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30 Workers Who Outsmarted Their Toxic Bosses By Following The Rules Too Well
Rules are necessary to keep any larger organization functioning well. It’s impossible to meet deadlines, innovate, and provide quality products and services if you don’t have discipline. That being said, there are limits…
Too much of a good thing, like order at work, can be horrible for your bottom line and your staff. Some bosses are so obsessively controlling people’s behavior and dress codes that it stifles creativity, beats down company morale, and pushes away top talent. And life’s too short to deal with petty tyrants.
In a witty AskReddit thread overflowing with creativity, workers shared the most out-of-the-box ways that they pushed back against micromanaging, toxic bosses who tried to regulate everything about them. Scroll down for some awesome inspiration the next time you have to deal with a robotic, dictatorial manager.
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#1
My brother in law worked for UPS for 17 years. He was a bit of a joker and was constantly getting in trouble for coming to work with crazy hair colors, or cornrows (he was a big Italian guy and was told it wasn't appropriate). It was always something. But they couldn't say anything about him wearing sunglasses. So his little rebellion was he would wear the most outrageous sunglasses he could think of. Ones shaped like giant red lips, guitars with the stems sticking up, purple ones with rhinestone hearts on them. Anything for a laugh. After a while people knew him by his glasses. If some one said they lived in a certain area I would say, "Oh my brother in law is your UPS man, the guy with the crazy glasses." and their reply would almost always be something like,"Oooooh John. Yeah I love that guy, he's hilarious." He passed away 4 years ago, he was hit by a drunk driver while he was out walking one night. When we attended his funeral all of the guys from work came dress in their browns with crazy sunglasses on. His best friend gave his eulogy wearing a pair of neon green glasses three times the size of his face and the pastor even borrowed John's guitar glasses when he went up to speak. After his funeral we counted, he had over 200 different pairs. What started as him being a pain in the bum to his boss ended as a tribute to his character in life of always wanting to make some one else smile.
Apatheist Account2 3 months ago
"Who is the one who is known by his glasses?" "I'm Spectacles!" "I'm Spectacles!" (etc)
RELATED:
#2
When I was working at an OfficeMax about 10 years ago, I was the only employee who didn't smoke. Needless to say, everyone in the building took a 15 min smoke break 2-3 times a shift, and I got squat. One day, I asked the manager if I could have a "Clean Air Break", and he was confused. I explained that since smokers can have their 15 min breaks 2-3 times a shift, I should be able to step outside and do the same without having to smoke. Irked my manager, but he knew he had to let me to avoid any discrimination.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
As a smoker, I think allowing people to have a smoke break without allowing non-smokers the same benefit of a break is nonsense.
Bewitched One 3 months ago
Same. But also smokers usually get a smoke break because by law, a job must give you atleast (in my state of Ohio anyway, not sure of others) two 15 min breaks and a 30 min (some give an hour) lunch during an 8 hour shift. So it likely was just “legally had to” and not “avoiding discrimination” that was his reasoning
Load More Replies... Dr Jimmy 03 3 months ago
Used to work for my family's business. Lots of smokers, including the Boss (Mom.) I never had to invoke "non-smoker" breaks, but I did insist on driving one to a seminar. Took along Boss & other (non-smoker) employees. Nobody smokes in my vehicle. Mom was pissed. I told her later she had the right to smoke, but not in my vehicle, and not to pollute the lungs of non-smoking 20-something employees.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
I don’t think Mom had a right to be pissed. Your car, your rules.
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Ray Bolen 3 months ago
I used to grab a non-smoking buddy to go with me. I'd just say, "smoke break" and off we'd go.
sturmwesen 3 months ago
yeah, I ask if they want to tag along for "fresh air"
Load More Replies... Spittnimage 3 months ago
When I was a smoker all I got were my usual breaks, no extra break just because I wanted a smoke.
Bec 3 months ago
Discrimination ain't got nothing to do with it, in the US: Employees who work between 2 and 6 hours are entitled to one 10-minute rest break, employees who work over 6 hours but fewer than 10 hours are entitled to two 10-minute breaks... I don't smoke and would often not take my breaks, but smokers made sure to not only take their break but gamed the rounding on the time clock to stretch it as far as possible
Sue User 3 months ago
Not all state. PA has no legal requirement for bresks or lunch.
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MotherRobinson 3 months ago
That's how my younger brother started his smoking habit, he was working at a sub shop and everyone smoked but him so he was always left by himself when everyone took a smoke break.
KatSaidWhat 3 months ago
Me remembering the days we smoked in the office. Not proud, just little memory flash...
#3
While I was in the Navy it was recommended that I get a extensive surgery on my ankle. My command felt that I "didn't deserve a bunch of time off for a surgery" so they said they would approve it but none of the convalescent leave. They refused to sign ANY paperwork.
First thing I did was hit them with the regulation stating that they were required to respond to all requests within a certain amount of time (3 days I think). They responded with a "no". So then I had Navy legal draw up paperwork (with accordance to regulations) that my command would be responsible for 100% of my medical care if they did not abide by doctors orders. I then let them know that would mean that ALL of my medical care would then be handled by civilians and the command would be responsible for paying the bill out of their budget.
They approved my surgery, convalescent leave, and convalescent leave extension.
Sue User 3 months ago
Had a job once that i had to keep explaining " this is not a department rule, a company rule or even a state rule. This is international law and we do have to abide".
