid got hurt and I filled out the injury form.
    via TechieTemptation7
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    Get called by the principal, she says "you gotta redo this. You checked boxes you shouldn't check. You're not a dr and can't diagnose injury's."
    via TechieTemptation7
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    I rewrote he fell and twisted his ankle and she said I can't write that either. I asked for clarification and she made me close her office door to lay into me about being unprofessional
    via TechieTemptation7
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    and insubordinate. I was genuinely still confused and asking for clarification. She finally explains that parents could potentially sue us (the school district) depending
    via TechieTemptation7
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    on what's written on this injury form so I need to be as vague and minor as possible. "Kid fell, said his leg hurt"
    via TechieTemptation7
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    Idk why bosses can't just talk clearly and think we can read minds. Also fk you
    via TechieTemptation7

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workplace-stories micromanager work stories toxic-workplace job malicious compliance work company workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment in the workplace
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