Malicious Compliance

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/chloeverydirty on 2025-05-30 21:35:07+00:00.

So I work at a small marketing agency. Nothing fancy, pretty relaxed environment. For years, we've been wearing smart casual: jeans, sneakers, button-down shirts. Everyone's comfortable, clients don't care - it's all good.

Then we get a new "Creative Director", let's call her Laura. She's all about "professionalism", so she issues a dress code: business formal only. No jeans, no sneakers. Jackets, ties, dresses, the works. She says: "If you want to be taken seriously, you have to look the part. No exceptions"

Alright then.

So Monday morning, I show up in my only business formal outfit: an ancient three-piece suit my dad gave me for college interviews. I'm talking brown, wide lapels, tie so loud it might be a war crime. Everyone else did the same - dusted off old suits and dresses from the back of the closet. We looked like a low-budget wedding party. Meanwhile, Laura's in a sleek, tailored outfit worth more than my car.

Clients start asking if we're going to a funeral or a prom. Our social media manager's suit was two sizes too big, he kept tripping over the pants. The receptionist looked like she was wearing a mother-of-the-bride outfit. One of out designers came in wearing an honest-to-God top hat, just to see if Laura would blink.

By Friday, she's had enough. She calls an "emergency meeting" to announce the dress code is now "business casual again, with flexibility to ensure comfort and personal style".

Guess suits don't make the work better after all.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/TrashLoaHekHekHek on 2025-05-30 18:20:09+00:00.

Obligatory not in the US. Also not my MC, but my manager's, but I was along for the entire ride. I work in a 200 person sized company. Have been here for 9 years. Department colleagues are great, other than 1 person(but that's for a different story). My manager is among the best people I've had the good fortune to ever meet, and both department heads I've worked with are fantastic too. This particular incident happened during Covid.

I was assigned to a project for a specific role which was typically for managers. However, this government project also required someone to submit sensitive documents for approval, and you needed to have government certifications. To get these certifications you had to attend courses and training that were usually for managerial levels. They were also not cheap, a couple of thousands. I got these from a previous job that unfortunately went bankrupt. I wasn't a manager in my current job, but due to having these certifications I was assigned the role.

My manager has been trying to get me promoted for awhile now, but HR constantly provided excuses. "No available position, not the right time, he needs to prove himself etc". Manager figures this is the perfect time, and goes to HR again with my HoD's blessing. HR again rejects the proposition, and my manager instead argues for a pay raise then. HR says that I've already hit the cap for my position, tough luck. He's now pissed, and thinking of the next plan. HR then sends him an email reiterating everything, but adds "he should be working his wage anyway". He just smiles, and starts his MC by telling me he's taking me off the project, as well as informing the project lead. Project lead informs HR that they need to fill the slot, either by sending someone to train for the role, or to hire someone. HR is appalled by the price and instead chooses to hire someone instead. This is where crap starts rising.

Remember I mentioned that this was a government project. That means if we fail to meet deadlines we get fined. With no one submitting required documents for approval the project grinded to a halt. First month, HR did nothing, not even putting out hiring ads. At the end of the month, we were fined 5k. HR finally realizes that this was serious, and finally started putting ads out. However, they offered basically intern tier of pay, lowballing the hardest I've ever seen. There was no shot anyone with said certifications ever taking up the offer. Month 2 ends, we get slapped by a 25k fine as listed in the contract. HR panics now, raising their offer, but again still way too low. Month 3 ends, we now get an additional 50k fine. C suite are now all involved, especially the CEO.

CEO questions project lead why no work was done for 3 months. Lead sends him to HR. HR tried to throw me under the bus, but my manager and Head produced HR's email. CEO pulls me into a meeting with my manager and Head, asks me to return to my role. In addition, he guarantees me a promotion, including back pay since the start of the project. He even sends an email with his official business use signature stating the offer. I agree.

In the end, 1 HR member got fired, and another demoted. CEO also started a separate progression path in the company, for those who aren't interested in managerial roles. In fact, I got 2 promotions for that path, and I currently earn slightly less than a manager, and also getting more responsibilities as per the role. My manager and I sometimes joke that I upgraded from being a bronze cog to a golden one, but honestly I don't mind, as I know I would absolutely fail at managing.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/CountingSheep_002tv on 2025-05-30 17:53:19+00:00.

My whole team moved under a different org at work. This new org has implemented several changes since the move, with each new “rule” being more micromanage-y than the last. Instead of being treated as adults that can handle working from home and still meeting our production goals, we now have an idle tracker that pops up after we’ve been for too long. We lovingly refer to it as the gray box. Today I let the gray box know when I had to poop, but refrained from adding that I’m on my cycle and had to exchange feminine hygiene products. I’m sure I’ll get more detailed as I get more fed up with their rules. That being said, anyone have fun ways to express things like having to poop, etc that I can use for the gray box?

