rSlash - r/Maliciouscompliance The Owner said "Take that Off," so I Stripped!

Episode Date: October 19, 2021

r/Maliciouscompliance In today's episode, OP is a part of a biker crew that visited a bar. One of the bikers was wearing a full-body leather riding suit. The owner demanded that everybody take off the...ir biker gear, so he maliciously complied and took off his one-piece riding suit. He wasn't wearing anything underneath, so he was standing in the middle of the bar in his birthday suit! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:30 Welcome to our slash a podcast where we the best post-homer cross-reddit today subreddit is our slash malicious compliance where a toxic manager gets exactly what she asked for. Our next reddit post is from rumble and. We've moved several times for my husband's career, so I haven't really had a career of my own, just a series of jobs. Some were great, and some were awful. This happened at one of the awful places where I worked as a lowly customer service rep. I was in my late 40s, I was very dependable, and my manager and called me her ideal employee. I never caused any customer complaints, I was never tardy, and my manager, and called me her ideal employee. I never caused any
Starting point is 00:01:05 customer complaints, I was never tardy, I was sick once in three years, I submitted many time and money saving ideas, and I always worked late when asked. I worked 32 hours a week Monday through Thursday, so I was typically the employee that my boss asked to work late since everyone else was full time, and no overtime was involved if I worked a few extra hours. I was having migraines and my doctor said he could see me the next afternoon. I asked Anne if I could leave two hours early the next day to go to the doctor. She said work was slow that week and no one else had taken off so sure.
Starting point is 00:01:39 However since I had given less than 48 hours notice it counted as unexcused and I would get a written warning. I said that I was giving 24 hours notice and we were slow and fully staffed, so I just didn't get why there had to be a warning. In this company, if you got 4 warnings in 6 months, then you were terminated. They didn't care if you had a doctor's excuse, you got a warning if you were tardy, called in sick or return late from lunch.
Starting point is 00:02:05 It was not difficult to get four warnings in six months, and said that it was a matter of her having to shift the schedule around. She said it was inconsiderate to not plan ahead, and she didn't want to set a precedent and be taken advantage of. I went to the appointment and got my warning, but I was ticked off about it. I decided I would be happy to comply with their petty policy in my own malicious way. I didn't have to wait very long. A couple of weeks later, Anne came to me an hour before closing and said she had a stack of orders that had come in
Starting point is 00:02:36 by Amazon, and they need to be put in that day. The phones had been really busy, so the reps who normally enter those orders couldn't get to them in time. And wanted to know if I could stay late and put those orders in for her. I said, actually, I have no other plans, but I've been thinking about what you'd said about giving 48 hours notice when asking someone to change their schedule. And you're right, it does lead to people taking advantage of me. So I'd be willing to stay late two days from now, but I can no longer stay late on such short notice. And said, but I didn't know that I would need you until just now. Oh, I totally understand. It's like when I was having migraines and had to get
Starting point is 00:03:17 to the doctor as soon as possible. I think that I deserve the same consideration that you deserve. If you give me 48 hours notice, then I'm happy to stay. And was speechless. She had to pay someone else over time to stay behind. A couple days later, she thought that she would get back at me when she told me that I couldn't remain part time, and I would have to start working Fridays the following week. I calmly told her that the following Thursday would be my last day then. By that afternoon, she changed her mind and I could stay on my current schedule. O.P, this is the exact definition
Starting point is 00:03:53 of, you need me a lot more than I need you. Our next reddit post is from Fletcher Markin. I must confess, I have a profound respect for people who don't take attitude from their employers. You guys are my heroes, and so I hope my story can help someone else. Okay, so first I'm necessary background info. I live in a small country, and I'm an engineer in a very niche field, where I live. There's only about 15 to 20 people in my field in the entire country. Also, unions are a good thing here here and most companies are fine with unions. The employee benefits from this, but so does the employer since the rules of the game are so clear,
Starting point is 00:04:31 and my employer was about to find out just how important those rules could be. My team consisted of three people including me. One of our team members, our mentor, was just getting ready to retire. Me and the other guy each had about 10 years of experience each. We were just younger and more inexperienced in our mentor, who had over 40 years of experience. I really envisioned that me and the other guy were going to take over the team pretty soon. Our company is a major player where I live, but things had not been going great for them for the past 6 months. Knowing this, I decided not to ask for a raise in my annual performance review to show that I'm a team player and explicitly state this to my boss's boss, Mr. V. For the next three months, everything was fine.
Starting point is 00:05:15 Then the bomb dropped. One fine autumn day in 2019, I was called to a meeting with my boss, Mrs. G. Mrs. G told me they didn't expect there to be enough work to go around for my team next year, so they wanted to cut me down to a part-time job working only 80%. I would be starting my part-time job in about three months. I immediately asked if this was also the case for my other coworker and if our mentor was going to retire. Well, yes, but no. She said my coworker was going to be working at 80% like me, but our mentor was going to be working at 60%. And I'm like, what?
Starting point is 00:05:51 You know that he really wants to retire, right? Well, he isn't retiring yet, because of reasons and stuff. Okay, so I signed the new contract, but I feel bad about it since I was really trying to be a team player, and I didn't feel my employer was taking responsibility for us employees, but only thinking of their shareholders. I also got the feeling that they didn't see me or my coworker taking over the team many times soon, despite us not being novices in the field. I immediately start planning for the future. After this happens, I start asking around if other employees are also facing part-time employment due to no projects in 2020. Nobody else is getting part-time work, and everybody else is appalled! It's just us three, and we were
