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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/Own-Dragonfly-942 on 2025-05-16 13:21:11+00:00.
I worked in fast fashion retail for 9 years on the tills. Every year roughly the store manager would decide that water bottles weren't allowed behind the tills and we needed permission to go upstairs to have some. It would only last a couple of weeks before it became too hot in summer and the rules changed back.
The last time she tried putting this in place, I'd been diagnosed with diabetes and my vertigo had finally been recognised by my doctor. The main factors of both being if I get too hot or don't have water I can faint. I got told by my line manager (whose under the store manager) that I needed a write note from my doctor saying I needed it and until that time I couldn't have it with me.
So, I took a week off work saying it was causing health issues while I waited for my doctor to write me up a letter. I went back and had a sickness meeting with my line manager and before sitting down I passed her this letter, still in the sealed envelope. On the letter, it said "£10 charge before giving to patient" and my manager looked horrified that I'd actually paid £10 to do what I'd been asked as evidence by herself. At the time, my hourly wage was £9.50 and I didn't get paid for sick days, so that £10 letter ended up costing a weeks wage too.
The best part, in the letter it was stated that I could use the toilets whenever I needed without asking (another rule) and could have a quick 5-10 minutes paid break when I needed to check my sugers and have a snack or anything as needed. So I started doing exactly that, even when I had a good day and didn't need the snack I went upstairs to just escape. This went on for about three years until I quit last year.
The store manager (as far as I know) has never implemented the water bottle rule again, or limited when employees can take toilet breaks. Apart from things like this, the store manager is a nice(ish) woman, so it was always out of character when it came about.
I still have a copy of the letter in case my current employer tries anything, but they're a pretty decent lot, so no worries there. There's over things from this place, but this one always stands out to me.