Boss scolds IT worker for Teams status changing to “Away,” so the worker automates it to stay green forever, and spends afternoons hiking while getting praised for dedication

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Aug 10, 2026 7:15 AM EDT

Malicious compliance is an art form. It requires patience, precision, and a complete lack of regard for corporate dignity, and this IT worker? Well, he's an artist

For some managers, the green status dot is a productivity meter. Gray means slacking. Green means working. The actual output does not matter and the dot is the job. Exceptional managerial capabilities, you guys, just exceptional.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • Man with a blue hiking backpack walks outdoors beside a large profile icon with a green status dot.IT worker out hiking
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

     IT worker out hiking

    Subject is a model

  • A remote worker automates everything. Scripts handle the workload. Monitoring runs itself. Schedules take care of the rest. The job is done before lunch most days. Then the manager notices the Teams status flipping to Away every 20 minutes.

  • A few years ago I was working remotely as a fancy IT guy and developer at a tech
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • company. Within the first couple of months I'd automated so much of my workload that I legit had almost nothing left to
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • do most days. Everything that could be scripted, monitored, or scheduled... was.
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • One morning my manager messaged me:
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • "We've noticed your Microsoft Teams keeps going to Away every 20
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • minutes. This shouldn't be happening if you are at your desk working."
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • Fair enough. I replied:
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • Man with a backpack jumps across rocks on a mountain ridge under a cloudy blue sky.
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    Hiker mid-step on a ridge

    Representative image

  • "Understood. My Teams will never go Away again."
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • ...and I meant it.
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • Instead of arguing, I spent about 40 minutes writing PowerShell script that launched a harmless train a
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • of processes every few minutes, like mouse clicking, alt+tabbing, and it simulated just enough
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • activity to keep my status green. I set this to repeat every 10 minutes. I tested it.
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • Available. Five minutes later...
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • Still Available. An hour later...
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • Still Available.
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • I grabbed my backpack, walked out of Starbucks, and spent the rest of the afternoon, and every afternoon thereafter hiking.
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • My Teams status never went Away again.
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • The next time I heard from my boss he was once again reviewing status times and thanked me for my dedication.
    via _keyboard-basard_
  • Edit: People keep asking for a copy of the script. It's on one of my githubs, the link is in the comments.
    via _keyboard-basard_

  • The message lands like a performance review written by a robot. Teams should not go Away if you are at your desk working. The response is simple. Teams will never go Away again. No arguing. No pushback. Just a promise kept in the most literal, petty way possible.

    Forty minutes are spent writing a PowerShell script. Harmless processes launch every few minutes. Mouse clicks. Alt-tabbing. Just enough simulated activity to keep the status green. The script repeats every 10 minutes. Testing begins.

    Available. Five minutes later, still available. An hour later, still available. The backpack gets grabbed. The Starbucks chair gets abandoned. Afternoons get spent hiking. The Teams status never goes Away again.

    The boss reviews status times and sends a thank you for dedication. The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife. The worker is literally not at the desk, but the green dot says otherwise. The system measures presence, not productivity. The employee responds by optimizing for that metric instead of fighting it.

    This is malicious compliance at its finest. The manager asks for something stupid. The employee delivers exactly what was asked for in the most ridiculous way possible. The dot stays green. The work gets done. The manager stays clueless. Everyone wins except common sense.


     

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

Tags

management workplace discussion employment issues boss workplace-stories hr coworkers colleague Horrible Bosses
Scroll Down For The Next Article