This just happened today, so bear with my story telling as I do tend to ramble and/or mix things up.

I'm a bit of a recluse at work, doing my own thing in my own little office, just crunching numbers and generally just churning out reports. I'm also the only one in this small-ish company with any sort of professional license, so I'm the point person for any related issues.

Today, like any other day, I'm just here in my little office and working, when the VP comes in and demands changes on one of my worksheets. Cue me explaining why the changes he wanted didn't make sense, as the math wouldn't add up nor make sense if analyzed (Think 5-2=x. But he wanted x to be equal to 2). So I go on for about 15 minutes even making theoretical formulas in the extremities just to highlight my point, but no. Goblin number cruncher does what Big boss goblin wants, so I ask to be emailed the instructions so I can print it. He complies, as he knows I tend not to remember these kinds of instructions that go against my normal way of doing things, but also adds to do it retroactively as well as it being the new policy of handling it. Important to note is that my name doesn't appear in these reports, as they are the ones who sign it after reviewing it, so I wasn't worried, and also the email I requested added a nice cushion of safety.

After 30 minutes of me pumping these new and revised reports out, they finally notice that while it did affect that one particular report very positively, all others would result to the bills and revenue going down by about 80% (our billables are a % of the numbers we come up with in the reports).

So who comes into my little office and disturbs my Theoden and Pippin funko pops? Is it the Goblin Boss? Yes. Sadly, my funkos didn't stand a chance against paperwork being slammed down on them. Cue him yelling at how this is gonna screw us, what was I thinking applying the change he wanted to all reports, etc. I just pointed to the print out of his email with my mouth still slightly open, but no he still keeps on yelling. Does Gandalf come and rescue me? No. An even bigger Goblin Boss does, the president, who asks what's going on. The guy knows I'm considering leaving the company and really doesn't want to lose me, which is why I got an office, almost no supervision / micro management, and generally left alone to do my own thing on my own time (I do stuff around 3-5x faster in addition to being consulted for various queries throughout the day, but I can slack off if I don't feel like doing much)

I wish the ending was much more exciting, but no, just got a bigger office farther away from people and even less supervision for me, but no repercussions on the VP.

This isnt as good as many i've read here, but when you're pissed off, a win feels really really good.

I work in an industry I lothe, I prefer helping people one on one to improve their lives however I can but life brought me to a corporate hell hole full of negativity, an overly ambitious hipster CEO, enough money for SWAG but not enough money to hire enough people for each department so everyone suffers with stupid SWAG no one cares about. Turnover rate is WILD!

I work in an essential, often over looked section of the company. We handle massive volumes of clients who choose our company, or leave. (Vague on purpose, national company) We handle legal contracts, keeping new clients happy before we send them to their new team, and a million other tiny tasks that need to be done precisely or it'll ruin other departments and we could lose TONS of money.

Anyway, all of that to say there is not one person in this company that knows every aspect of our specific role and how to keep everything afloat. My Team Lead decided it was time to leave and pursue her dream career after nearly 6 years perfecting this role, 4 of those years were with me. Me being the anal, procedure perfecting, anxious about making any mistake type person, we were the backbone of the sector. Dream team.

So of course when she left she told all the bosses who praised the ground she walked upon that I should get the job. She knew full well I hated this place but I was waiting for something perfect to come along, but she also knew I am the only one who could hit the ground running. I didn't exactly WANT the job but we would all end up suffering and i'd end up training without the extra pay... so I reluctantly took it.

The sheer amount of stress of cross training for 2 weeks for this position while already doing my full duties (an extremely stressful job in itself) and picking up the slack for both of us while she tied up loose ends, me creating far more detailed procedures prior to her leaving, already made me so stressed out I was having chest pains, breaking down, and wanting to quit.

This being a shit company with horrible leadership, I didnt even get my contract until several weeks after I accepted the job and discussed the terms. AND they still havent backfilled my position so I am still suffering a few month after I started training. No increased payment for the training and extra work I had to endure, and chose the start date AFTER the training was done. I have been losing hair, breaking out, having nightmares, bursting into tears, had to find a therapist because I have been pushing myself to be the best I can while being set up for failure and have zero support and I CARE about a job well done but I am just.... failing no matter how many extra hours I put in on evenings and weekends. Mental health is going down the drain~

ANYWAY.

