ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Company’s Strict 9-5 Policy Backfires as Employee Maliciously Complies; Netizens Relate

This story is about a worker who got fed up with his company's strict 9-to-5 rule and decided to fight back cleverly.
PUBLISHED APR 3, 2024
Cover Image Source: Company's strict 9-5 policy backfires (representative image) | Unsplash | Photo by Charles Deluvio
Cover Image Source: Company's strict 9-5 policy backfires (representative image) | Unsplash | Photo by Charles Deluvio

In the big world of companies, there's often a clash between rules and letting employees do their thing. Rules are supposed to make things easier but sometimes they end up making things harder for everyone. This story is about a worker who got fed up with his company's strict 9-to-5 rule and decided to fight back cleverly.

Image Source: Reddit | r/MaliciousCompliance
Image Source: Reddit | r/MaliciousCompliance

So, this story takes place in a busy brokerage firm where this worker, whose name we don't know, worked in the mutual funds division. He was really good at his job and always went above and beyond what was expected. He didn't just work from 9 to 5, he often started at 7 in the morning and stayed until 7 at night because he loved what he did and wanted to do it well. "I loved my job, and I was real good at it," he shared on Reddit. But then, his boss got mad at him for being just a few minutes late coming back from lunch. Even though he put in extra hours and did great work, his boss said the only thing that mattered was what happened between 9 and 5.

Image Source: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels
Employees should be given the flexibility to do their best work (representative image) | Photo by Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels

Feeling frustrated and misunderstood, the worker decided to show his boss just how ridiculous this rule was. He started following the 9-to-5 rule to the letter. He stopped coming in early and left right on the dot at 5. He used to be super productive outside those hours, but now everything had to fit into this narrow window. And guess what? His productivity took a nosedive. The company had lost one of its best workers because of a rule that didn't make sense.

Image Source: Getty Images
9 to 5 work hours can be restrictive (representative image) | Getty Images

When he shared his story on Reddit, many people related to his frustration. One user said, "I used to work second shift and I’d get home around 3 am. One night a warehouse manager came and asked if I could stay late and help another department. I told him I’d have to check with my husband because he’d stay up until I got home in case my car broke down or something. He harassed me and said I should be more loyal to the company. They fired me for missing a single day of work when my father-in-law was in critical condition in the hospital, several hours away from home."

Image Source: Reddit | Arghianna
Image Source: Reddit | Arghianna

As the worker left his job, the company had to deal with the consequences of their inflexible policies. They lost a talented worker, and it wasn't easy finding someone to replace him. So, what's the lesson here? Sometimes, companies get so caught up in their rules that they forget about the people who make their business run smoothly. It's important to have guidelines but they should be flexible enough to allow employees to do their best work.

Employees are not just machines; they're human beings with lives outside of work. When companies show understanding and support for their employees, it creates a better working environment for everyone. Otherwise, they might end up losing valuable talent like the worker in this story. In the end, it's about finding a balance between rules and flexibility, so everyone can thrive in the workplace.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Barbara Corcoran made the exact same offer, and she wasn't happy about being rejected.
2 hours ago
The guest believed that it was worth a modest amount of money, but that was clearly not the case.
3 hours ago
With James Holzhauer in the lead, Amy Schneider and Andrew He decided to joke around.
4 hours ago
Barbara Corcoran told the founders that she had never seen Greiner so passionate.
6 hours ago
The guest said that it was left to her by her grandmother who passed at the age of 102.
1 day ago
The host was quick to latch on to his way of speaking and made a mockery of it on TV.
1 day ago
The contestant was clearly just happy to win the chance of being on the same stage as Drew Carey.
1 day ago
The player, Thomas Russo, nearly put all of his strength into spinning the wheel.
1 day ago
Things took a turn for the better with the shark as far as the entrepreneurs were concerned.
2 days ago
The expert pointed out the intricate details on the item and said it was a personal item of the royals.
2 days ago
The expert said that if the signature was on a letterhead when Garfield was President, it would be worth more.
2 days ago
Had the contestants not gotten their gamble right, they would have lost everything they'd earned.
3 days ago
The revelation came thanks to a fan who asked the question during a "Jeopardy!" taping.
3 days ago
The entrepreneurs' decision came as a big shock to the sharks, and they did not hide it.
3 days ago
Tina double-guessed her third answer, "Does April have 31 days?" Harvey gave her the stink eye.
3 days ago
All the theatrics didn't work when sharks started scrutinizing profit margins.
3 days ago
"Can I stop at any time?" the player nervously inquired. "You can stop any time you want, yes," Carey assured.
3 days ago
Guests on the show would run with it if they ever got that kind of money on Pawn Stars.
4 days ago
The guest even said to keep the kids in the dark about how valuable these items were.
4 days ago
The company had fantastic sales but a crushing debt with a high interest rate that the sharks hated.
4 days ago