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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/purpleninjaxx on 2025-08-23 19:55:24+00:00.
So, I’ve been working remotely for almost six years now, but I recently joined a new company with a new team leader. I could tell right away this guy was freshly promoted, you know that vibe when someone’s trying a little too hard to flex authority? Yeah, that.
My job is to talk with clients. That’s it. My team leader isn’t even looped into those conversations, so honestly, I barely have any reason to chat with him day-to-day. Naturally, I don’t really hop into the team group chat unless it’s work-related or someone tags me directly.
Fast forward to my third monthly review: all my KPIs were perfect. However, my team lead docked my score because I “wasn’t engaging enough in the team chat.” Apparently, saying good morning and joining in on non-work chatter was “required” to show team spirit. I pointed out it’s not in the metrics, never has been, and in six years of remote work I’ve never once been penalized for not spamming greetings into a chatbox. His response? “As long as you’re on my team, you need to chat. Even just a hello or goodbye.”
Cue malicious compliance.
Every morning I started posting “Good morning” and every evening “Goodbye”... but in a different language every day. Monday Korean, Tuesday Spanish, Wednesday Greek… you get the idea. At first, my lead thought it was funny. Then the rest of the team joined in, but they were all using Google Translate, and, well… let’s just say a LOT got lost in translation. Some sentences even got flagged by our system, and eventually the General Manager (his boss) had to ask what on earth was happening.
Suddenly my team leader wasn’t laughing anymore. He DMed me saying “Please just greet in English from now on.” Then he threatened that if I didn’t stop, he’d report me to the GM.
So far? I’m three weeks in. Still greeting the team in whatever language I feel like. Still waiting for that “GM call.”