ETA- we are all fully remote and based in the U.S.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/arkaycee on 2025-05-30 13:55:10+00:00.

Back in the mid-1980s, I worked for a company that made manufacturing equipment that ran on an internal network. I had to learn it to support it. They had recently re-written the interface from the ground up, but the documentation was the earlier version, so I was kinda lost. I turned out to be proficient at writing documentation so I volunteered to rewrite the doc as I was learning the system. In doing so I discovered a strange appendix to the doc that got me incredulous, and then got me cracking up. But first, a bit of background...

There was a rule that had been handed down a couple of years before, that any document that a customer might ever see, even a highly technical document, had to be read and approved by the Marketing department.

A co-worker wanted to test this, so they wrote this appendix, that was purporting to describe the networking protocol involved in the system. It was approved with no changes by Marketing.

What did it describe? A protocol called the "TP Protocol." Rather than being a 7-layer network, it could be implemented as a 2- or 3-layer network, each layer called a "ply." So 2-ply or 3-ply. The messages were identical sized, and the end-of-message was called a perf. There was a potential issue to be fixed later, that a CANcel character could cause it to pause until manually cleared, this was called "sitting on the CAN." It went on from there similarly for several pages. I wish I could remember more (I saved a copy but I can't find it. *sigh*).

I left the appendix in with my version-2 manual after checking with my manager and him forwarding my doc to Marketing.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/doloniia on 2025-05-30 13:18:50+00:00.

I don't really get road rage. I think it's a weird unique thing to me because the nicest people I know still get road rage. But. The other month I got road rage for the first time.

I was driving on a one way downtown through my old college. A light was still green but I noticed the next light had people stopped all the way up to the intersection I was at, so I stopped at the line to avoid the light turning red while I was still stuck in the middle of the intersection. I did it maybe a little abruptly. Not slamming on my breaks, but not something I started breaking for when most people would've if it were a red light. Something between leaning towards the latter.

Anyways, I think the car behind me probably almost rear ended me and was pissed when he saw the light was green. He started slamming on the horn. He rolled down his window, flipped me off, waving me forward, calling me names. I was ok until he just kept going. I thought, maybe he would realize what was going on. Nope. He just kept honking. Kept yelling at me like I was the dumbest person on the road.

Fine, I thought, pissed off enough now. I saw there was just enough space between the crosswalk ahead and the car I could squeeze in and not really bother anyone. The next light is still red. I pull forward, squeeze in, and Mr. Sunshine behind me just follows me like I'm going anywhere else.

So much joy when our light turned red and the next one hadn't turned green yet. There's college students everywhere, he reverses to let them through, but reverses right into oncoming traffic that was just about to start. People pull up to Mr. Sunshine and start honking, he tries squeezing his car as close to mine, but cuts off the pedestrians in the process and now everyone's pissed, his big SUV is now blocking traffic and the crosswalk. The light turns green again and the next wave of traffic can't get through. Everyone's honking. He's flipping off the other people. We finally went and the intersection un-gridlocked itself.

Joy. I felt joy from my first road rage experience.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/Jumpy-Call-8555 on 2025-05-30 12:23:03+00:00.

This story is probably a lot shorter then some others, but I thought this was a funny story so I wanted to share.

Back in highschool, my brother and I were trying to get some new shoes for football, and my parents didn't have the extra money at the time so they told us we needed to find a way to make money ourselves.

Well we had already had our own clientele, of houses that needed their lawn mowed when they went on vacation and stuff like that. So we just decided that we would ask them if we could cut their lawn for the next couple of weeks so they don't have to worry about it. When we went to grab our lawn gear we had no gas for the lawnmower. So we went and asked my dad if we could borrow $20 so we could get the lawnmower going, and that should be enough gas to get us through a couple of lawns, then we could pay him back at the end of the day. My Dad said, "I don't have any cash on me, you're going to have to find a way to get your own gas."

So somehow we got the idea to syphon the gas out of the car, we were super motivated to get these new cleats. We didn't tell my dad that we had this idea though, and we never gave him any money from what we made that day. So the next morning we were rudely woken up by my dad at 5a.m. thinking that we stole the car in the middle of the night, because he had a half tank of gas, and now he has nothing. So we had to explain that we didn't steal the car, we stole the gas, which he was still mad about, but I think he was relieved we weren't joyriding in the middle of the night. He also mad us pay for a tank of gas, which probably would've been $25 - 30 back then. He let us keep the rest of the money though!

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/Sildaor on 2025-05-30 12:21:29+00:00.

