Work can be demanding enough as it is, but some higher-ups want to make it a living hell. That’s why they could be taken down a notch.
Redditor u/The_Mockingbirb shared with the ‘Malicious Compliance’ community how she dealt with her disagreeable superior. She was told to pack her bags, but little did the boss know how that would affect her own duties. So, when the OP complied and was on her way through the door, the superior had one more question to ask. Scroll down for the story in the redditor’s own words.
Bored Panda reached out to u/The_Mockingbirb. She was kind enough to answer a few of our questions and expand on the situation and her experience in the film/tv industry.
Some superiors are not worth doing favors for, and should be met with malicious compliance instead
Image credits: Ron Lach (not the actual photo)
This employee complied with her boss’s request to leave and stood her ground when the superior realized her mistake
Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
Image source: The_Mockingbirb
The role of a production assistant might be the first step in the industry, but it’s undoubtedly an important one
Image credits: Brands&People (not the actual photo)
The OP shared with Bored Panda why she chose not to stay and help: “I was raised to be polite and helpful. I have gladly worked Saturdays when other coordinators asked. It’s a somewhat common occurrence, and again, I like being helpful. I wanted so badly to be liked and appreciated back then. Even now if I’m being completely honest. But [Coordinator] #2 helped me realize sometimes people are unreasonable and mean, and there’s nothing you can do to make them like you.
“So, if someone is awful to you, why help them? If she had been a good boss of course I would have stayed one or more extra days. But I think there was something in that moment that taught me not everyone deserves help, and it’s okay to say no. She often chewed me out for not following her instructions to the letter. So, her instructions this time around? My last day was Friday. Got it, boss,” she added.
The OP’s decision meant that on Saturday, the superior had to spread herself thin trying to cover her own and the former employee’s duties. And that’s not an easy task to do in the movie industry. As with most fast-paced environments, there’s always lots to do; even more so when you're understaffed.
According to IBISWorld, there are currently over 45,000 people working in this field. They are responsible for releasing hundreds of movies and TV series each year. According to Statista, in Canada and the US, nearly 450 movies were released last year, which added up to over 7 billion U.S. dollars in box office revenue.
The OP entered the industry working as a production assistant. They are typically responsible for getting the set and people ready for filming and running all sorts of errands, from paperwork to coffee runs, and everything in between. Such a range of responsibilities requires them to be flexible and well organized, as well as have good time management skills, among others.
“I honestly loved my job as a PA. Sure, I met a few bad pennies. And the pay/work schedule was nothing to write home about. But I met so many kind, talented, and fascinating people I'm still friends with to this day,” the former production assistant said.
“The job itself kept me on my toes. My coordinators and coworkers assigned me a wide variety of insane tasks every day. I could be doing anything from hunting down every banana leaf in a twenty-mile radius to driving downtown to pick up taxidermy chickens (both true stories). It was such a fun kooky job I would do all over again if I had to.”
PAs are also responsible for relaying information, which makes them a crucial part of any production crew. As a matter of fact, it might take hundreds of people to create one movie. Film industry analyst Stephen Follows revealed that the average size of the teams working on the top 1,000 movies from 1994 to 2013 was 588 people.
Your actions are not the only thing that can affect your team members as emotions matter just as much
Image source: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
The movie industry is just one example showing how important everyone’s input is. In any team, each member usually has their own responsibilities, no matter how big or small, that go together like puzzle pieces—take one of them out, and the big picture is ruined. Such cooperation means that it’s important to understand how your actions and emotions can affect others. An article for the American Psychological Association noted that when working in a group, a person’s mood and outlook can spread among its members and affect them accordingly.
In an ideal world, people on a team, and especially the superiors, should have high emotional intelligence. It could help them better understand and evaluate their own emotions as well as others’, which is always beneficial when it comes to cooperation. In the story, the superior didn’t seem to care too much for the OP’s feelings. Nor did she seem to appreciate how important the PA’s input is at work. Having to cover for two people at once must have shown her its significance.
The redditor revealed that she has outgrown the position of a production assistant and now coordinates PAs herself. In the comments she shared that she holds ‘Coordinator #2’ as an example of how not to treat her team members. She also tries to make sure they learn all there is to know so they can move further in their careers.
She expanded on that to Bored Panda: “Because of my previous experience, I know exactly how my PAs feel when they're thrown into these wacky and exhausting shenanigans. I know some days are fun and other days are hard for both the PAs and the coordinator. When #2 treated me like crap, I drew a line. I promised myself I'd never treat PAs that way.
“Just because I’m having a stressful day doesn’t mean I have an excuse to take it out on them. They’re not punching bags. They're there to help, learn how our weird job field works, and ultimately move up. I make a point to teach them it’s not okay for coordinators to mistreat them. And I learn what aspect of film/TV they’re interested in. If I can, I help them move closer to their goal. Who knows; maybe one of my PAs will be a good coordinator someday,” the OP said.
Lots of people reacted to the story, most of them were happy for the OP
Community members also shared similar stories
In the workplace, adhering strictly to instructions from management can sometimes lead to unexpected outcomes. This was apparent when a superior's decision backfired, causing chaos within the organization.
This scenario echoes the idea that outdated or overly rigid guidelines, similar to those mentioned in another case, can lead to more harm than good.