Load More Replies... Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Considering how many active members and veterans have been screwed over by the military and our government, why are people still enlisting? Or is it the usual attitude of yeah, but it won't happen to me?
Btsquestrian 3 months ago (edited)
For me, it was the only opportunity that I could find to get myself out of poverty and out of the control of my a b u s e r
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Lee Gilliland 3 months ago
Which means this is not the first time someone 's tried this dodge. Regs NEVER come out of a blue sky. I know, I engendered one.
John Dilligaf 3 months ago
Is this in the US? Because from my experience in the US military "the command" has no say in approving or disapproving a medically necessary surgery. It's a medical decision made by doctors. Same for convalescent leave after that surgery. .... OTOH, I've heard stories so maybe I just got lucky in my time in an never had a commander who tried to be an @$$hole abut it.
One of the most powerful tools in your arsenal when dealing with a micromanager is your ability to set firm boundaries. If you don’t, they’ll try to control every detail of your work or personal life, licensed clinical psychologist Aimee Daramus, PsyD, explained to Verywell Mind.
Micromanagers tend to:
- Want everything done their way
- Praise you only when you do something exactly the way they want it done
- Criticize or correct you if you do work tasks in other ways
- Avoid delegating work
- Disregard your ideas and input
- Not give you autonomy
- Distrust you to complete your work on your own
- Focus on minor details rather than the full picture
- Obsessively ask for updates
- Be overly critical
#4
Boss told me "you have to cover X this upcoming weekend, both days, since everybody else said no." I said "How do you know I'll say yes?" He said "you have to, there's nobody left." I said, "You're wrong, I'm left. But I quit. **Now** there's nobody left." He was speechless, his expression was priceless, I stood there about 10 seconds and said, "I'm walking away now" and left.
Thank God this happened the day after I had (secretly) secured a better job.
Probably one of my fondest memories.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Nah, nah, sweetie. It's the boss's job to make up the schedule and ensure all shifts are covered. You don't corner someone and order them to work an unscheduled shift last minute.
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
Managers get a yearly salary rather than wages by the hour, and one of the reasons is that they’ll have to cover the shift if there’s ‘no one else left'
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Michael Largey 3 months ago
An otherwise sane boss came up to me and said "I'm asking you to do this because I know you'll say yes." A little on-the-job training immediately took place.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago (edited)
I love it! 😂 The boss was unprepared to handle the situation. Sücks to be him. 🤷🏻♀️
Solveiga Ul 3 months ago
Well, it is well done, but as far as i know in many countries you must work for another 2 weeks, so you were lucku
royal crablets 3 months ago
"No sir, I was the first person to say 'No.' You just got around to finding out last."
#5
At a former workplace, the dress code was changed. Men were no longer allowed to wear shorts. Women could wear skirts. I started wearing a kilt, because skirts were ok in the rulebook.
Janet Sparrow 3 months ago
Haha great idea. It looks good! I’ve actually read about boys doing that at school when they weren’t allowed to wear shorts.
Boris Long-Johnson 3 months ago (edited)
Bet they didn’t work in a pub - it’s a considerably non-zero number working wedding etc events with a kilt I’ve had women try to lift my kilt etc “to check if I’m a real Scotsman” when I was a student. Something apparently acceptable grants 20 years ago but from what I hear it is still common.
Robert T 3 months ago
Is that you Private Widdle? carry-on-u...abd9aa.jpg 
tresgatos72 3 months ago
The only thing s*e*x*i*e*r* than a man in a kilt is a man in a kilt whose kilt just hit the floor.😉❤️
goldenwood_cottage 3 months ago
My spouse did this the last two summer field exercises he did before retiring from a federal haz-mat clean-up emergency crew (he worked in the lab truck) That's how his co-workers figured out he was retiring.
Michael Largey 3 months ago
The only reasonable objection to kilts is the danger they may lead to bagpipe playing.
Glix Drap 3 months ago
Madam to Scotsman: What's work under your kilt. Scotsman to Madam: Nothing is worn under my kilt - it's all in perfect working order.
#6
I used to work for this small town, twice weekly newspaper. The editor/publisher, mayor, county commissioner and a few other people were skimming tax dollars. When I confronted my boss about it, he told me he'd blackball me if I said anything.
So I went to the local television station, tipped them off and they uncovered the story. When they won their awards, my name was added to the list of reporters.
I still can't get a job as a journalist, but darn if it didn't feel good.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
You not doing what you seem to do best explains why so many people turn a blind eye to white collar crimes.
Wang Zhuang 3 months ago
If OP wants a job as a journalist, I'm sure they could get one, but certainly not in that small town. Kudos to them for doing their job and exposing corruption, and the newspaper editor who refused to publish the report can go sit on a cactus.
Michael Largey 3 months ago
How does an editor/publisher (someone in the private sector) skim tax dollars?
General Anaesthesia 3 months ago
Repurposing money from government contracts, maybe?
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Crystalwitch60 3 months ago
And why can you get a job doing what you’re clearly very good at !! typical bloody America pfft
Meanwhile, Indeed adds that micromanagers overly involve themselves in other employees’ tasks, discourage independent decision-making, and demand regular, overly detailed reports and constant work process documentation.
They also set unrealistic deadlines and expectations, monitor everything they possibly can, hate when people make decisions without their input, and leave little to no room for creativity or initiative.
