Economy & LaborAUG 21, 2023

Accountant Maliciously Complies With Boss’s Rule, Watches The Place Turn Into Chaos

It seems like every day there’s another story online of a toxic supervisor or manager who makes their employees’ lives hell. So when you manage to find a boss you actually enjoy working for, you’ll likely cling to them as hard as you can. And anyone else, who’s forced to abide by a strict dress code and be no more than 10 seconds late each morning, might be a bit jealous…

One accountant who loves his laid back boss recently shared on Reddit how drama ensued in his office after his firm merged with another whose boss kept them on a tight leash. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the replies amused readers left.

After two accounting firms merged, this employee immediately picked up on hostility from his new colleagues

Image credits: DNE Stock project (not the actual photo)

So he decided to dangle some bait in front of them, and it didn’t take long for the office drama to ensue

Image credits: Cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Andrew Neel (not the actual photo)

Image credits: u/StaffAccountantDude

Being an accountant is a notoriously stressful job

Image credits: Dan Dimmock (not the actual photo)

Accountants are known for having extremely stressful jobs. According to a 2022 study, 55% of accountants admit to suffering from stress and burnout, and they’re often required to work long hours week after week. During tax season, it’s not unusual for accountants to work 50-80 hours each week, and this can last for months. One third of accountants even say that they’re stressed at work every day, and a third also admit that they check their emails while on holiday or sick leave. The two main reasons that accountants cite for their high levels of stress are being overworked and dealing with office politics. Unfortunately, however, many also report that they’re too busy to seek mental health support.

According to Benjamin Wann, CPA, there are a variety of reasons why accountants decide to move on to a different career path, including dissatisfaction with pay and benefits, seeking a change of pace, being tired of the repetitive work, being automated out of their jobs, having a lack of career advancement opportunities, feeling burned out from the profession, and more. When it comes to being burned out, Benjamin says, “As an accountant, it's easy to feel stuck in a rut. The day-to-day grind of bookkeeping and financial reporting can be tedious and repetitive. And because the profession is so detail-oriented, it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture. This can lead to feelings of burnout and disillusionment. As a result, many accountants choose to leave the profession altogether.”

But there are ways employers and staff members can mitigate stress

Image credits: ahmad gunnaivi (not the actual photo)

To ensure that accountants don’t burn out too quickly or become overwhelmed with stress, it’s important for employers to prioritize making their staff feel valued and provide them resources to take care of their mental health. The accountant in this story noted that he loves his boss because he doesn’t worry about unnecessary issues such as a dress code and exact timekeeping. These may seem like small things, but when you’re already working a stressful job, having to be concerned about what you wear and being perfectly on time every day can contribute to daily stress levels. When employees are allowed to simply focus on producing great work, everyone is happier.

One 2017 study on supervisor behavior even found that there is no evidence to support the idea that a tough boss is more likely to get results. Not to mention the fact that stress in the workplace gives employees an increased risk of anxiety, burnout, depression, and substance abuse disorders. Stressed out workers are also more likely to reach for unhealthy coping mechanisms such as cigarette smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and eating an unhealthy diet. Unhappy employees are also more likely to leave, of course, and no boss wants to have to deal with high turnover rates. But unfortunately, stress can spread like a wildfire in an office, Annie McKee writes for Harvard Business Review, so it’s best to know how to combat it and keep your stressed out boss from impacting your health too.

It’s important for employees to prioritize taking care of themselves

Image credits: Adrian Swancar (not the actual photo)

McKee says it’s crucial to focus on ourselves, rather than taking on the impossible task of trying to fix a high-strung boss. “Take some time to consciously try to recognize and understand the emotional state your boss is feeling,” she writes. “Engage in perspective taking by deliberately trying to see the world, events—and yourself—through your boss’s eyes. Empathy, by the way, is a key emotional intelligence competency.” In this particular case on Reddit, it was actually this accountant’s colleagues who were making the environment hostile, rather than his employer. But the same principle stands: we can’t fix others, but we can keep ourselves calm and ensure that we don’t buckle under the pressure of being around toxic people.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this accountant was right to maliciously comply with orders and dangle a carrot in front of his new colleague? Or would you have gone about handling the situation differently? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing malicious compliance in the workplace, we recommend checking out this one next!