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Worker Gets Chewed Out By Boss For Spending $20 On Chicken Noodle Soup, So She Costs Them Thousands In Malicious Compliance
Corporate policies help keep things fair, transparent and standardized across organizations that can employ thousands of people around the world, but we can’t ever forget the human factor. When one person on Reddit was reprimanded for a “generous” tip to waiters who noticed they were sick and took care of them, they decided to stop playing nice and use the company’s own policies to cost it hundreds of dollars.
Actions like these are called “malicious compliance”, and they are a popular and fitting act of revenge when workers are forced – usually against all common sense – to toe the company line. Read on to see how this guy’s story turned out and to see what other stories people shared in response.
RELATED:
Exceptional service often deserves exceptional tips, but gratuities can also lead to problems if you’re on a company-compensated work trip
Image credits: MargJohnsonVA (not the actual photo)
One worker was treated with extraordinary kindness by waiters while on a work trip, but the tip they left as a token of gratitude got them into trouble
Image credits: Kelly (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Sebastian_Studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Pressmaster (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Eureecka
As mentioned, accountability in a corporate setting is important. The frustrating thing, however, is when bosses fail to consider the human element in the situations they encounter. Considering a $10 tip excessive purely on the basis of percentage was completely absurd, especially because the total was so small that the worker wouldn’t have even been required to report it.
Furthermore, it was a reward for exceptionally kind and considerate service that, in all likelihood, made a meaningful impact on the quality of the worker’s performance during their trip. We’re sure that even the reluctant tipper would be moved by a gesture like the one the worker received! Traveling while ill can be extraordinarily difficult, so we can only imagine how welcome they were to receive off-menu chicken soup.
The author stuck around to clarify a few questions that commenters had
Though the excessively strict corporate manager was a bit of a bummer, the kindness of the waiters in this story really restored our faith in humanity. Let’s take a moment and appreciate how nice they were to remember a returning customer, recognize that they were sick, and decide to make something off-menu – chicken soup – to help them feel better!
From a practical standpoint, rewarding actions like these is precisely the sort of thing that a corporation can do to vastly improve the public’s perception of it and its products. The manager could have seen this as an opportunity. Instead of penalizing the employee, they could’ve sent an inexpensive gift basket (including branded merchandise, for example) to the restaurant staff. Instead of coming down hard on a clearly dedicated worker, they would’ve had a big internal and external PR win instead.
Corporate expenses are always a sensitive issue, so plenty of commenters had their own stories and insights to share
What do you think ?
Mad Dragon 2 years ago
That boss absolutely sucks. When I travel for work, I get a Per Diem of $60 per day for food. That amount is deposited into my checking account and I can use it as I wish without having to submit receipts. I can choose to spend $20 at the grocery store and pocket the rest, go to a nice restaurant, or go hungry and donate the entire amount to a pet rescue.
D. Pitbull 2 years ago
I appreciate the first comment noticing that this person was likely (and then confirmed) Gen-X. I have noticed that we Gen-X'rs are definitely the ones who were raised and 'trained' for life to put in that 'extra' and bend over backward for work/company... but then, jackholes will be jackholes and a bunch of them in power decided "ooh, let's take advantage of them and instead of rewarding hard work, we'll just grind them into dust" and NOW you're hearing complaints of "people these days don't want to work" - no... 'people these days' are the consequence of not appreciating what you had and decided to be ungrateful, self-entitled tw*ts about it.
Juanjo 2 years ago
I'm gen x. I give 100% if necessary. but I'm no idiot, and my sacrifice has a cost. if not rewarded (economically) sacrifice will decrease. significantly.
Load More Replies...
Kathy Kennedy 2 years ago
Wait staff and cooks make things off the menu for people who have shown them respect
Gregg Bender 2 years ago
In my younger days, I sacrificed for my employer. I was young and dumb. After 20 years, I blew two discs in my lower back. They refused my Worker's Comp claim, so I had to sue. I knew that I'd never be able to do the job again anyway. I settled for $40K, which barely covered my medical costs. I had returned to college about a year before that incident, working full time from 0400 to 1300, then attending half time (at least). Turned out that I had multiple injuries that led to 40+ inches of surgery scars. I went to college as soon as I was mobile after each surgery anyway, while burning my sick leave to do it. I had a 3.65 GPA. I suffered chronic pain for 20 + years after that, working full time in another career. I've run through all the pain meds commonly used and I'm taking opioids because I have no options. Use me as a bad example. Don't work yourself into the ground and expect your employer to reward you any more than they have to.
Lingerie De Paris 2 years ago
When the boss pays 50 bucks for an in-room hotel breakfast and you go to McDonald's, you know you're getting screwed
Lord of the laserprinter. 2 years ago
Looooong Time Business Traveller here. The company is not your friend. They are your employer not your friend, if you go against the grain then don’t be surprised if you get your heinie handed to you in a can. The moment I realized that I went from hotels where you should not look around with a black light to Hilton and four seasons and everybody was happy.
Tyler Lipsky 2 years ago
This is literally my boss. He is the cheapest person I've ever met in my entire life. He doesn't realize how much save $5-$10 actually costs him. If you keep pissing employees off when they feel like they aren't valued because you aren't allowed to at least travel decently, people lose morale and their motivation for wanting to do well at work and will eventually leave the company/department. We've had around 5 engineers leave in 9 months and they keep saying they don't know why...