I was brought in on cleanup for Memorial Day at my job. It was holiday pay, so I didn’t mind ($82.50 an hour). I started my list, which was sweeping a few inches of dust from an area. The new foreman was being a jerk, told me to not leave the area until there was no dust. The thing is, dust is a major by product of our operation. As soon as I’d finish there would be a light coating of dust again. I came down to start the next project and he checked my area, saw the light dusting, and yelled at me to not leave that area until there was no dust. Fine by me. I spent eight hours at $82.50 pushing a broom, and at shift change the next foreman asked what I was doing. I explained it to him, he laughed and said if I wanted a double just keep sweeping. So I wound up pushing a broom for 16 hours, and the new foreman was written up for the company spending over $1000 for me to sweep one area all day.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/MaddieGator on 2025-05-30 11:16:03+00:00.

This happened when I was a wee little lass, back in the early 2000s.

My family, (mum, dad, my younger brother Josh, and myself) would go for a family trip once every year or two. Mum and dad would drive for a day across the country to take us to a resort where we could spend the week.

My brother and I, both being young, childish and stubborn, would fight in the most rediculous ways.

"Mummmm! Josh's feet are on my side!"

"Dadddd! Maddie's staring at me!"

"No, my feet go there!"

"Stop kicking meeee!"

Mum and dad had finally had enough, and told us both to shut up and only look out of our own windows. There would be absolutely no more fighting or talking or looking at each other for the next hour.

So we did exactly that.

30 minutes into this glorious hour of silence, we had to stop for petrol. Mum got out. Dad got out. My brother got out.

10 minutes later, mum and dad come back, and we start to head off. I begin to open my mouth, but I'm promptly cut off.

"No fighting. Not a word for another 20 minutes."

So, as a young kid who absolutely hated being in trouble, I shut my mouth. After 20 long, awkward minutes, during which I am becoming increasingly anxious, I finally feel like it's been long enough that I should be allowed to talk.

"Where's Josh?"

The car brakes were slammed. Both parents were freaking out. We got back to the petrol station in probably half the time it took to leave, to find our missing person sitting on the side of the road by the station, waiting for us. He was a bit grumpy, but otherwise completely fine.

We were allowed to talk after that, as long as we didn't fight.

I did cop some blame for that situation, but you best believe I will always point out who told us to shut up and look the other way in the first place. We can laugh about it now.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/AurouraPlays on 2025-05-30 10:19:44+00:00.

Obligatory first-time poster and all that.

To understand what happened, you first need to understand two people: Susan and Jack. See, I used to work part-time at a burger joint that has a drive-through, and I was often the one at the window. Susan was a regular customer, and everyone there had an opinion about her. She's very particular, and has a tendency to snap at you if you don't do it right the first time without being asked. I was her favorite employee, though, because I would always take the time to chat with her if we weren't busy. She was actually quite pleasant once you got to know her, just a bit prickly.

Now, for Jack. He was the new GM, brought in to "fix the restaurant". Now, I don't think there was anything that needed fixing, but the owner disagreed. He was originally meant to be the assistant GM, but then the owner fired our old GM, and Jack was put in charge. He was a piece of work, the kind of manager you don't want to have. My favorite Jack Moment was when he pulled all the staff on shift into the back while we were still open to lecture us on not smiling enough. You know the type of manager.

On to the story. Now, one thing we had to do in the drive-through is put a numbered sticker on the car's side mirror. This sticker was used by the runners who took food out to identify the car, so it's very important. Susan, however, didn't like having the sticker on her mirror. She was convinced she would get in an accident if the mirror was covered even a little, and always insisted on having it put on the car door instead. This wasn't out of the ordinary, we put stickers on doors all the time when we couldn't reach the mirror. However, Jack decided he wasn't having it, and made a new rule that we could only put stickers on mirrors. I figured, okay, but if the customer asks for it, it should still be fine, right?

Wrong.

I got chewed out for putting the sticker on Susan's car door. I tried to explain to Jack why I did it, but he wouldn't listen. Eventually, he just huffed at me and said, "Look. You need to put the stickers on the mirror, not the door. No exceptions."

Well, fine then. Cue malicious compliance.

The next time Susan came in, I put the sticker on her mirror, as ordered. She was confused, as I always put it on her door without being asked, and snapped, "What are you doing? Don't put it there, I'll get into an accident." I explained to her the new rule, and that my hands were tied. I didn't want to get in trouble, after all. Then, I told her that it was Jack's rule.

I didn't get to witness the next part directly, unfortunately. However, I heard about it second-hand from my coworkers. Apparently, when one of the runners brought her food out, she stopped them and asked them to grab Jack. She then proceeded to give Jack the ass-chewing of a lifetime about his dumb rule. One particular quote that was relayed to me was "What point is there to force them to put it there? They can see it just fine on the door!" My thoughts exactly, Susan. Anyway, the rule was later amended that customers could request for the sticker to be placed on their door.

Sorry it wasn't as dramatic as most posts on here, but I wanted to share my bit of compliance.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/luisalyn_ on 2025-05-30 04:40:21+00:00.