Micromanagers tend to demotivate and push other workers away, so you can expect a h**h turnover rate in their department or company.
#7
I went to a Pentecostal School even though I, nor my family were Pentecostal. They made me get haircuts all the time and I liked having long hair and sideburns. One day they gave me the ultimatum: I had to shave my sideburns, or they would do it. I then told the Principle that I wanted a tattoo. I was told that I could not, because the school's rules were Biblicaly based, and then she read Leviticus 19:28: *Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.* I told her to please read the verse above, which read, *Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.* I got to keep my sideburns.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
😂😂😂 The thing conservative religious people fear the most—a non-religious person who knows the Bible.
David Morgan 3 months ago
"Read and obey the Bible!" Yup, I am. "Not that bit!"
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T'Mar of Vulcan 3 months ago
Actually a better translation would be something like "print any marks upon you"; the word tattoo didn't exist back then. It's more a prohibition of scarification and cultic marks (as in, the old religions the ancient Israelites came into contact with) than modern tattoos, which didn't exist back then either.
Sven Horlemann 3 months ago
The holy religious people only ever pick what suits their little ego. Ignoring other passages, stating different. Hypocrites.
#8
Not work but school. I'm a senior in highschool, and one day a bunch of senior guys decided to start up "tank top tuesday" every tuesday about 1/2 the senior guys would come to school in a tank top. Our school had no rule about tank tops except that the straps be at least two inches thick so we didn't anticipate any problem, especially considering girls at our school wore tank tops all the time. After the first day, the school announced that boys were no longer allowed to wear tank tops, when questioned as to why, they claimed that visible armpit hair was a distraction that inhibited learning. The following Tuesday, we all went to school wearing tank tops and sporting shaved armpits.
TL;DR- School claims guys can't wear tank tops because armpit hair is distracting. Next day, half the senior guys show up in tank tops with shaved armpits.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
You should've got some of the girls to not shave their armpits. A two-sided strike against the silly rule. Distraction is an ancient argument that has primarily been used against women who were told their attire caused the sexu@l attack on them. But the jerks and creeps who can't focus bc they're easily distracted go on their merry way.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
More stupid rules about things that don’t matter. If you don’t like hairy armpits, then don’t look at people’s armpits.
Janet Sparrow 3 months ago
Haha I just commented above on something similar to this. Where boys in school weren’t allowed to wear shorts and they started wearing skirts which were allowed.
Lee Gilliland 3 months ago (edited)
Janet, are you related to Bill? If so, I run the SF club.
Load More Replies... My O My 3 months ago
Weeeellll, we once had a techer sporting armpit hair a sheep would envy. And it was always sprinkled with deodorant crumbles that sometimes fell out
Load More Replies... Lee Gilliland 3 months ago (edited)
When I was in h*gh school and the dinosaurs were friendly, the vice Principal decided we would have no PDA on campus. They got the school board involved in it. They decided to word the rule "there will be no PDA between the sexs". I think everyone here can swiftly discern what happened after THAT beauty. This was in 1969, I warned you I was old. Teenagers were just as much a smart*ss then than they are now.
Apatheist Account2 3 months ago
In the UK, this is what we call a vest; your vest is our waistcoat; and a tank-top is a knitted outer garment (pullover/sweater), albeit in the same shape (armless with straps over the shoulder).
#9
I work in foodservice. My job created a rule one day that one's hair can not touch one's collar. I have rather long hair, but I always kept it in a braid and we wear hats, anyways. I was informed of this rule about two hours before the end of my shift, and told that I HAD to comply IMMEDIATELY because I was breaking health code. I politely informed them that no, I was not. This was a store policy -- but I would be happy to come in with my hair up the next day. I didn't think this was unreasonable, it takes a while -- not to mention pins/hair product/etc. to keep my hair up. Not good enough! NOW!! So I punched out for a break, bought rubber bands and floral wire, made 8 braids with the wire woven in, and stuck them in every direction. Boss saw me and began screaming. I calmly told him my hair wasn't touching my collar.
TL;DR: Long hair not allowed to touch collar, created obnoxious hairdo within regulations.
There is a delicate balance to be found between being a managerial tyrant and letting everyone do whatever they want. Ideally, you want to set out clear rules and expectations for your workers, so they’re not left guessing what is and isn’t allowed, and why.
And if you’re in a client-facing role, you want to leave a good first impression. After all, your clients might be wondering why they should trust you if you can’t even respect yourself and them enough to look clean and tidy. First impressions really do matter when building trust.
That being said, all of those regulations can’t be too tight, arbitrary, or impractical, unless you want your staff to mutiny just to show you how incredibly wrong you are. When you end up with egg on your face because your workers maliciously comply with your rules, well, it’s time to change the rules.
#10
Used to work at a TV station. Absolutely awful management and horrible bosses. Complained about it to friends all the time. Some would even ask me on facebook about my job and I would reply- but I knew I could get fired for speaking ill of the company. So I read the HR Handbook and found out as long as I don't specifically name the company, I can't be fired for it. So, about a month later, I realize I can't take this anymore and post on facebook how terrible my job is, never mentioning the company by name. They fire me a day later, I gladly walk out of that building and into a lawyer's office- got $17,800-my yearly salary (seriously). Feelsgoodman.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
When upper management don't bother to read the employee handbook it can cost them.