Starting point is 00:06:36 singled out for some reason. Some of my colleagues even said that they had nothing to do for months, but they still got their full paychecks. There is now general displeasure in my team towards our employer. Since our mentor went into retire, there was really no reason why they couldn't just let our mentor retire and then let me and my other coworker work full time. But no, because of reasons and stuff. Okay, so what do I do? I have a family, two kids, a mortgage, and everything else, so this will be a blow to our family income.
Starting point is 00:07:08 I start planning to do some work on the side. Since I'm an engineer, I can do consulting, right? My employment contract says no. However, if my employer cannot or will not offer me a full-time job, the union contract says I can do what I want with the rest of my time, and my employer cannot interfere. It also gives me the right to refuse more work for my employer because I may have other obligations. Me 1, employer 0. So I open up my own company. I buy a domain, make a web page, and I start calling, writing, and letting people know that I'm available for consulting.
Starting point is 00:07:45 Of course, I checked with my union's lawyers beforehand to see if this was okay, and it was, it was totally fine. They told me that since my employer laid me off and rehired me part-time, then I could do whatever I wanted with the rest of my time. This wouldn't have been the case if I was the one who requested part-time employment. So great, I can go to work for myself then. I was the one who requested part-time employment. So great, I can go to work for myself then. Me too, employer zero. Almost immediately after our new contracts take effect, my employer starts noticing that there is indeed more than enough work to go around and they ask me for more work hours.
Starting point is 00:08:18 However, I say no. Unfortunately, I have other obligations. Really I didn't. I was just making a stand and forcing them to recognize their own mistake. My savings account drains down in about three months, but we managed to cut our expenses, so it's not exactly rough seas,
Starting point is 00:08:36 but it's not smooth sailing either. Income was a bit on the low side, but I did manage to get some consulting work done. Meanwhile, I have to switch from sourdough bread to stale, boring white bread. I switch from good beer to bud light to no beer. Well you gotta do what you gotta do. No more fine roasted coffee from the small shop in the corner. Only what sludge I can get at the supermarket and brew at home.
Starting point is 00:09:02 Ugh, but I tell myself that this is all temporary. And then it happens. I landed a huge job, and I start moonlighting to get it done, working evenings and weekends. And this is where things get chaotic, because word got out. I got an angry phone call from Mrs. G's boss, Mr. V, and we had a heated conversation over what I can and can't do. Just think of how this reflects on our company. That's not my concern here, Mr. V.
Starting point is 00:09:28 I have bills to pay and mouths to feed. That is not what I had in mind. Hey, you laid me off, man. You know the rules of the game? You can't dictate what I do in my spare time. Perhaps you should have thought it through when you reduced my hours. Did you think that I was happy to lose my income and that I wouldn't try to make more money
Starting point is 00:09:46 elsewhere? You can work more hours for us then! I have other obligations now. I can't let down my customers. You should consider your next steps very carefully, young man. Mr. V, I'll do that. And thank you for calling. You pompous prick.
Starting point is 00:10:03 I silently added after I hung up. After that, I called my union to explain the situation. Later that week, Mr. V got a phone call from my union's lawyers telling him what he can and can't do. Meanwhile, I just kept working for myself. Mr. V is now very unhappy and he stops greeting me when we pass each other
Starting point is 00:10:23 in the hallway. Me, three, employer, zero. Two months later I handed my resignation. Three months after that, and I'm gone. And then, to rub salt in their wound, something remarkable happened. My other coworker, not our mentor, asked if I wanted to partner up and start a new company together. Yes, I say this is a great idea.
Starting point is 00:10:46 My coworker handed in his resignation a month after I handed mine in, and we started working on our own company full time. Our clients are extremely happy about us entering the market as independent consultants, and business takes off. Me slash us for employer zero. The aftermath. My former employer has had an opening for our job since August of 2020. Our mentor told me last month that he's finally putting his foot down and is retiring at
Starting point is 00:11:14 the end of the year because he's turning 70 soon. They will thus have gone from having three people in a very niche field to zero in less than two years because of bad management decisions. It didn't come as a surprise to me that there were no other available workers in the market. Being a manager must suck. Oh wait, that's me now. What I wanna know is OP.
Starting point is 00:11:35 How long is it going to be before your former employer emails you asking for prices on your consulting services? Because if they went from three full-time employees, that's what 120 hours per week of man hours in this field, down to zero hours, then clearly there's a massive void in their organization. And you and your partner with your new consulting business could certainly fill that void. And when demand is so high and supply is so low, then I guess you can charge pretty much whatever you want to. Our next reddit post is from Diligent Cockroach. This happened back in the 70s in England.
Starting point is 00:12:12 In those days I was a biker, not a hell's angel's type. I just enjoyed riding motorcycles along with a group of like-minded young men. Bikers had a rather questionable reputation in those days, and many pubs wouldn't allow bikers in it all. We used to frequent a few biker friendly pubs in our area. One such pub recently changed management. We turned up on a hot summer's evening, and we were told that we would still be welcome, but we had to take off our leathers. One of my mates was wearing a very expensive one piece racing leather, and after the rest of us had divested ourselves a various leather jackets and stuff, he was still wearing his.
Starting point is 00:12:47 He was standing at the bar to order a drink, when the new landlady came over and told him that he wouldn't be served until he removed his leather. He said, are you sure? And she said yes, so he started undoing the zipper and took it off, and stood there butt naked while we all cheered. She made him get dressed again pretty quickly and he got his beer. I feel like the sentence, are you sure? Should be like an immediate red flag to make you think, wait, am I sure? Because, has anyone ever
Starting point is 00:13:20 said yes I'm sure and not regretted the decision immediately afterwards. That was our slash malicious compliance, and if you liked this content, be sure to follow my podcast because I put out new Reddit podcast episodes every single day.

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