A few years back, I was working in a small office where I basically did a bit of admin work, customer service, scheduling, you name it. I was kind of the unofficial catch all employee. My manager loved being in control but would never actually take responsibility when things went sideways.

One day, one of our longtime clients called in and asked to reschedule a major service appointment. They were super reliable, always paid on time, and honestly just easy to work with. I looked at the schedule and saw that with a bit of rearranging, we could make their new time work just fine, so I went ahead and made the change. Done and dusted.

Later that day, the manager stormed into my office like she had just caught me stealing company secrets.

She asked if I rescheduled the said Client without her approval. I affirmed and told her I’ve done that in the past.She then said from then on, I was not to make any schedule change without written approval from her. Email me. Every time. I want it in writing. Those were her words.

Okay then. If that’s what she wanted, I could play that game.

From that moment on, I emailed her for every single change even the smallest, most routine stuff. Appointment time shifts, when someone came back from lunch late, if a client called in to confirm something, if a tech was running ten minutes behind. Didn’t matter. I sent it all. And I waited for her written approval every time.

It didn’t take long before things started to pile up. Clients were calling back wondering why their appointments hadn’t been confirmed. Techs were waiting in the parking lot because I couldn’t officially send them to the next job without her go ahead. One poor guy waited 45 minutes because she didn’t check her email all morning.

After about two weeks of this nonsense, she came charging into my office, completely exasperated.

She asked why I was blowing up her inbox with all of that. I simply told her I was just doing exactly what she asked. You said everything had to be in writing, so I’m making sure I have your approval before touching anything. I said at the end.

She just stood there blinking, realizing she had created her own nightmare.

Let’s just say that little policy didn’t last much longer

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/Fluffy_Fly_4644 on 2025-05-30 04:30:53+00:00.

So I work in HR, specifically handling expense reports. Nothing glamorous — I just process what's submitted and make sure it complies with our company policy. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.

One of those rules is super clear: $25/day max for lunch. It’s in bold on the first page of the expense policy. That cap isn't flexible — it's a hard stop.

So when I saw an expense report a while ago that had a lunch item for $26.87, I flagged it and bounced the report back. I just asked the submitter to adjust the one item to stay within the allowed amount. Standard stuff. Happens all the time.

But apparently that ticked the guy off.

Fast-forward a week and he resubmits a $6,000 expense report — triple the original — loaded with all sorts of stuff he “forgot” to submit earlier. Starbucks runs, office supplies, home software, mileage from months ago, subscriptions, you name it.

It's all allowable, but clearly he was trying to make a point by adding these after I bounced his initial report.

Okay. You want to play games? Let’s play.

I went through every single line item with a microscope. If you want to give me extra work, then I will happily do my due dilligence and make sure I don't make any mistakes.

Then I noticed something interesting — daily parking at the client site. He claimed $30/day for every single day he worked there for the last 3 months. That’s about $1,980 in parking alone.

Except I remembered something from a past submission: he used to expense a monthly parking pass for that same location... for $210/month.

So I checked. Sure enough, he did buy the monthly pass — $210/month for three months. But now he's claiming the $30/day rate instead, which would net him a small profit.

Let me be crystal clear: that is fraud. That is not “being clever” or “playing the game” — that is literally expensing money you didn’t spend. He wasn't even subtle about it, so I can imagine it wasn't so much a calculated move as it was him trying to get “revenge.”

Then the cherry on top: one of my coworkers sends me a link to the top post on /r/MaliciousCompliance. I open it. It's him. Same story, same numbers, same parking “arbitrage.” He even brags about doing it on company time and getting a $6,000 reimbursement.

So thanks for the written confession, dude. Saved me some documentation.

I escalated the whole thing. Sent it to Compliance, Legal, and his manager, with screenshots of the Reddit post just for fun. I don’t know what’ll happen to him, but I do know this:

If you get pissy with someone just doing their job, and then try to get “revenge” by falsifying your expense report — maybe don’t write a public diary entry about it. Or at least change the numbers.

But hey, you wanted to play by the book. So let’s play by the book.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/HarryMason02 on 2025-05-30 01:43:51+00:00.

Hi long-time lurker, first-time poster. This happened a couple of years ago when I was working as a QA analyst for a mid-sized software development company. Thought some of you might enjoy it.

I was part of a scrum team working on a new feature for a large enterprise client. Our team was made up of the usual suspects: devs, a scrum master, a product owner (PO), and myself as the sole QA. Now, I’m a pretty thorough tester. I take pride in not just finding bugs, but documenting them clearly with steps to reproduce, screenshots, logs—you name it. Some devs loved me for it, others… not so much.

One dev in particular (we’ll call him “Mike”) really hated having bugs logged against his code. He had this passive-aggressive attitude where any issue I found was “user error” or “not a bug.” The guy had a serious ego problem and believed his code was flawless.

