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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/reddit-is-trash-69 on 2025-05-31 08:41:13+00:00.

A few years ago, I worked in retail hell at a mid-sized department store. I was in university and doing the classic part-time grind, and for the most part, the job was tolerable — until we got a new assistant manager named Chad (not his real name, but it might as well have been).

Chad came in like a whirlwind of bad ideas and passive-aggressive memos. He was one of those guys who thought being a manager meant “catching people out” rather than, you know, managing people. His biggest obsession? The clock-in system.

At our store, we had a 7-minute grace window to clock in before being counted as late. I usually arrived about 10 minutes early, clocked in maybe 5 minutes before my shift, and used the time to settle in, say hi to coworkers, grab a water, etc. Nobody cared. Until Chad.

One day, Chad pulled me aside and told me I was “stealing company time” by clocking in before my shift started. I pointed out that I wasn’t taking breaks or leaving early and that it was barely 5 minutes, but he wouldn’t budge. He told me in no uncertain terms that I must not clock in a single minute before my scheduled start time, or there would be “disciplinary action.”

Fine. You want exact compliance? Let’s go.

The next day, I arrived at my usual time, but instead of clocking in early, I sat in the break room until my phone hit 10:00:00. Then I clocked in. That meant I was just starting work as the store opened — not on the floor, not ready to help customers, but walking to my station.

Cue minor chaos. Customers waiting. No one manning the register. Chad fuming.

After a couple of days of this — me walking through the door on time, clocking in exactly on the hour, and only then starting the routine setup tasks — Chad confronted me again.

“I noticed you’re not ready at your station when your shift starts.”

“Right,” I said cheerfully, “because I’m not allowed to clock in early. So I can’t start working early either. I’m just following your instructions.”

He had no rebuttal. Eventually, HR got wind (thanks to another coworker who was also annoyed), and they told Chad to “use discretion” and that 5 minutes early clock-ins weren’t a big deal unless abused.

Victory never tasted so petty.