The unnecessary workplace rules that nobody actually follows: 'She hides in the bathroom, so she can be on her phone'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Aug 1, 2026 9:00 PM EDT

What are the rules that you just can't be bothered to follow? 

There are so many rules in our world that it's worth breaking at least one of them just to see what happens. Not every rule is justifiable, and some rules have a way of making things seem a little weirder and a little worse. This often happens in the workplace, where not everything is thought out in the way it should be, let alone considered in the way that it should be. Some rules are just made to be broken, and there is no way around that. And sometimes you can break a rule with no consequence. You may not know this until you try it, but then you do, and you realize just what you can get away with. This is a powerful thing to learn at your job. Sometimes too powerful. 

What follows is a collection of stories from people who realized that they could get away with a whole lot more at the office than they thought they could. They didn't realize that the rules we make for ourselves don't always have to be followed, and there is a lot of power in taking things back for yourself. Maybe you'll relate to some of these, or maybe you'll just wish that you worked at these places. Or maybe you'll be glad that you don't. Either way, there is plenty of entertainment to be had. 

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  • 01
    Two coworkers sit side by side in an office
    via Tim van der Kuip

    Subjects are models.

    Two coworkers sit side by side in an office

  • 02

    What's the most unnecessary workplace rule that nobody actually follows?

    One of the most ridiculous office rules we have in our office is "you must be at your desk even if you do not have any work" It seems like a regulation that was created just to make people believe the office looks busy.
    via sukriti099
  • 03
    But let's be real; if the work is done, it does not matter. People will go get coffee, chat around, and rest anyway. Managers are not following this regulation too; they are going out for meetings, calls, and random walkouts, yet expect other people to be seated and available.
    via sukriti099
  • 04
    From that moment on, it seems like one of those ridiculous office regulations created just for the sake of being able to control people. Which one of the useless office regulations exists in your company?
    via sukriti099
  • 05
    rosesforthemonsters The office manager and my supervisor combined their brain cells and came up with the rule that personal cell phones are to be turned off and put away while employees are on the clock. According to them, this rule applies to management, as well.
    via sukriti099
  • 06
    My supervisor basically shot herself in the foot with that rule. Now she hides in the bathroom, so she can be on her phone. She'll sit at her desk, hiding behind open file cabinet drawers, so she can be on her phone. She literally nearly knocked over the file cabinet one day, because she had the two
    via sukriti099
  • 07
    top drawers pulled all the way out so no one could see what she's doing at her desk. She caught the cabinet before it fell all the way forward. She'll say she's going out for some air, then sit in her car for 15 minutes, so she can be on her phone.
    via sukriti099
  • 08
    It's just me and her in the building where we work. No other employees. I'm not about to tell her that I don't care if she's on her phone all day. It amuses me that she thinks she's getting away with breaking a rule that she made up.
    via sukriti099
  • 09
    Starkfault Electrician here - I was changing meters with 5 other people last monday. We all had the same task. I finished first, so started throwing out everyone's trash. There was a lot of trash.
    via sukriti099
  • 10
    Boss got p ed because I make too much to throw out trash so I should have helped someone else finish instead. I've been finishing almost last since then.
    via sukriti099

  • Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to really realize what is going on somewhere. You need people outside of your own immediate experience who can comment on what you're going through and help you realize what's happening. That's what was happening here, where people realized that they had more in common than they had differences. So keep scrolling and reflect on what goes on at your workplace that you need to process in an online forum. Or maybe you have a perfect workplace with no issues. Either way, you're bound to enjoy at least some of these moments. 

  • 11

    Commenters rang in with their opinions.

    PresentationTop7213 We have a "no headphones" rule because it "discourages collaboration." Nobody collaborates. We just sit there listening to each other type
    via sukriti099
  • 12
    Embarrassed-Word-833 We cant eat at our desks but my manager eats a full meal during every zoom call with her camera on. Make it make sense
    via sukriti099
  • 13
    NicBrg Management decided that our Teams status can never show orange or offline during the day. Pure micromanagement at its finest. Mine is still offline.
    via sukriti099
  • 14
    wisegal99 I worked a job that was very boring. Think working by yourself with no coworkers. or customers. My boss had a "no earbuds" rule. She said she wasn't going to pay me to be entertained and a job is work and is supposed to be boring. So I just grew my hair long so it covered it.
    via sukriti099
  • 15
    Ermellino There had been some misreadings on the drawings in my old surveyong job because of low quality ball pens. So the manager decided, without consulting with anyone that actually went out for measurements and drawings, that felt-tips
    via sukriti099
  • 16
    A man looks at a computer at his desk
    via Studio Republic

    The people in this photo are models

    A man looks at a computer at his desk 

  • 17
    were now the only allowed method for drawing and writing. Bought terrible quality markers that leaked and exploded in the outside heath day 1....
    via sukriti099
  • 18
    theloniousmick Uniform policy specifically mentioning sock colour, we did get emails about it from the manager once but I think enough people called him out on it that moral was on the floor and people were leaving so he really needed to pick his battles. Luckily he listened and it hasn't been mentioned since.
    via sukriti099
  • 19
    Waste_Locksmith_4299 No headphones, even at your desk. Apparently it's a safety concern. I think it's more that they want me to suffer listening to classic 80s or whatever crop the woman in charge of the office radio wants to listen to.
    via sukriti099
  • 20
    Spiritual_Being5845 No slippers. In the office, understandable, and it's embarrassing that they even had to put this in writing. But the policy states that this applies to people working from home also. Yeah, ok.
    via sukriti099
  • 21
    Also, in the office we're not allowed to have peppers or onions. Not because of a life threatening allergy, that would be understandable, but because of "a sensitivity to certain odors." HR's actual words. Raw, cooked, in a sauce like marinara or Caesar dressing, doesn't
    via sukriti099
  • 22
    matter. Forbidden and you will face disciplinary action. But fish in the office microwave? That's apparently just fine.
    via sukriti099
  • 23
    Own_Direction_1665 Mandatory fun. We have a monthly team building thing thats technically optional but your manager will absolutely bring it up in your review if you skip it
    via sukriti099
  • 24
    Time_Ad578 "you must be at your desk even if you do not have any work" so they want you to practice sitting. Got it
    via sukriti099

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boss antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working reddit story toxic-boss workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit toxic-work-environment
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