We were getting close to a deadline, and I was logging a lot of issues—nothing catastrophic, but enough to warrant attention. Some were cosmetic, others were functional, but all were valid. Mike didn’t like that I was “slowing things down.” During a sprint planning meeting, Mike went on a mini rant about how QA was “bogging the team down with unnecessary bugs” and how we “shouldn’t waste time logging minor issues that don’t block functionality.”

Surprisingly, the PO (who was also feeling the deadline pressure) sided with him. The decision was made: “From now on, only log critical/blocker issues. Everything else can be reported informally or ignored.”

I clarified: Me: “So you want me to stop logging non-blocking bugs? Even if they’re reproducible?” PO: “Exactly. Let’s focus on shipping.” Me: “You got it, boss.”

For the next two sprints, I only logged blockers—like, the app crashes or data corruption level stuff. Everything else? I kept to myself. No documentation. No Jira tickets. Nada.

The release went live… and all hell broke loose. Users were finding: * Buttons overlapping on mobile * Broken tooltips * Form validation failures * Inconsistent date formats * Slow load times on certain views

None of it was technically blocking, but it made the experience feel amateurish.Cue a VERY uncomfortable post-mortem with the client. The PO asked why none of these issues were found during QA. I just smiled and said:

“They were found. But per your instruction, I didn’t log them.”

Silence.

Mike tried to chime in, but the damage was done. Upper management got wind of the fiasco and mandated that all issues, regardless of severity, must be logged going forward. Mike was moved to a different team shortly after (not just because of this, but it didn’t help), and I got an apology and a “thank you” from the PO.

TLDR: Told to stop logging “non-critical” bugs because they were slowing down development. Complied. Product shipped with a bunch of “non-critical” bugs that pissed off the client. Suddenly, logging all bugs became important again.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/MealProfessional4540 on 2025-05-29 23:48:48+00:00.

So this happened a few years back when I was working at a medium-sized marketing firm. The culture was kind of toxic, with one of those “if you’re not burning out, you’re not trying hard enough” attitudes.

Anyway, I’d always eat my lunch at my desk—never left the office. I didn’t mind it, and it actually helped me leave work a bit earlier since I was technically skipping my break. My boss was aware and never had an issue. That is, until we got a new manager. Let’s call her Linda.

Linda was all about “efficiency” and “policy.” One day she pulls me aside and says:

“From now on, I need you to take your full 1-hour lunch break away from your desk. It’s company policy. You sitting at your desk makes the others look bad.”

Alrighty then.

The next day, I brought a picnic blanket and a thermos of soup. I left the office, went across the street to a tiny park, and sat there for exactly 60 minutes. Rain or shine, hot or freezing—I was out there. If I finished eating early? I’d just sit and read a book, staring at the office window.

After about two weeks, she calls me in again.

“I noticed you’ve been taking very long lunch breaks lately…”

“Nope,” I said with a smile. “Exactly one hour. Just like you told me.”

She didn’t say a word. Never brought it up again. I went right back to eating lunch at my desk.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/DressMedium4644 on 2025-05-29 18:47:46+00:00.

I (23M) have worked for a certain colored crustacean for a year and a half now. I bounced around between positions until they stuck me as a backup, which for context, means I finish the Par list and make more of anything we run out of. It also makes you the baker.

Now this specific chain was well known for their biscuits. Like I’d say most people just go there for them and not the actual food. So it’s pretty common to hear a server yell “down bread” on a half hour schedule.

Usually I can keep up with the demand and my par list. But one day our morning prep person dipped and I couldn’t come in early due to something personal. So when I got there it was a mess. No bread, no prepped food, just chaos. I get things under control until the rush comes in, by that point I’m swamped and I can’t keep up with bread because the line needs food constantly made. I was in fact asking for assistance and wasn’t given any. I got so behind on bread that our MOD comes to the back and tells me “whatever you’re doing for the line stop. Make the biscuits and nothing else for the rest of the night.”

Cue malicious compliance. I tell our line that I can’t help them anymore and that they’re on their own. I begin cranking out biscuits like a machine while the line struggles to keep up with the orders. It gets so bad that the same managers comes back and asks why we have 40+ minute tickets and no food has gone out. They calmly tell him it’s because they have me making bread and not getting them the materials they need. The manager asks me why I’m not doing my job and I explain that I’m only following his orders and only focusing on bread.

I think we had like 6 tables leave because their food was taking over an hour to get to them. Food went out cold, made incorrectly, missing components, the works. All because they made me focus on making the biscuits. I got called into our GM’s office the next day to explain what happened and why our sales were so bad. I happily explained what the manager told me and walked out Scott free.

About a month later all Backups have a baker and if a morning prep person cannot come in the managers are responsible until the backup can arrive.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/MariaellaBliss on 2025-05-29 16:32:13+00:00.

