When Your Boss Won’t Assign Tasks… So You Assign Them Right Back
Ever worked somewhere where your boss is so allergic to confrontation that they turn every task into a committee free-for-all? Where emails are less about getting things done and more about passing the hot potato until it rolls under the fridge? If so, you’ll love this delicious slice of malicious compliance from Redditor u/octohippo, who finally decided to play the non-confrontational game—with epic results.
Let’s dive into the saga of task-dodging, permission-passing, and what happens when you follow the rules exactly as written… to your boss’s utter dismay.
The Tale of the Perpetual Permission Loop
Picture this: You’re at work, minding your own business, when your boss fires off yet another group email. “Hey team, who wants to handle this task? Figure it out amongst yourselves.” No names, no assignments, just a vague hope that someone will be brave (or foolish) enough to volunteer. And just to make sure no one’s toes get stepped on, anyone who does step up is told, “Okay, but make sure it’s cool with everyone else first.”
Sounds like a recipe for productivity, right? Or maybe a recipe for everyone doing their best impression of a statue, hoping the email will simply float away.
Redditor u/octohippo knew this routine all too well. But when a new training curriculum request landed in the inbox, our hero decided they’d had enough of playing whack-a-mole with responsibility. This time, when the boss nudged them in person—“I had you in mind for this, but, uh, just check with the others first”—they decided to follow the letter of the law.
Email Sent, Silence Ensues
Here’s where the magic of malicious compliance comes in. Octohippo sent the required permission-seeking email, CC’ing the boss for good measure. But, as anyone who’s ever worked in a place with “shared responsibility” knows, the real skill is in not replying. Employees have learned that even a “sure, go ahead” can somehow rope them into doing the work, so best practice is radio silence.
So, silence it was. The email sat, untouched, unacknowledged, like an abandoned pizza in the break room.
Boss, Meet Your Own System
Cue the boss, panicking in octohippo’s office. Not only did the training curriculum not get done, but now there’s another order in the pipeline. Our protagonist is swamped, having been the only one to step up for these tasks in the past, and now the boss is realizing his brilliant system is more like a productivity black hole.
With no one officially “assigned” and no one brave enough to reply, the boss is stuck… actually having to do the work himself.
Why This Happens: The Perils of “Figure It Out” Management
Let’s be real: most workplaces have some version of this. “Team-based” responsibility sounds great in theory—collaboration! Autonomy!—but without clear assignment, it quickly turns into “everyone’s job is no one’s job.” And when the boss refuses to actually assign anything, the work either falls on the same few people (hello, burnout) or, as in this glorious case, grinds to a halt.
This isn’t just inefficient—it quietly breeds resentment, disengagement, and strategic avoidance. Why volunteer when it means more work for the same pay, no recognition, and the possibility that you’ll get stuck with it again next time?
Malicious Compliance: The Unsung Hero of Workplace Evolution
There’s a certain beauty in following every rule exactly as stated, especially when those rules are so poorly constructed they collapse under their own weight. Malicious compliance isn’t about sabotage—it’s about holding up the mirror and saying, “This is what happens when you don’t lead.”
And sometimes, it takes a little chaos (or a missed deadline) for management to realize that “figure it out amongst yourselves” isn’t leadership—it’s abdication.
The Moral? Assign the Task, or Do It Yourself
Our story ends with the boss scrambling to fill the gaps he refused to patch. Maybe next time, he’ll realize that assigning tasks directly isn’t mean—it’s necessary. And for our hero, Friday eve just got a little sweeter.
Have you survived a similar workplace circus? Do you have a story of your own malicious compliance? Share your tales below—let’s commiserate and celebrate those little victories of common sense!
Workplace indecisiveness meets its match in this hilarious real-life tale of email avoidance and malicious compliance—where the boss learns a lesson the hard way.
Original Reddit Post: Emails and Permission