Mac 2 years ago
Some clients limit every out-of-town expense, especially if you're an auditor. Sales, QC, Engineering, etc gets away with a lot, but if you're reviewing their financials, they review you! As an auditor for a major audit firm (current Big 4), I've had client go over every line of the expenses, had one client move us from a hotel to their employee dorm, another question our meals (um, there is only one restaurant?). Auditing saves them money by identifying deficiencies. Do they appreciate it? Heck no! I have always resented their attitude. (You should have seen their lunch orders. Bah! ... but, not for us auditors ... only their "customers.")
Seadog 2 years ago
Bean counters are the worst, They'll step over a dollar to save a dime, every time. They never consider the whole picture. On another note, good you have a great Outback to go to. Outback have 2 levels, great and awful. No in between. Of the 2 closest to me one is like yours, great, goes above and beyond where possible. The other, the worst, they miss no opportunity to screw over the customer and it has nothing to do with the GM. We've tried them 4 times over the last 20 years or so thinking maybe they'd get better. Nope. They actually get worse each time. That's an accomplishment when you were already awful to begin with.
Mad Dragon 2 years ago
That boss absolutely sucks. When I travel for work, I get a Per Diem of $60 per day for food. That amount is deposited into my checking account and I can use it as I wish without having to submit receipts. I can choose to spend $20 at the grocery store and pocket the rest, go to a nice restaurant, or go hungry and donate the entire amount to a pet rescue.
D. Pitbull 2 years ago
I appreciate the first comment noticing that this person was likely (and then confirmed) Gen-X. I have noticed that we Gen-X'rs are definitely the ones who were raised and 'trained' for life to put in that 'extra' and bend over backward for work/company... but then, jackholes will be jackholes and a bunch of them in power decided "ooh, let's take advantage of them and instead of rewarding hard work, we'll just grind them into dust" and NOW you're hearing complaints of "people these days don't want to work" - no... 'people these days' are the consequence of not appreciating what you had and decided to be ungrateful, self-entitled tw*ts about it.
Juanjo 2 years ago
I'm gen x. I give 100% if necessary. but I'm no idiot, and my sacrifice has a cost. if not rewarded (economically) sacrifice will decrease. significantly.
Load More Replies... Kathy Kennedy 2 years ago
Wait staff and cooks make things off the menu for people who have shown them respect
Gregg Bender 2 years ago
In my younger days, I sacrificed for my employer. I was young and dumb. After 20 years, I blew two discs in my lower back. They refused my Worker's Comp claim, so I had to sue. I knew that I'd never be able to do the job again anyway. I settled for $40K, which barely covered my medical costs. I had returned to college about a year before that incident, working full time from 0400 to 1300, then attending half time (at least). Turned out that I had multiple injuries that led to 40+ inches of surgery scars. I went to college as soon as I was mobile after each surgery anyway, while burning my sick leave to do it. I had a 3.65 GPA. I suffered chronic pain for 20 + years after that, working full time in another career. I've run through all the pain meds commonly used and I'm taking opioids because I have no options. Use me as a bad example. Don't work yourself into the ground and expect your employer to reward you any more than they have to.
Lingerie De Paris 2 years ago
When the boss pays 50 bucks for an in-room hotel breakfast and you go to McDonald's, you know you're getting screwed
Lord of the laserprinter. 2 years ago
Looooong Time Business Traveller here. The company is not your friend. They are your employer not your friend, if you go against the grain then don’t be surprised if you get your heinie handed to you in a can. The moment I realized that I went from hotels where you should not look around with a black light to Hilton and four seasons and everybody was happy.
Tyler Lipsky 2 years ago
This is literally my boss. He is the cheapest person I've ever met in my entire life. He doesn't realize how much save $5-$10 actually costs him. If you keep pissing employees off when they feel like they aren't valued because you aren't allowed to at least travel decently, people lose morale and their motivation for wanting to do well at work and will eventually leave the company/department. We've had around 5 engineers leave in 9 months and they keep saying they don't know why...
Mac 2 years ago
Some clients limit every out-of-town expense, especially if you're an auditor. Sales, QC, Engineering, etc gets away with a lot, but if you're reviewing their financials, they review you! As an auditor for a major audit firm (current Big 4), I've had client go over every line of the expenses, had one client move us from a hotel to their employee dorm, another question our meals (um, there is only one restaurant?). Auditing saves them money by identifying deficiencies. Do they appreciate it? Heck no! I have always resented their attitude. (You should have seen their lunch orders. Bah! ... but, not for us auditors ... only their "customers.")
Seadog 2 years ago
Bean counters are the worst, They'll step over a dollar to save a dime, every time. They never consider the whole picture. On another note, good you have a great Outback to go to. Outback have 2 levels, great and awful. No in between. Of the 2 closest to me one is like yours, great, goes above and beyond where possible. The other, the worst, they miss no opportunity to screw over the customer and it has nothing to do with the GM. We've tried them 4 times over the last 20 years or so thinking maybe they'd get better. Nope. They actually get worse each time. That's an accomplishment when you were already awful to begin with.
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