I lived on a terraced street in the UK where parking is a bit of a free-for-all. No driveways, no permits, just a first come, first served setup. Everyone sort of works around each other, unspoken rules and all that, until they moved in.

New neighbours at No. 12 decided they were royalty, apparently. After a few weeks of petty stares and passive aggressive comments, the bloke finally knocks on my door.

He said: Can you stop parking near our house? It makes it hard to reverse.”

I asked if I blocked his actual space..

No no, just don't park anywhere near our drive. Like, five feet either side at least, he said.

Now, keep in mind they don’t have a drive. Just pavement like the rest of us. He basically wanted me to leave a ten foot no car buffer around the patch of kerb in front of his house which he doesn’t own, because public street.

Told him politely that it’s a public road and I wasn’t doing anything wrong. He huffed and puffed and told me to do what I like but shouldn't be surprised if something happens to my car. Ah, there it is.

I printed out the local council’s parking guidance and highlighted the bit about public access and how it’s first come, first served. Then I made it my mission to never, ever park near his house again but not in the way he wanted.

Started parking outside my house (two doors down), then had mates, family, the postie, random people from Facebook Marketplace anyone park right in front of his place. Sometimes bumper to bumper.

He fumed. Tried to glare me down from the window. I just smiled and waved.

Couple weeks later, he tried to get the council involved. They came, looked, shrugged, and left. One of them even parked there.

He’s since stopped talking to anyone on the street, and now I park directly in front of his place anytime I get the chance. He wanted no one near his bit of road so now it’s never free.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/dartiss on 2025-05-29 15:38:21+00:00.

When I first joined a particular company, they had a number of offices in the nearby city. Because they wanted to, essentially, force us to work in whichever office they wanted, they added a line to my contract saying that I could work anywhere in the city.

Years later and those offices have gone - there's just the one. That clause is removed from contracts for anyone else starting at the company.

Then our department gets outsourced to another company. As part of a UK law, which makes transfer of people between companies easier, they have to take my contract as-is. Which they did. They then decided to re-allocate many of the people to other parts of their company, throughout the country, expecting you to commute sometimes hours away. Except me. That part of my contract, still present, meant that they could only send me somewhere in the local city. And they had no other offices there. So I stayed.

Years later, I'm insourced back and the company tries to send me the other side of the country for a few days to work. I tap on my contract once again.

There's something refreshing about being able to use a contract clause, initially added to force me to do something for them, against the company!

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/ImpressiveChoice9674 on 2025-05-29 15:13:25+00:00.

I do billing at a mid sized office, invoice, payment logs, spreadsheets, real thrilling stuff. It’s not technically my job to answer phones, but when reception’s drowning, i usually help out, or…. used to.

Last week my manager goes “Let’s stick to what’s actually in your job description, alright? Just focus on billing” sure thing, sounds like less hassle for me. So that’s what i did, phone rings? Not my problem. Someone asking for help up front? Not my lane, i just kept tapping away at payable like it was life or death.

By day two our office manager’s practically spinning plates trying to keep up, my boss glances at me like he’s waiting for me to tag in. I just said “just doin billing, like you said” he just nodded. Hasn’t brought it up again and yep, that job description’s now taped to my monitor, front and center.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/sweetgurllllll on 2025-05-29 14:36:44+00:00.

I’m a cashier at a small hardware store. My manager, Dave, is obsessed with “efficiency.” Last week, he chewed me out for chatting with a regular about his DIY project. Said, “Stop wasting time with customers. Scan items, take payment, done.” His exact words: “No one cares about your little conversations.”

Fine, Dave.

Now, I’m a robot. Scan items, state total, bag stuff, no eye contact, no words beyond “cash or card?” Customers are confused. One old guy even asked, “You okay, kid? You’re usually so chatty.” I just shrugged and said, “Store policy.” Sales dropped a bit bcos our regulars love the personal touch. Yesterday, Dave got a complaint from a loyal customer who said the store’s “lost its charm.” He’s been glaring at me, but can’t say anything since I’m following his orders to a T.

Now he’s stuck doing damage control, and I’m just here scanning like a good little robot.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/Leehblanc on 2025-05-29 11:54:12+00:00.

I've always been a malicious compliance kind of guy. I also follow the rules to the letter... but I tend to make them work in my favor.

My workplace has traditionally done early dismissal on the day before a holiday. Over 20 years ago, HR discovered that people were taking advantage... coming in earlier and leaving earlier, coming in later and working less time, etc. So the HR director at the time put out a memo via email that the schedule for the "half day" before a holiday would be a regular schedule. You were to come in at your normal start time take your normal breaks, etc. Most of the staff worked 8-4 and dismissal was at 1. There is also a rule that employees must be provided a lunch break after 6 hours of work.

