While you can argue that malicious compliance is great no matter how you look at it, the work-related ones are definitely among the top in the subreddit.
Just think about it: it feeds into what many break the system-minded people yearn for in a story, all the while showing that the little guys also have power in a corporation that has overstepped the line a bit too much. Best part, it’s all without breaking a single corporate rule, so the boss-man can’t do anything about it.
And the simpler the demand, the more satisfying it feels. Like this employee’s bosses’ demands to stick to the company’s 9 to 6 policy after they allowed themselves to leave 10 minutes early because they'd already worked 4 hours overtime that week. But it seems that was not acceptable. OK, then.
More Info: Reddit
Apparently, some managers see a problem with folks leaving work 10 minutes early, completely ignoring hours of overtime earlier that week
Image credits: nappy (not the actual photo)
So, Reddit user u/aineslis had a story they decided to share with the r/MaliciousCompliance community. The story goes that some years ago, OP used to work an ordinary, salaried 40 hours a week job in banking in Europe.
The job was known to have some overtime involved—unpaid overtime that seemingly people were OK with—that you’d think would work in a I scratch your back, you scratch mine way and so timekeeping would be a bit more lax. It was not.
But having a schedule-fixated manager isn't a bad thing—you can have some fun with it in the form of malicious compliance
Image credits: aineslis
It also didn’t help that OP’s assertive and confident personality was what irked the senior manager quite a bit. All of this culminated in a stern talking to after OP, having worked 4 extra hours to get stuff done, took off from work 10 minutes early later that same week.
After the weekend, OP was called in for the said stern talking to with the manager and senior manager. They confronted OP about those ten minutes, saying they needed permission to leave early. At first, OP thought this was a joke, but was reassured that it was, in fact, not in any way a comedic endeavor. OP was told that their work hours are 9 to 6, not a minute later or earlier. Well, then, aye-aye, captain! Cue malicious compliance.
A Redditor was reprimanded for leaving 10 minutes early because they thought time was lax and 4 hours of unpaid overtime meant something
Image credits: aineslis
Image credits: antonio (not the actual photo)
Some time later, there was this seemingly important end of something meeting that OP had to partake in. They showed up, just as instructed, at 9 o'clock sharp for the workday. Management had already started detecting things they deemed odd in OP—things that went against an obsessively loyal yet equally toxic work ethic.
After a stern talking to, OP decided they had to comply with the 9 to 6 rules on more than just a normal level—mayhaps better on a malicious one
Image credits: aineslis
Despite these signs of OP actively forming a work-life balance, it all became very clear in the evening when that serious online meeting took place. The clock was slowly ticking closer to 6PM and OP was tracking it like a panther visually follows its prey in the safari right before it strikes.
So, here came Friday, which meant there was a meeting that would most definitely overstay its welcome, which was perfect for our hero
Image credits: aineslis
Image credits: Trailers of the East Coast (not the actual photo)
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. 6PM. OP spoke up. One of the managers stopped dead in their verbal tracks to see what OP had to say. “It’s 6 pm here. My day is over.” Confusion followed. “As per my management, my working hours are 9AM to 6PM, so I must leave now. Have a great weekend, and we’ll catch up on Monday!” Screen slam. 6:04PM, OP left the building.
Needless to say, both boss-man and senior boss-man (the two boss-people present in that disciplinary meeting about the 10 minutes) were dumbfounded by what had happened. It was “a glorious sight” for OP to see them staring them down in disbelief as they bolted.
In fact, OP even had an idea to apologize for staying 4 minutes over the given work time frame, but figured it’d be too passive-aggressive, so they just left.
As soon as the meeting started, the employee was tracking the time furiously, making sure they saw the clock strike 6PM
Image credits: aineslis
Nobody seemed to speak of this ever again, and everyone working directly and closely with OP learned that they couldn’t expect them to work 10+ hour shifts any more. So, they also made changes accordingly, and things like end-of-month reporting processes were pushed earlier in the month so that there would be OP-dependent reporting work to discuss in the meeting in the first place. Win!
And Redditors thought this was delicious malicious compliance. Not only did it include a satisfying resolution to the story, but it also made a difference—people actually adjusted so that reporting would go smoother than before. In fact, OP shared in the comments that their relationship with coworkers actually improved.
The second 6PM came, OP cut off the speaker, said they were legging it, and did just that, leaving management extremely surprised
Image credits: aineslis
Others shared their stories, whether it was a work-life balance aspect, or another way of maliciously complying with work schedules. Yet others discussed how overtime is still a thing in a corporately conscious world where people understand their rights and assess the situation accordingly.
Whatever the case, the post got a bit over 30,000 upvotes, 96% of which were from thumbs-up kind of people, and earned over 80 Reddit awards. You can check it all out in context right here.
But before you click or tap (or whatever) that hyperlink, keep scrolling. There’s gonna be a comment section with your name on it… wait, no, a comment section where, after you have shared your thoughts on the story, you will most certainly have your name on it. Do that. Also smash that upvote button. We’re gonna love you even more.