#11
Company dress code allows women to wear open-toed shoes, so long as they are leather. The dress code does not allow men to do the same. A few years back, I started wearing leather sandals during the warmer months. A few managers mentioned to me that I was in violation of the dress code and I pointed out that my shoes would be considered acceptable if I were a woman and that it's gender discrimination to deny me the ability to wear something that is considered ok on someone of the other gender. Haven't heard any comments or problems since.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
FFS. That sounds like a stupid rule. Only if employees are doing some kind of labour that could be dangerous to their feet does it make sense. And if that’s the case, how would leather be safer than canvas or rubber or some other material?
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
This is the sort of rule imposed by a society that doesn’t understand where the impulse is coming from. From birth we’re socialised that women’s bodies are nice and that men’s bodies are not, because that is what straight men want to see and have managed to control for a long old time. So this is present in companies rules based around looking ‘presentable’, but really just means ‘what straight men want to see’.
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Beak Hookage 3 months ago
I was sent to a new workplace as an intern and one of the rules was "covered shoes only". Got there and EVERYONE doing the same job I'd be interning on was wearing open-toed sandals which they would frequently kick off altogether. I laughed pretty hard over that one. So did they once I'd told them.
#12
When I was in grade 4, pizza was sold at lunch for $1.50 a slice
I saw a business opportunity and went to the Little Caesars a stones throw away from the school and bought 10 Hot'N'Ready 5$ pizzas and sold the slices for $1.00 (1.25 on friday).
When the school told me I couldnt sell pizza on school property, I moved my office to my aunts house which was next door, so every day at lunch the kids would walk to the neighbours front yard, buy pizza and come back to school :)
I was making a tidy sum every day.
Janet Sparrow 3 months ago
I read a similar story where the boy switched to selling pencils but with each pencil, you got a free slice of pizza. So he got around the regulation about not selling Pizza on school grounds. Gotta hand it to the guy that’s brilliant.
KatSaidWhat 3 months ago
Also one who was selling paninis - not allowed. So then he sold napkins that came with a free panini.
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Lee Gilliland 3 months ago
Yea, the board of health would shut this down Ina New York minute.
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Bewitched One 3 months ago
Nah in grade four you wouldn’t get to leave the school’s premises without a parent signing you out. And usually doors lock behind you so someone would have to let you back in so would know if you snuck out and you’d be in trouble 🤷🏼♀️ only way that’s untrue is in a country other than the US atleast. Not sure about school rules (or if little Caesar’s exists) in other countries
Lady Eowyn 3 months ago
When I was in elementary school the doors didn't lock behind us. This was in the 60s.
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veryvenasaur 3 months ago
I’m assuming you have a different grade system where you are I was 9 in grade 4 and turned 10 a month in. I wasn’t bright enough to undermine pizza sale at my school but I had some peers who probably were at that age.
Load More Replies... K Barnes 3 months ago
As an elementary school teacher, I can assure you that this did not happen. You can't just leave school on break without parent permission, nor do those kids have the wherewithal to move and sell 10 pizzas daily on a max 1 hour break. Oh of course, your aunt lives next to the school.
Managers ought to guide and support their employees and lead by example. They should also strive to have the self-awareness to recognize what regulations might be too overbearing, and the flexibility to change what’s no longer useful to the company as a whole.
But unfortunately, far from every manager has the emotional intelligence to prioritize the well-being of their team. Some bosses get a tiny bit of power and let it go to their heads. However, and you probably realize this already, bossing someone around isn’t true leadership. With a bit of self-awareness, humility, and an inclination to grow as a person, you can expect your boss to change. But the transformation won’t happen overnight.
#13
Not work related, but school. In HS I wore a freecondoms.com t-shirt to school. I was called down to the principals office after 3-4 hours(my cool teachers thought it was awesome in the AM classes) and was told I was promoting abhorrent behavior. I posited that I was in fact trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies. I lost my fight and was told I had to leave if I did not have another shirt.
Rather than leaving I put a sticky note over the 'm' in condoms and spent the rest of the day harassing faculty about fantastic lakeside condos that I was giving away for free.
Bec 3 months ago
They didn't think to make you wear the shirt inside out, nor was there one available T-shirt anywhere on campus in lost and found or otherwise, they were annoyed enough to call you to the office but not call your parents or send you home for being a distraction?
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Condoms also prevent the spread of STDs, up to a point. Seems the dumb@sses in charge didn't know that either.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
A lot of schools want teenagers to pretend to be “innocent.” Especially in conservative areas.
Load More Replies... Robin Roper 3 months ago
Between my son's 10th & 11th year in high school, the school instituted a policy that no student could wear tee-shirts and all shirts had to have some sort of collar. We went shopping at every thrift store we could drive to and bought dozens of garish and gaudy collared shirts; some Hawaiian designs. The more outlandish the better. Both of our favorite shirt was covered with images of Marilyn Monroe. It became a game and, with the exception of the Marilyn shirt, he hardly ever wore a repeat. The teachers loved it and we had fun with a rule he hated.
Kalevra 3 months ago
I wear a shirt to school once the featured a Dachshund Hound that proclaimed "I Love My Weiner" Had to turn it inside out. I hated school. Every fuh king teacher would promote individuallity and self expression then force you to conform by removing your hat and complaining about your dress.
Lee Gilliland 3 months ago (edited)
Fake. Why would a school with c*ndom machine in the men's bathroom object to a c*ndom t-shiet? That's the law in many states
K Barnes 3 months ago
I actually can believe the first part, that an old fashioned principal made the student change because of his outdated personal views. It's the second part that's really fake.