I read the memo about the "regular schedule" and thought it was silly for me to come in at 8, take an (unrequired) lunch break at 12 (my regular schedule) and leave at 1. I would just work the 5 hours and jet. On the morning of the early dismissal, me and some others were discussing how it didn't make sense. I returned to my desk and hit "Reply All" to the email the HR Director sent out, asking if it didn't just make sense to skip lunch and work a straight 5. She and I had a history. I wasn't the best employee at the time, and I ALWAYS cited chapter and verse when they bent or broke a rule. Well, even though I was trying to be helpful and my idea would have actually worked out in the workplace's favor, I guess all she saw was my name and a question. She replied to "All" and in ALL CAPS "THERE IS NO DISCUSSION! IT IS A REGULAR WORK DAY. YOU START AT YOUR REGULAR TIME, TAKE BREAKS AT YOUR REGULAR TIME, AND LEAVE AT 1PM!!" This actually resulted in more lost time that the start-time shenanigans they were trying to eliminate. Now EVERYONE got an extra paid hour off, with the slight inconvenience of having to return to punch out. We're 10 minutes from a large shopping area, so that hour is a trip to the supermarket on the day before Thanksgiving, or stocking stuffers on Christmas Eve.

For 20 years, this policy was carried forward. On early dismissal days, we would come in at 8, take break from 9-9:15, then leave for lunch at 12 only to return at 1 to punch out. It was changed a few years ago to a policy where you only had to work 5 hours to accomodate the people who regularly come in earlier than 8, but we are still directed to take all breaks on a regular schedule.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/rusty0123 on 2025-05-29 11:08:12+00:00.

The moss garden gave me a chuckle, so I decided to share my neighborhood malicious compliance.

I live in a sort of pocket neighborhood. When I first moved here everyone was pretty chill. Mostly lovely older people. No HOA. As neighbors got older and less active, we took care of each other. Mowed others lawns, etc.

As people retired or downsized, a younger group moved in. New couples, children, corporate types. And the code violation complaints start rolling in.

Our town is not too bad. Grass has to be less than 12" tall, no brush, etc. But one weird quirk, if your flowers and plantings are not clearly marked as landscaping (like borders around flowerbeds), they are considered "lawn" and must be cut to under 12".

So suddenly, we had to dig up things like flowers planted along the sidewalk, or bulbs that bloomed seasonally.

Then one of the neighbors discovered that our state has a "wildlife habitat" designation for areas allowed to grow wild.

The only rule to apply for a "wildlife habitat" permit is that half your plants must be native.

That is easy compliance. Say if you have 25 trees, shrubs, and plants in your yard, you can plant 26 native flowering plants and now you're a "wildlife habitat".

Post your little state-approved sign, and the city code compliance can't touch you.

Every other house in my neighborhood is now a wildlife habitat.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/BIind_Uchiha on 2025-05-29 07:45:46+00:00.

So this happened last summer, and I still chuckle about it.

I live in a pretty cookie-cutter suburban neighborhood with a notoriously annoying HOA. They’re the kind of people who will measure the height of your grass and fine you $50 if it’s “over regulation.”

Now, I’ve always kept my property neat, but we had this one board member, Rick, who took his job way too seriously. He’d do these random patrols around the neighborhood, taking photos of violations like some kind of parking lot vigilante.

One day I get a notice in the mail: “TRASH CANS VISIBLE FROM THE STREET - MUST BE KEPT OUT OF SIGHT AT ALL TIMES.”

Mind you, I kept mine at the side of my house, next to my fence. Not on the curb, not in the front yard—just barely visible if you were really trying. But apparently, that was too much for Rick.

I called to ask for clarification. I asked, “You mean just not on the curb except on trash day, right?” “No,” Rick said. “They must not be visible from the street at all, regardless of where they’re stored.”

Alright, Rick. If it’s total invisibility you want… cue malicious compliance.

I went online and bought a giant trash can-shaped cover that looks like a hedge. Yes, they exist. It’s basically a fabric wrap with printed shrubbery on it. Then I placed it exactly where it was before—side of my house, slightly visible—but now camouflaged to look like a bush.

About a week later, I get another note.

But this time? It was a thank-you from the HOA for “taking initiative to beautify my property.” Rick apparently walked right past my “trash bush” and didn’t even notice it.

I left it there for months. Eventually, Rick must’ve caught on because I saw him stop his car, back up, and just stare at it. He never said a word.

But the rules say “not visible,” and, well… if he can’t tell it’s a trash can, then it isn’t, right?

Sometimes, playing by the rules is the most fun you can have.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/SilxKareN on 2025-05-29 06:35:02+00:00.

I live in a neighborhood with an HOA that loves making rules for the sake of making rules. They sent me a letter saying my front yard lawn (a mix of grass, herbs and clover) was too wild and not in compliance with neighborhood aesthetic guidelines.

