It’s hard working for a boss who doesn’t appreciate you or the work you do. We can find plenty of stories about horrible bosses and their antics on the Internet. The lesson in most of them is that employees should not be afraid to stand up for themselves. A healthy dose of malicious compliance or petty revenge can sometimes be the best medicine against a jerk boss.
The OP of this story certainly wasn’t afraid to stand their ground. When an incompetent boss broke the news about a demotion, the OP came up with a genius revenge strategy. Read on for the whole story and see people’s reactions to the OP’s strategy below.
A boss who regularly drinks while on the job is probably already not that good of a boss
Image credits: mstandret / envatoelements (not the actual photo)
This lousy boss cost the company a lot of money after an employee executed his “memey” revenge
Image credits: Michael Burrows / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Bored Panda (not the actual photo)
Image credits: sparkzz32
Having a horrible boss is infuriating, but there are some strategies on how to cope with it
Image credits: Yan Krukau / pexels (not the actual photo)
Dealing with bad bosses is never easy. Bosses that exhibit narcissistic traits may be the most toxic. In a previous interview for Bored Panda, leadership coach Louise Carnachan said that narcissistic leaders might not be afraid to throw their employees under the bus instead of taking the blame themselves. “Everything is about their gain,” Carnachan explained.
How does one deal with such a boss? The leadership coach advised our readers to be friendly with them but not to try and get inside their inner circle. “It may not feel as good to stay out of the chosen group, but it’s a lot safer,” Carnachan explained.
“Do not give them any personal information that is important to you because they are not beyond using it to demean or threaten. Don’t gossip about other employees with them. And look for job opportunities away from this person unless it’s clear they’ll cycle through quickly.”
What to some may seem like bullying or harassment might simply be poor communication. Carnachan advised not to mix up the two. While the latter is just annoying, the former is illegal.
“Report harassment through whatever channels are available to employees (union, boss’s boss, human resources, EEOC, whistle-blower hotline, ombuds office.) [Worrying] about retaliation keeps many from reporting, but if there are enough of you, you can form a coalition,” Louise Carnachan told Bored Panda back then.
Good managers should prioritize their people
Image credits: Kampus Production / pexels (not the actual photo)
The boss in OP’s story had no regard for the employee’s time. Writing up a technical manual in one day is in no way possible. Demoting a worker because you can’t hire another person willing to accept the offer for a small salary is another sign of poor leadership.
It’s no wonder the OP chose to quit immediately. According to the Pew Research Center, 35% of Americans resign because they don’t feel respected at work. Being respectful to your employees is a vital characteristic for every person in a leadership position.
Leadership expert Robyn L Garrett told Bored Panda before that good bosses prioritize their people over profit. “A company – especially a modern company – is nothing without talented workers that care. Give them the resources they need and help them feel safe, respected, and valued.”
People aren’t born with the skill of leadership; it takes time and effort to be a good boss
Image credits: Thirdman / pexels (not the actual photo)
When Bored Panda spoke to Louise Carnachan earlier, she also told us how bad leaders can be born. “Most people are thrown into leadership positions because they’ve been there a while and were very good at their job – not because they’ve demonstrated competence in leading others, which is a totally different job.”
“Unless you’ve had a role model to follow, you’re probably at sea about what to do. Leadership training and coaching can help immensely, but not every organization makes this available. There are many good books and leadership classes you can take on your own or through your professional organization.”
“The commonalities of great leaders are that they ask questions, listen, know something about their direct reports lives (as in, what’s important to them, not by being intrusively personal), they tell people what they are doing well and what they appreciate, are clear about goals and direction, have high expectations of themselves and their team members, don’t shy away from difficult conversations, and aren’t afraid to admit when they make a mistake.”
“These are people who are not only respected, they often are the role models for future leaders. Not surprisingly, former staff members stay in touch with them after they leave because they have been mentors, not just bosses.”
Commenters had some questions, but the OP came prepared to answer them
Here’s what the people thought about OP’s malicious compliance
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
Yes but no. I'm an engineer, this is not how things go. A printing press for newspapers for example, costs hundreds of thousands to build, many specialists (hydrolics, electrical, electronics, mechanics) and for maintainance it needs a chief engineer and at least 4 operators. Maybe the story is real but extremely romanced. Then, to maintain the production you work by shifts, no boss that has a company who will spend this kind o money for hardware and materials (for the 1m in final product) is stupid enough not to think about shifts and backup. Yep, people fall sick, and need to sleep sometimes.
I agree. I try not to be cynical about these stories, but this one didn't add up. I noticed a couple of the original comments above were also skeptical and asked questions, but got non-answers to them.
Load More Replies...
This is constructive dismissal in Canada. If you demote someone and decrease their pay, then it is the same as you fired them and they are entitled to notice and severance.
Same as Australia. This is why I'm so glad I don't live in the USA.
Load More Replies...
I’m sorry, but that’s just terrible engineering. No documentation? You didn’t do your job.
Yes and no. I don't know of a single engineer who designs, instigated and implements, runs down all training amd designs a fully detailed training.manual as a team of 1. This in all actuality is poor management as it shows zero planning. Eg imagine you as a person relying on 1 person to do anything (eg the town with 1 mechanic and no other mechanics for hundreds of miles) and tell me what happens when that mechanic has an nasty accident in a town with a population of not mechanical skills? The boss set himself up for extreme failure. I weld for example but I am also multi skilled and as such I have plenty of work and never haveto rely on 1 particular type of work and as such I haven't held myself hostage. I've seen bosses repeatedly set themselves up for failure by doing this stuff (relying on 1 or 2 people for a specialized task) and every time it has cost the employer badly (1 in particular example was an employer who hadto rehire a person at double his original pay).
Load More Replies... Yes but no. I'm an engineer, this is not how things go. A printing press for newspapers for example, costs hundreds of thousands to build, many specialists (hydrolics, electrical, electronics, mechanics) and for maintainance it needs a chief engineer and at least 4 operators. Maybe the story is real but extremely romanced. Then, to maintain the production you work by shifts, no boss that has a company who will spend this kind o money for hardware and materials (for the 1m in final product) is stupid enough not to think about shifts and backup. Yep, people fall sick, and need to sleep sometimes.
I agree. I try not to be cynical about these stories, but this one didn't add up. I noticed a couple of the original comments above were also skeptical and asked questions, but got non-answers to them.
Load More Replies... This is constructive dismissal in Canada. If you demote someone and decrease their pay, then it is the same as you fired them and they are entitled to notice and severance.
Same as Australia. This is why I'm so glad I don't live in the USA.
Load More Replies... I’m sorry, but that’s just terrible engineering. No documentation? You didn’t do your job.
Yes and no. I don't know of a single engineer who designs, instigated and implements, runs down all training amd designs a fully detailed training.manual as a team of 1. This in all actuality is poor management as it shows zero planning. Eg imagine you as a person relying on 1 person to do anything (eg the town with 1 mechanic and no other mechanics for hundreds of miles) and tell me what happens when that mechanic has an nasty accident in a town with a population of not mechanical skills? The boss set himself up for extreme failure. I weld for example but I am also multi skilled and as such I have plenty of work and never haveto rely on 1 particular type of work and as such I haven't held myself hostage. I've seen bosses repeatedly set themselves up for failure by doing this stuff (relying on 1 or 2 people for a specialized task) and every time it has cost the employer badly (1 in particular example was an employer who hadto rehire a person at double his original pay).
Load More Replies...
25
12