Load More Replies... #14
When i worked at bestbuy, the dress code was black shoes, pants, belt and tucked in blue shirt. never wore a belt nor tucked my shirt in, because as a chubster, when kneeling and organizing dvds on the bottom shelf, shirt comes untucked, and the belt cuts into my belly (first world problems huh?) anyways, my boss would constantly f***k on me for not having my shirt tucked in, and finally got on my case for not wearing a belt either. so i checked the dress code, found it said "belt if there are belt loops on the pants" or something, so i found an exacto knife, and cut off my belt loops. the next morning, i come in, and she says "WHERES YOUR BELT?", i grinned at her and said "WHERES MY BELT LOOPS?" and gave her the biggest grin i could muster. one of my finest moments.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
I plan to go to Best Buy this week for a TV, and you know what? I don't care if the employees are wearing muumuus, as long as they know what they're talking about. I remember the ridiculous dress codes forced upon employees back in the 70s, and it never increased productivity.
Fuhleeheece 3 months ago
Hey! Wouldn't it be great to go to the muumuu-wearing Best Buy?! A whole new adventure!
Load More Replies... Janet Sparrow 3 months ago
I understand what you’re saying, but I think that there should be a Broad dress code. Like no shorts or weird T-shirts, etc. things like that I don’t wanna go buy things from a guy who has a shirt on that say “leg rest here” on each of his shoulders.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
I agree. Don’t have your private parts hanging out. Maybe no t-shirts with designs or graphics. But unless your pants are falling down, you don’t need a belt. And why does it matter what colour your shoes are?
Load More Replies... #15
I used to work at a lingerie store as an assistant manager so I had to dress nice and look professional. All the other girls wore huge heels and always ended up complaining about how sore their feet were at the end of their shift and I always wore flats to avoid having sore feet. They were still nice, stylish shoes, but they didn't have towering heels on them. My manager always used to get mad at me for not wearing heels and tried to claim it was part of the dress code. I looked it up and showed her that it didn't say anywhere that I had to wear heels, just that I had to wear acceptable work attire or something like that and she tried to tell me it was an out of date dress code or something so I would tell her that she should get an updated one then. Eventually, she brought head office into the argument and the provincial manager was trying to tell me to wear heels to work. I told them they would have to pay me more than minimum wage to ruin my feet. I did not get a raise and no one ever told me to wear heels to work again.
Dusty's mom 3 months ago (edited)
Heels c*r*i*p*p*l*e women's feet. I don't understand how men who cross dress could find heels appealing, Ouch! Don't hurt yourselves! (I had to go back and edit this thing with all the asterisks to avoid having the word made unintelligible. Seriously, BP???)
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
Take it from somebody who had foot surgery for this very reason: wearing heels every day will mess up your feet. And I’ve always worked office jobs—if you’re standing most of the time (in stores, in hospitals, in restaurants) your feet will be messed up in half the time.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
What an archaic and foolish policy. It's been repeatedly proven that high heels cause undue stress on the body from the toes all the way to the upper back. Stresses that can cause permanent injury and/or pain.
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
High heels were invented by archers on horse back, so they could stand up in the stirrups and shoot without their feet slipping through the stirrups. They were *never* meant to be walked around in. I actually quite like them, and have in my day worn 5” heels (and danced in them) but the idea that an employer could think they have the right to enforce high heels is, well, moronic.
Sue User 3 months ago
I made 15 cents mire than minimum wage and had 10 employees. Exploitation is real.
Load More Replies... KatSaidWhat 3 months ago
I have an ancient achilles injury that likes to remind me of its presence every once in a while. I circumvented a heels request at a wedding earlier this year with block heels. Some friends were annoyed they had not thought of that themselves, no shade was thrown.
Which of these employees impressed you the most with their creativity? What’s the most ingenious way you’ve ever turned a company’s rules against an awful manager?
Who is the most micromanaging, petty, tyrannical boss you’ve ever had the ‘pleasure’ of working with? We’d love to hear your work stories! Feel free to grab a cup of coffee and share your epic tales in the comments at the very bottom of this post.
#16
A couple of friends of mine work at Wal-Mart. They found out that kilts are well within the dress code as long as they are the correct color. Drove their managers nuts. It's been a year and absolutely no problems though. :).
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
No matter what Wal Mart story I read, I feel let down bc none of the whacky, silly, repugnant stuff ever happened at the store I shopped at.
AnnwylTheBloodyLovesFerghus 3 months ago
Right? I've seen some outrageous photos of people at Walmart. About the only thing I've seen are people wearing pajama pants or slippers. Perfect coverage, who cares. Where are these Walmarts? I wanna see!
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LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 months ago
Some people have commented "blue and khaki" and someone posted a link to this photo: https://imgur.com/KaS3y
Load More Replies... #17
Back when I was working and attending classes I would go stright from campus to work, getting me there anywhere from 10-20 minutes early before my shift. On occassion my boss would ask me to help him out with something before I clock on, putting something away or answering the phone. Over the span of a couple months, this evolved from 'occassionally' to "every day your shift starts when you get here".
After doing this for a couple weeks (still clocking in at my usual 3pm) I decide that if I'm working for a few extra minutes each day, I'm gonna get paid for it. I did this ONCE, and I didnt make it an hour into my shift before my boss is screaming at me and throwing down the employee handbook saying that I'm only allowed to clock in 5 minutes before and after my scheduled shift.
