Blue collar pipe crew laborer gets yelled out for checking the time on his phone, so he gets the gaudiest pocket watch to use at work: ‘Its my favorite and most genius malicious compliance I've committed.'

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Jul 18, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Sometimes upper management would rather enforce the made up rules than actually get the job done. In fact, we would argue, that according to many of the stories online, most upper managements do exactly this. Why get someone who can do their job well, when you can get someone who looks like they're doing their job well, ya know?

 

Take, for example, this blue collar worker. He was a great employee and did his job well. He worked on an excavation site as a laborer for a pipe crew. One of the rules was to stay off of your cellphones—a pretty normal rule to make sure everyone stays on task. But in this day and age, people also use their phones as a watch. Cause, let's face it, it's rare to find someone wearing a watch these days. And yet, when this employee pulled out his phone to check the time, he was given an unfair talking to. So you know what he did?

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  • He went on the search to find the largest most obnoxious looking pocket watch. So then when he pulled it out to check the time, it looked like he was pulling out a phone. When his manager came to yell at him for the “phone” he was able to show him an extremely gaudy looking watching instead… 

  • Cheezburger Image 10529875968
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

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

  • This happened a while ago, but its my favorite and most genius malicious compliance ive committed
    via SWANDAMARM
  • . I was working for a site work/excavation company as a laborer on a pipe crew. I'm not a phone at work kinda guy. I don't like texting all day while
    via SWANDAMARM
  • at work and I'm not that involved in social media so all I would use it for was to pull it out of my pocket to real quick to check the time.
    via SWANDAMARM
  • Foreman I was working with said I can't be on my phone while on the clock. I told him I'm not on my phone I'm just looking at the time. He responded
    via SWANDAMARM
  • that if I wanted to look at the time to get a watch. Ok
    via SWANDAMARM
  • I went to like 5 shops until I saw a relatively cheap pocket watch and bought the sh out of it. Next work day I overly exaggerated my efforts to look at
    via SWANDAMARM
  • the time making it look like I was trying to hide "phone use" Of course my foreman jumped
    via SWANDAMARM
  • right down my throat, "I told you no phone even to to check the time"
    via SWANDAMARM
  • "It's not my phone it's my new pocket watch" I said with a sh eating grin He seethed as he walked away. Never
    via SWANDAMARM
  • bothered me about anything else and I went back to my usual crew shortly after and it was no longer an issue.
    via SWANDAMARM
  • 12 S"> Spielok 20 14 26 19 Quarte 6 18 5 43
    via Unsplash+ (and Pierre Bamin)

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

  • beardfarkland This reminds me of the guy who decorated cookies to look like iphones. He was holding one in his car and got pulled over by a cop. He rolls down the window and takes a bite. Then they realize he's got a warrant for unpaid parking tickets and take him in SWANDAMARM OP soof that is a hilarious way to troll cops but he played himself
    via beardfarkland
  • VolcanicValley Should have bought a monocle along with it. SWANDAMARM OP I was already wearing a monocle for like 3 years by that point
    via VolcanicValley
  • TypicalArachnid08 wild how managers care more about the appearance of working than the actual work being done. SWANDAMARM OP So true! I've had thar argument with my current director of field operations. I said do you want me to be doing work or look like I'm working because I'm doing work rn but if you want me to look like I'm working I can run around and pretend and you will think I'm the busiest worker out here...
    via TypicalArachnid08

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