Specifically, the letter stated:

The front yard must be uniformly green in appearance to match the neighborhood standard.

I guess they expected boring old Bermuda grass like everyone else. But they said uniformly green, not grass, right?

So I complied, maliciously.

I ripped up the existing patchy grass and replaced it with over 50 different species of moss from a local nursery and some online specialty stores. Shade moss, rock moss, fern moss you name it. Some bright green, some deep forest green, some almost velvety in texture.

It took a few weeks, but now my yard is a soft, surreal, undulating blanket of lush green mosses. And guess what? It’s completely uniform in color from the street.

The HOA hasn’t said a word since. I think they’re too confused or afraid to admit they don’t know how to argue with it. Meanwhile, the neighbors come by to touch it and say it’s the coolest yard on the block.

Mission accomplished.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/maris_sa on 2025-05-29 06:15:41+00:00.

So this happened a few years back when I worked at a small chain retail store. I was a part time shift supervisor, which basically meant I had all the responsibility and none of the pay.

We had this new manager, who came in like a hurricane. She was super into structure and rules and wanted everything to be done exactly how corporate outlined it. Fine, I’m all for structure, until it becomes absurd.

The issue started when we began getting inconsistent shipments and corporate would update our hours week by week. One week, we would close at 9pm. The next, 8pm. The posted hours on the door weren’t always updated quickly and I would sometimes use discretion to keep the store open a little later if I saw customers still browsing. You know, customer service.

But then Becky pulls me aside one day and said I was not being consistent. These were her words: I don’t care if there are 20 people in the store. If the schedule says close at 8, you close at 8. Lock the doors at 8 sharp. Don’t use your judgment. Follow the schedule no matter what.

Then she sent me a mail about it, just to remind me.

Cue malicious compliance.

That Friday, the mall was doing some late night promo thing and we were packed. Our schedule said 8pm closing, though. So I did what I was told.

At 7:55, I got on the intercom and announced:

Attention shoppers. The store will be closing in 5 minutes. Please bring your items to the front.

People were confused, other stores were staying open late. But I followed orders. At 8:00 sharp, I locked the doors. We had over 30 customers still inside, most with full carts.

I made them all check out or leave. Some were pissed, some just left everything behind. We lost a lot of sales.

The cherry on top? Becky showed up at 8 to check how we handled the crowd and was livid to find the store dark and closed. She tried to throw me under the bus but I had her email printed out and highlighted where she said

Do not use discretion. Follow the posted schedule exactly.

She got a formal write up from the district manager and from that point on, I was encouraged to use my judgment again.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/Own-Lie8787 on 2025-05-29 02:09:26+00:00.

So, back circa 2000 I was a freshman in college. I didn’t have a wealthy family but got good scholarships from grades, but I still had to work 20 hours a week to make ends meet. I ended up working in the school cafeteria as a dishwasher, this position paid extra compared to other student positions and I got a free meal each shift. There were a couple full time staff supplemented by us students, they of course got the clean side of the conveyor belt washer (these guys were all great, very nice to us students). The other 3 spots (first spot on conveyor to pull silverware/cups/garbage, second conveyor spot rinsing/stacking dishes and the person loading washer) were typically students.

First quarter goes good, we’re a bit short handed but the group I usually worked with got on well and we all learned which spots we were fastest at - so when busy we’d all go where fastest to keep from getting overwhelmed. When slower we’d rotate to break up monotony.

Second quarter rolls around and someone in management decided we needed a “dish room supervisor”, enter new hire “Kevin”.

Kevin is a lazy jackass, he would spend 1-2 hours eating and would only come in to yell at us before disappearing. We all hated him.

Well one night it happened, Kevin decided he was going to order which spot we worked at. Of course he did this on a shift we were shorter than usual and somehow managed to put all 3 of us in our slowest spots. I of course tried to explain why we had been in different spots and should stay there. Kevin was having none of it, told me to shut up and do as he said or quit.

So I did, I said I was done and walked out. His expression was priceless. Even better when I changed and came back for dinner he was having to work himself in the first conveyor spot (close by tray drop off) so I made sure to smile at him.

I apologized to my friends for dipping out on them but they understood, they didn’t last too much longer either but Kevin apparently treated them nicer afterwards.

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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/Conscious-Star6831 on 2025-05-28 23:27:42+00:00.

In my previous job, for the first several years I was pretty happy. But my manager got progressively more and more micromanage-y (or maybe it was the same amount, and I just got sicker and sicker of it). The demands and deadlines also became untenable, and I was finding myself extremely stressed all the time, and dreading going in to work most days.

Anyway, at a recent company town hall, one of the speakers said something to the effect of "if you don't love getting out of bed on Monday mornings and coming to work, you should go do something else." So shortly thereafter, I accepted a new, remote job that pays more, and at least for now, I'm happy there. Does that count as malicious compliance?