Needless to say, I made it a point to not check in until 5 minutes after my scheduled shift every day, no matter how early I was. Fast forward 3 months and my boss gets fired. He got what was coming to him.
amy lee 3 months ago (edited)
The dangers of setting precedents that will bite you on the bottom... All because we're trying to help out... No good deed goes unpunished
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
To be fair, last night I got to work early and helped out because why not, I was standing there anyway. Then this morning the guy I was helping arrived early to start his shift (a choice so he could get off early) and helped me out before mine ended. So it depends on the work place - which we all know.
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#18
I worked at a Petsmart 5 or so years ago, in the "Pet Hotel" where animals were boarded while their "Pet Parents" (owners) went on vacation. Everything I did was in the back. No customers ever saw me. Just the dogs and kitties.
But my boss would always get onto me for forgetting my belt. So one day she was particularly mad at me about not having a belt despite the fact that I was picking that shift up last minute for someone who was sick. I pick up a dog leash, put it through my belt loops, and say "Well, it appears I now have a belt.".
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Yeah, don't acknowledge the employee didn't leave you stranded due to covering someone's else shift. Get on them for not wearing a belt. I've taken business courses, but apparently I missed the one on how to be a moronic manager.
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
OMG, imagine the fun in putting that unit together, though!
Load More Replies... SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
FFS. How many times, in over 50 years of shopping in stores, have I ever noticed whether an employee was wearing a belt? Answer: None.
Beak Hookage 3 months ago
Why are belts so important anyway? Is there going to be an emergency autoerotic asphyxiation situation?
Crystalwitch60 3 months ago
Eugh petsmart awful shop ,we had one in Cheltenham ham in the 1990s opened three yrs after pets at home did , don’t exist anymore lol pets at home bought em out !!c**p p store c**p at staff training 😂it can nw stay in USA where they belong !!do not need em here in uk
#19
My boss went away for about 3-4 weeks for a conference, and while he was away, a workmate and I had an idea... a george foreman grill, and then we'd go to the deli and grab stuff for lunch: hamburgers, lamb chops, pork, steaks etc.
We did this every day for over a month, and when the boss got back he put a stop to it, with the exact words "I don't want that thing inside the office".
So we took it to the shared kitchen area on our floor (We rented a suite).
When he got angry at that, and said "I DONT WANT IT ON THIS FLOOR", we took it down to the underground parking area and used the power outlet at his parking space while he was out at lunch. he caught us because he was coming back from lunch with a business partner (in the car with him) and we were hunched over a tiny George Foreman grill making hamburger patties. Imagine 3 IT guys, crouching on the ground like cavemen, in a poorly lit underground parking lot, cooking hamburger on the concrete floor. Yeah, it went over about as well as you would think.
If he didn't specifically use the words "Take that home or I will break it and throw it in the trash" our next step was to use the power point in the parking lot of the church directly opposite the building (and facing his office).
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Sounds like he lost a bundle on a Foreman fight and is holding a grudge. More plausible is he was a nasty curmudgeon who couldn't stand others being happy.
Upstaged75 3 months ago
What kind of conference lasts a month? I've been to tons of them and never heard of anything that long.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
What an åsshole. As long as you were cleaning up after you were finished, and it wasn’t a fire hazard, what’s the problem?
Debbie 3 months ago
How is the smell of that thing and how safe is it? It can be a fire hazard thing. I'm 100% sure this would not be allowed at the big organization where I with due to fire regulations etc (only equipment from work can be used and no own equipment).
AnnwylTheBloodyLovesFerghus 3 months ago
It is not a fire hazard. It is a kitchen appliance. Which was found in many, many kitchens some years ago. It was very popular. It is basically a glorified pannini press.
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#20
Worked at the front desk of a gym. Scanning key cards you know, being a watchdog as my boss liked to say. Only problem is when a dog gets hungry he doesn't feel like doing much. Didn't matter if it was a 12 hour shift or an 8 hour shift, no lunch break for the front desk, and of course no eating at the front. Well this dog happens to love sammiches, so I would tell all the people who asked me how I was doing that I was great, minus the fact that I haven't eaten in 8 hours. I would proceed to tell them about the policy and encourage them to tell my boss to let me eat. Well after I had told enough people, I began eating my sammiches at the front. First time boss caught me mid bite and said funkybuttlovin what are you doing, I said eating my sammich. As luck would have it a daily member walks up and says you know boss you should let him eat up here, it's not hurting anyone. Victory funkbuttlovin.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Since federal law doesn't have a lunch break law, it's up to the individual state, which can vary considerably. I recommend employees brush up on their state laws.
Janet Sparrow 3 months ago
That’s such a weird and illegal policy, no lunch for the front desk and no eating up there? I kind of get to eating because you really don’t wanna be slurping ramen at the front desk, but I mean a sammich ?
Toothless Feline 3 months ago
Not allowing lunch and/or bathroom breaks is one of the stupidest ways to create an unproductive and unsafe workplace. These are basic biological needs. Everyone needs sustenance, and everyone has to eliminate waste. Ask the boss if they can think straight when they badly need to pee.
Beak Hookage 3 months ago
In my first job I actually got reprimanded for NOT taking a lunch break, as a result of which I ran out of spoons and just... stopped working.
