Fired for Clocking Out on Time: How a Petty Pharmacy Boss Got His Just Desserts
There’s a special place in our hearts for stories where the underdog gets the last laugh—especially when the villain is the boss from hell. On r/MaliciousCompliance, one user recently shared a tale so satisfying, you’ll want to set your watch by it. Imagine being chastised for being just two minutes late after years of overachieving, only to flip the script so hard that your boss—and the entire pharmacy—never saw it coming.
This is the story of Edwin, the micromanaging pharmacy manager, and the employee who weaponized punctuality with surgical precision.
The Manager Who Cried “Clock In!”
Let’s set the scene: a pharmacy bustling with customers, creams to be mixed, and a manager named Edwin with a penchant for power trips. Edwin’s management style could best be described as “tyrannical kindergarten teacher with a color wheel fetish.” He demanded that every single customer be greeted (even when the store was packed), and once wanted to use a color system for making creams—because what’s more important than perfectly color-coded ointments?
But Edwin wasn’t just quirky; he was cruel. When our hero requested time off to attend a friend’s funeral, Edwin denied it. Yet, the very next day, he gleefully left work himself—because his dog needed a walk. (Priorities, right?)
The Last Straw Breaks the Camel’s Back
After years of enduring this nonsense, the Redditor’s patience finally snapped. The catalyst? Being publicly scolded for arriving late due to a broken-down bus. Edwin made it clear: “Work hours are from 9 to 12 and from 1 to 6:30—got it mate.”
Most people would grumble and get on with it. But in the grand tradition of malicious compliance, our protagonist took those words to heart—and to the minute.
Punctuality with a Vengeance
Gone were the days of arriving early, staying late, or helping during breaks. Now, the pharmacy’s most dedicated worker arrived at exactly 9:00 AM, clocked out for lunch right on the dot, and dropped everything at 6:30 PM—no matter what. Cutting off in the middle of helping a patient? If the clock struck six-thirty, that was it.
Edwin, predictably, wasn’t thrilled. But when confronted, the employee simply raised an eyebrow and parroted his own words: “You said my hours are between 9 and 6:30. No exceptions?” Checkmate.
The Inevitable Fallout
When a manager rules by fear and inflexibility, they often fail to see the storm they’re brewing. Edwin eventually fired our protagonist, perhaps thinking he’d finally asserted authority. But this pharmacy worker wasn’t done yet.
Enter the workers’ union—a classic move in the European workplace playbook. The union took up the case, and the pharmacy was forced to pay two years’ worth of salary as compensation. Edwin’s little power play just turned into an expensive lesson.
But the story doesn’t end there.
Vengeance Served Viral
When the pandemic hit, rumors surfaced that Edwin had forced his staff to work with COVID-positive patients, putting lives at risk. Our Redditor, no longer bound by loyalty or fear, tipped off the local FDA equivalent. The investigation that followed was so damning that the pharmacy was permanently shut down.
Edwin’s obsession with the clock didn’t just lose him a good employee—it lost him his business.
The Sweet Symphony of Malicious Compliance
There’s an art to malicious compliance: it’s about following the letter of the law so strictly that you expose the absurdity of the rule itself. In this story, the hero didn’t just escape a toxic boss—they used his own rigidity as the crowbar to pry open real justice.
We love these stories because they remind us: sometimes, the best revenge is simply doing exactly what you’re told, especially when what you’re told is completely unreasonable.
What Do You Think?
Have you ever gotten sweet revenge by following orders a little too well? Does your office have an Edwin—or did you manage to escape? Share your stories in the comments below or let us know what you’d have done in this situation!
And remember: If your boss ever gets snippy about two minutes, just remember this story. Sometimes, the clock is ticking on them, too.
Original Reddit Post: Can't be two minutes late?