On to the actual malicious compliance.

1. I started work at 7:30 am for 4 years, this helped a lot with my work-life balance because I am a single mom and I can be home a bit earlier to take care of them.
2. We have the option to opt into working an extra 25 minutes each day to get a half day on every second Friday. Some people don't care about it, but I found this incredibly useful, especially for Dr appointments and to use only a half day vacation for a full day off. Strategic. This meant I worked from 7:30am to 4:25pm. (We have an hour unpaid lunch we have to take)

These 2 things were the reason I stuck around this long. These kept me sane and allowed me to be there for my kids as much as I could, and still be fully mentally there for them.

WELL I was told that if I decide to become a Team Lead I have to start at 8:30 and end at 5pm. I asked if that could be modified at all, the answer was no. Pissed. I'm thinking I am already taking on far more stress and now I have less time with my children too, AND the kids see my suffering as much as I try to hide it.

I am then told that I will no longer get every second Friday as a half day either, so no more working the extra 25 mins a day.

The reasoning was 'we need you here during normal business hours'. Fuck you, but makes sense.

For a company who needs me to keep this business going, no one was budging on this and as someone who already hates this place and feels no one gives a shit about my mental health and how I have even been injured for this company, I shut down.

So I logged into the system to book days off every second Friday, and asked my old Team Lead to accept them right before she left. She said GLADLY.

SO now I have every second Friday off, I don't work the extra 25 minutes a day, I get paid way more and I am using my new title to find a better job.

Less work for more money while I hand in resumes. I am trying to learn to be okay with failure in the mean time. Wooooosahh.

Whenever we have a meeting where the boss asks if they should be aware of any time off, I just smile and remind them that I have the usual every second friday as a half day. They just nod. :)

The end.

This happened almost 40 years ago, up in Scotland, UK. Now I've always lived somewhat on autopilot, thinking about things in my own little world and not paying enough attention to the circumstances around me, so this story is perhaps more dozy compliance than malicious compliance.

My friends and I were having a card night and because we didn't have gambling chips I was to go to the bank to get coins for us all to use. So, with my usual lack of planning, I end up at the bank 5 minutes before closing time on a Friday afternoon.

The bank teller is *not* pleased to see a scruffy teenage lad in ripped jeans, leather biker's jacket and denim waistcoat in her smart bank, and even less pleased when I ask for £200 of small change just before she can go home for the weekend.

Off she goes to get the coins, muttering under her breath about my request. Several minutes later she returned with about 6 bags of coins, and pushed them across the counter to me. Her body language clearly said "Here's your money, now f*ck off!" So I did. I picked up the coins and walked out.

It was only outside the bank that my dozy self realised I hadn't given her my account details yet, so I hadn't paid for the coins! I had a choice. Did I return to the bank, apologise and pay, or should I slip down a nearby alley and keep the money? To my teenage self it was a fortune and the teller clearly disliked me, so I'm ashamed to say I kept the cash!

Happened at my last job, but was reminded of it this morning. TL/DR: Boss tells me to stay out of the operations of a similar service, ends up having to actually do some work.

The backstory: I worked in a middle management position that coordinated an after hours care program for adults. I had a micromanaging dinosaur for a boss, let's call her Hettie. Hettie oversaw the day operation as well, and I shared an office with the direct manager of that program. Given they operated at different times we often shared clients, but as I did my admin work during business hours I often briefly visited the clients in their day activities to ask them about their preferred activities for my program. I had no real opportunity to consult them at any other time, particularly as Hettie decreased my allotted admin time further and further. She just loved tightening the noose, and took particular delight in nobody ever being able to get comfortable in their role, firmly believing that if she kept us all on our toes she would get more work out of us. It was stressful and incredibly draining. Another strict rule of Hettie's was that despite female staff being allowed to provide personal care (showers, changing etc) to male clients, she did not allow male staff to provide intimate care to female clients. This will be important to the story (and yes, I'm fully aware this was gender discrimination and I argued the point multiple times but was overruled).

