How a Rigid Boss Broke the Network—and Learned a Lesson in Malicious Compliance
Have you ever noticed that the people making the rules are rarely the ones who actually have to follow them? Especially in the world of IT, where the only thing more fragile than a network connection at 6:59 AM is a manager’s sense of authority when challenged by logic. Today’s tale from Reddit’s r/MaliciousCompliance is a masterclass in what happens when management’s “one size fits all” approach runs headlong into reality—and a bit of righteous (and hilarious) payback.
Picture this: You’re the unsung hero keeping a manufacturing plant’s digital life support humming. You show up at 7:00 AM sharp, every day, so the plant can start operations on time. You go home at 4:00 PM after a long day, but then—because someone’s friend had a minor terminal issue at 4:30 PM—management decides your whole schedule needs to change. What could possibly go wrong?
The Early Bird Gets the Network… Until Management Gets Involved
Our story’s protagonist, u/Watching20, was the kind of diligent network support specialist every company secretly relies on. The plant he supported started its engines at 7:00 AM, so he did too—ensuring seamless operations for everyone who actually, you know, made the company money. This meant leaving by 4:00 PM, a perfectly reasonable trade-off.
That is, until one fateful day, when an office worker had a minor terminal mishap at 4:30 PM. Management, in their infinite wisdom, decided this could not stand. As u/Watching20 recounted, “I was given a lecture that I had to stay until 5 every day. I tried to point out the reason for the early arrival and departure. But the manager, of course, couldn’t understand this logic. She wanted me there until 5 because her friend had issues getting her terminal to work at 4:30 one day.”
If you’re guessing how this ends, you’ve probably worked in corporate America. As u/christianmoral shared in a top comment, this is not a unique scenario. Their friend faced a nearly identical situation—starting at 6:00 AM for years, only to have a new manager declare, “8:30 like everyone else!” The result? The CEO arrived at 6:00 AM, couldn’t print, and… well, let’s just say the manager’s “brilliant” plan didn’t last long.
Malicious Compliance: When Following Orders Is the Best Revenge
Knowing the rules (and their absurdity), u/Watching20 did what any seasoned IT veteran would do: comply, maliciously. He started working 8:00 to 5:00, just like he was told. It took less than two weeks before disaster struck—the plant’s communications were down at 7:00 AM, and there was no IT hero to swoop in.
“I got the call around 7:00, all I could do was say, ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can, but I just got out of bed so it’s going to be about an hour,’” he wrote. The fallout? No one got fired, no one ate crow, but, “not a single person ever said anything about me leaving at 4:00 again.”
The community had a field day. “That crow needed eatin,” quipped u/CoderJoe1, while u/SatinWhirl suggested, “Sounds like the plant should’ve called the manager’s friend for support next time. I’m sure her terminal expertise would’ve saved the day.” The consensus? Sometimes, the best way to highlight a bad decision is to follow it to the letter.
Lessons from the IT Trenches: CYA, Schedules, and the Never-Ending Shift
If there’s one thing IT folks know, it’s that the job rarely fits into tidy 9-to-5 boxes. As u/Cendax explained, sometimes your shift is tailored to cover the real needs—like supporting multiple shifts in a factory. But day-shift logic doesn’t always translate. “One of the day shift said ‘How come Cendax gets to come in at 8:30 when we have to start at 6:30?’… Before my boss could answer, one of the night shift people said ‘Because he’s here until 5:00!’ After that, no one complained about my work schedule.”
And if there’s a second lesson, it’s this: always cover your ass (CYA). As u/christine-bitg and a host of others pointed out, keeping a paper trail is essential. “Can I get that in writing/email needs to be part of everyone’s vocabulary,” advised u/Chaosmusic. In fact, u/Efficient_You_3976 confessed to maintaining a dedicated “CYA folder” for over 40 years in IT—a survival tactic as vital as knowing how to reset a router.
But what about management? As u/michael_entechsite noted, “The major problem is the manager made a blunder and then tried to cover it up.” Too often, it’s easier for bosses to shift blame than to admit a mistake. The result? Employees get thrown under the bus, and everyone else learns to keep those emails handy.
The Real Cost of Rigid Rules
Stories like these resonate because they’re universal. Whether you’re in IT, engineering, or any job where the hours don’t match up with the clock, you’ve likely faced the tyranny of arbitrary rules. As u/FakeRussianAccent wittily summarized: “Boss, there are three resolutions… 1) I can continue to work from 7-4, bc if the network isn’t up at 7 every day, they lose production for the whole day. 2) I can adjust my work hours to 8-5… 3) You can pay me outrageous overtime to work 7-5, and I can cover everything. Which solution would you prefer?”
Of course, the story’s not just about IT. It’s about respect, trust, and the realization that sometimes, flexibility isn’t a privilege—it’s a necessity. Or, as the OP himself put it, “I never liked it when a big corporation expected me to work extra hours without paying me for the extra work. That showed disrespect.”
Conclusion: Share Your Scheduling Sagas!
If you’ve ever been caught in the crossfire between logic and bureaucracy, you know how satisfying a little malicious compliance can be. Have you ever had to “follow the rules” just to prove a point? Or maybe you’ve witnessed a management blunder so epic it became office legend? Share your stories in the comments below—because sometimes, the best way to fix a broken system is to let it break.
And remember: if you ever need to explain your schedule to a manager, get it in writing… and keep a copy in your CYA folder.
Original Reddit Post: working hours