Load More Replies... Beak Hookage 3 months ago
A hungry employee with low blood sugar is going to have terrible concentration and will probably get snappish with clients and coworkers. Starving one like this is bad business practise as well as really cruel.
Phil Green 3 months ago
Must be the US! I think pretty much everywhere else in the developed world has a legal requirement to allow for lunch-breaks. You poor US citizens in the Land that Used to be Free!
#21
When Circuit City was still in business I worked in the warehouse. For whatever reason, they had a strict dress policy of khaki pants, this awful collar shirt that also had to be tucked in. This went for everyone, even warehouse. Like Kazin420, I discovered through an old warehouse employee guide (Shoved in a draw years ago and forgotten about) That as long as Warehouse employees had khaki colored shorts, with no cargo pockets, and a t shirt with a Circuit City logo there would be no problem.
Circuit City stopped making Circuit City t shirts long before I started, but thanks to a local Salvation Army, I was able to pick up, two Circuit City T shirts, and a quick trip to Target for some shorts, and my new uniform was set. My mangers were not happy about my appearance, claiming I looked sloppy and unkempt.
Even better, when the giant black dude (who hated his job, and just slept in the back, and talked on his cell phone all day) from the warehouse found out about this, he too had some old Circuit City t shirts, and joined in. Management hated us working together. I miss Circuit City.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Curious, what part of mentioning the giant dude's race impacted this story? Are you implying the white supervisors were afraid of a Black man?
#22
My father was working in a post office in the early 80's. It was an unusually hot day with ~85°F inside. There were no fans available so it was crazy. Men weren't allowed to wear shorts, but dad came to work wearing shorts which covered his knees and a part of his shin, figuring he was fine. He wasn't, and his boss sent him home to change. He returned in his grandfather's bonjour from the late 19th century. Top hat and all. The boss kept asking if it wasn't a little hot in that suit but he said he was fine.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Mail trucks didn't have heat or AC, may still not, but these supervisors were willing to risk their employees having heat stroke in long pants. Our mailman wears shots on hot days bc it makes sense.
Crystalwitch60 3 months ago
I dunno about USA lol but here in uk ,I honestly don’t think in all my 60 yrs I’ve Everett a postie in long trousers lmao they all wear shorts,as do Tesco delivery drivers , come rain or snow wind u name it all shorts, more so in the rural areas as getting in n out of their vans etc is hot work , let em wear shorts !! It does not make them bad at their jobs , in fact it makes em better , as they are cooler n more comfortable!!!
#23
Again, more proof that there are millions of managers and supervisors in this country who have no business being in charge of anything.
#24
In the McDonalds I used to work at in PA it was the norm to for the managers to not clock out for their lunch breaks which meant if you had this huge rush you HAD to get up and help. Well, according to da rules of da state we were entitled to a lunch break off the clock undisturbed. Well one day I had enough and clocked out sat down and had some noms. The owner walked in and wanted to know why I wasn't helping cause they were backed up so I put him on notice. And everyone left me alone after that and actually started doing it themselves lol.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
As a retired employer, I've had employees tell me they'll work through their lunch break. Uh-uh. I don't care what you do, but for 30-minutes you will NOT work. It's the state law.
moggiemoo 3 months ago (edited)
I temped through the 90s, mainly office work. I always came to an arrangement that I'd work through lunch whilst having a sandwich at my desk. But I'd fill in the time sheet as if I'd had a break. I'd much rather have that 1/2 hour at home or in the pub than at my desk at work. Never had any problems.
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Dusty's mom 3 months ago
I worked for a Mc Corporation store (at the time, 20% of the stores were corporate owned), and that kind of thing would have been discovered by auditors, as EVERY person getting hourly wages got a 30 min. unpaid lunch. Every manager lived in dread of the feared auditors. We had our share of dipwad managers though, and there were always managers who tried to jig the system to cook the books.
#25
My boss was the same way. I worked in the deli of a Hannaford and every day my boss would check to make sure my shirt was tucked. I found a loophole where if I wore one of the box-cut shirts (read: women's shirts) I didn't have to tuck it in. Got my three of those bad boys (girls?) and never looked back.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
There's always a loophole to these petty rules, and at least one employee finding it out.
#26
Not a job, but a school.
I went to a Catholic college and they didn't allow members of the opposite gender to spend the night in a dorm room. I made a huge case that they were discriminating against heterosexuals, and that rule miraculously disappeared the next year.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago (edited)
Lose-lose for Catholics. Pre-marital s*x is a sin, as is homosexuality. I can see the bishop flipping a coin.
Jan Rosier 3 months ago
Not a sin per se, actually. According (not so broadly known) cannon, as soon as you have inercourse, you have 'consumed' the marriage. Ceremonies were invented much later. The actual sin is then hooking up with someone else, because that is adultery. But yeah, too much to explain, so premarital boinking is sinful...
Load More Replies... Crystalwitch60 3 months ago
Typical religious lunatics !! N catholics are by far the worst of the lot !!
#27
Similar to OP, but with a military swag to it.
In the Navy you must always have a white t-shirt under your uniform. I had a Senior Chief who constantly checked if your t-shirt was not visible and required that it bee seen. I checked the uniform regs and found that while in a working uniform you can wear a V-neck tee. Started wearing them and he took notice as soon as he saw me. I told him that the regs allowed it. He scowled and his only comment was, "One for the blue shirts" and walked away. Then he hammered me for every reg violation he could find. Smart people never win. At least not in today's Navy.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
When you have the audacity to question a supervisor, military or civilian, you must always be on your toes bc you've hurt their overly-sensitive feelings and they will go out of their way to get revenge.