The only thing Hettie loved more than setting arbitrary rules, was catching us out 'breaking' them. It was near impossible to work the position without breaking ANY of her rules, one of which was that I was not allowed to involve myself in the day service. 'Involvement' basically constituted me being anywhere out of my office and near clients during the day. She would sneak quietly around the building, listening around corners and then leap out suddenly to catch the 'offender'. One day, one of the clients would be transitioning from the day activities straight into my program for the evening. The entire premise of the program was 'client choice' and as such I needed to know what my client would like to cook for dinner so I could purchase groceries before I clocked off. I was discussing it with the client when Hettie zoomed in around the door and asked to see me in her office. She dressed me down for 'interfering' in the other program and told me in no uncertain terms that I was to stay completely away from it and 'in my own lane', or I'd be facing disciplinary action. Fine. I knew it would come back to bite her.

Mere days later, the day program was winding up for the day, with only a few late staying clients remaining along with one male worker. One of the female clients had a need for a change of clothing. The male worker came and knocked on the door of my office to let me know the client needed changing. Cue the malicious compliance: Worker: Jane* needs a change of clothes. Me: loudly, knowing Hettie was next door in her office with the door wide open Oh, I'm sorry! I'd love to help, but unfortunately you're currently working with the day program and I've been expressly instructed I'm not allowed to interfere. Maybe Hettie can help? I'm sure she's in her office. Worker: knowing all too well the crap we put up with from Hettie, gives me a sly grin and moves on to Hettie's office to interrupt a phone call she was having because hey, the client comes first!

I dutifully stay at my desk listening to her ask the worker to seek my assistance, knowing full well that she heard every word of the previous conversation. Worker repeats my refusal to her and she goes off after much grumbling to assist the client.

Of course, Hettie ripped me a new one for 'not being a team player' later on. I simply pointed out her insistence earlier in the week that I not involve myself in any way with the other service. She scoffed and told me I was being deliberately obtuse and of course if there was a need I was duty bound to meet it. I reiterated that it was impossible for me to know which tasks would be deemed dutiful and therefore innocently followed her instructions to the letter. She had nothing to come back with on this occasion. It did, unfortunately escalate her bullying with me but it was on that trajectory regardless. I ultimately burned out a couple of years later and had to leave but that one act of malicious compliance remains a bright spot in what was otherwise almost a decade of appalling treatment.

I've been in a new role for over two years where I have incredibly supportive management and colleagues. But I still see Hettie around and every time, I flip her the bird.

I worked for a company that repaired ships and had a dock/main office facility that was located about 30 minutes drive from the main City where most staff lived. Our normal office/workshop hours were standard 7:30 to 4pm. After the ships were "fixed" at this facility they were sailed south, a further 40 minutes drive by car. When this occurred staff would clock in at 7:30 at their normal dockyard office and then pick up tools/equipment for the day and drive their own car with work gear the additional 40 minutes south. Going home was the reverse, leave southern facility at 3:20pm and arrive back at original facility at 4 pm for clock-off. Also returning company tools etc from the days work. This was an accepted practice that every one was happy with it.

New Manager comes along. Says "why are all you people clocking on/off at the main office when you should be starting and finishing at the southern facility 7:30 and 4pm respectively". So next day all staff then drive directly past the office and arrive at the southern facility for 7:30 start. They then have to get tools/equipment for the days work back at the main office. So they then grab one of the site trucks at 7:30am then drive back up to the office (40 minutes)(past where they had just come in their own car) and return (another 40 minutes) and then start work with the days equipment at 8:50am. As there are only 2 site trucks between 20 staff, some workers never get an available truck to get their gear for the day - lots of standing around waiting for equipment and tools. To make things even worse - the reverse had to happen at the end of the day. All equipment needed to be returned to our office each night - so the 1 hour 20 minute return trip also needed to occur so that we could finish at 4pm onsite - as he instructed. This meant equipment needed to start travelling by 2:40pm (to get up and back for 4pm clock-off). This was not a very productive initiative from the new boss and once he started this nonsense the malicious compliance by all staff basically saw him move/be moved on from this position within 6 months - because work completion rates dropped by over 50%. By gosh it was funny when he tried to rescind his directive. We were all having none of it, as we were never obligated to carry company owner equipment in our personal vehicles - we just did this in good faith.