Peter Bear 3 months ago
To which I say, bring it on. If I bother to stand up for myself on an issue, it's because I've already won.
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Scott Rackley 3 months ago
Exactly, going against a E-8 is a very dumb idea
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#28
Yah my boss tried to do the whole "tuck in your shirt" bit at my work (I work at a call center too) however no where in the dress code policy it has anything about the shirt being tucked in. I asked my boss to show me where it is, and it was a no go. congrats.
Purple Gurl 3 months ago
I work at a call center as well. They have finally given up and just ask us to wear actual clothes-not pajama pants.
#29
LOL w*f people. It's not your job, why do you care what he does?? Upvote for OP. Also at one retail store, we had to wear employee issued short sleeve shirts at work, even in winter. The clothing code stated we could wear something underneath the shirt but not over. I picked the brightest and most patterned long sleeve shirts I could find. Managers could say nothing.
Riley Quinn 3 months ago
Retail clerks normally work in heated buildings during the winter. Here in Boston, the CVS employees wear polo shirts all year round.
#30
At a former job, I had one particular boss who was a SoB. He asked me to join a particularly bad group (known for having to do a lot of thankless, low priority, and difficult work).
I used that company's unique productivity/career-development t**l, in conjunction with HR during a review to show him why I could not participate. HR agreed. He turned red.
What do you think ?
Kathy Brooke 3 months ago
I was working in a mental health ward over Christmas 2020. Infection control rules were system wide, but Infection control in a MH ward, where patients mingle, share sweets, swap property etc is a very different beast from a physical, clinical ward. So the rules come out... "no Christmas jumpers!" (bare below the elbows and hot washable only) but nothing about Christmas T shirts. "No Christmas decorations!" But nothing about patient art work on the walls. "No shared tins of sweets" but nothing about spreading the sweets out on a tray so people could choose without rummaging... the staff on that ward were so creative making the holiday within the rules.
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
Thank you for caring and working to make life a bit better for people with mental health problems. This just seems like good, old fashioned, compliance, but done by people who care about the outcomes of the job they do.
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ninjaTrashPandaBoom 3 months ago
My old boss once wanted me to supervise some dangerous and highly questionable, most likely illegal, tasks for my crew during a swing shift. My response: "I will need that task request in writing with your signature." For some reason, he changed his mind...
marianne eliza 3 months ago
If you know the rules before you hire on, you've agreed to abide by those rules. If it isn't a written rule, and you really need to break or bend your boss's dictates for health or safety reasons, break the rule but be prepared to defend yourself.
Little Bit 3 months ago
Several years ago I worked in a busy office. We didn't have a cleaner and everybody was too busy to do it. One day the boss complained about the state of the office and told me that at 4pm every day I had to stop whatever I was doing and clean up. The next day I did exactly as I was asked. At about 4.05pm my phone rang. I saw that it was the bosses number and I ignored it. A few minutes later my phone rang again and this time one of my colleagues answered. The boss demanded to know why I hadn't answered the phone and I replied, "I was cleaning up, just like you told me to."
Lee Gilliland 3 months ago
In the USAF you're required to wear black socks. So I wore black toesocks with rainbow toes. If it can't be seen, it isn't busting regs.
Kathy Brooke 3 months ago
I was working in a mental health ward over Christmas 2020. Infection control rules were system wide, but Infection control in a MH ward, where patients mingle, share sweets, swap property etc is a very different beast from a physical, clinical ward. So the rules come out... "no Christmas jumpers!" (bare below the elbows and hot washable only) but nothing about Christmas T shirts. "No Christmas decorations!" But nothing about patient art work on the walls. "No shared tins of sweets" but nothing about spreading the sweets out on a tray so people could choose without rummaging... the staff on that ward were so creative making the holiday within the rules.
Roxy222uk 3 months ago
Thank you for caring and working to make life a bit better for people with mental health problems. This just seems like good, old fashioned, compliance, but done by people who care about the outcomes of the job they do.
Load More Replies... ninjaTrashPandaBoom 3 months ago
My old boss once wanted me to supervise some dangerous and highly questionable, most likely illegal, tasks for my crew during a swing shift. My response: "I will need that task request in writing with your signature." For some reason, he changed his mind...
marianne eliza 3 months ago
If you know the rules before you hire on, you've agreed to abide by those rules. If it isn't a written rule, and you really need to break or bend your boss's dictates for health or safety reasons, break the rule but be prepared to defend yourself.
Little Bit 3 months ago
Several years ago I worked in a busy office. We didn't have a cleaner and everybody was too busy to do it. One day the boss complained about the state of the office and told me that at 4pm every day I had to stop whatever I was doing and clean up. The next day I did exactly as I was asked. At about 4.05pm my phone rang. I saw that it was the bosses number and I ignored it. A few minutes later my phone rang again and this time one of my colleagues answered. The boss demanded to know why I hadn't answered the phone and I replied, "I was cleaning up, just like you told me to."
Lee Gilliland 3 months ago
In the USAF you're required to wear black socks. So I wore black toesocks with rainbow toes. If it can't be seen, it isn't busting regs.
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