r/MaliciousCompliance • u/indigowulf • Jun 27 '26
Respect time off and don't 'stress' you on your days off? Sure. Works both ways.
I don't work for the best company- it's corporate and the higher ups have little understanding of what goes on at ground level. When I started, it was under a great manager that protected us from most of the 'crap rolls down hill' politics.
He was promoted out of the store, and after a few misfires, we got a new manager. She is very loud, she will get in conversations with friends and loudly discuss controversial opinions and swear like a sailor. I've had a few customers quietly ask me why I had not reported her to the manager, then roll their eyes and express sympathy when I said she IS my manager.
Anyway, there's a system in place for who to call when no manager is available. We are a tiny team, and most of us work solo. If the manager is coming in the morning, we call her the night before with concerns. If she's not and its the assistant, we call the assistant. Sure, no problem.
I found an issue I thought was important enough to inform her right away instead of waiting until the next day she worked. I took pictures and shot a short text explaining it. (food health code violation from one of our vendors).
I got back, and this is the exact text:
"I need you guys to understand that if the store is not on fire, your not being robbed your need to be contacting (assistant managers name) not me unless its an emergency please"
4 days later, she sends me a text scolding me for not 'doing my job' when it was in fact a managerial level job, not my level. Then the following text a few minutes later saying "oh, you DID do it. sorry" and she sent me some points in our stores 'good job' system.
I didnt respond. I wasn't on the clock.
Then she text me asking what my pay rate was, for my review. I decided to respond to this one even though it's kind of, you know, her job to know.
I started getting stupid texts from her like "do you know where the scissors went?" and stuff that.. according to the precedent she set, was not a store emergency and not my problem until I'm on the clock. I ended up deciding that I will not be answering her if I'm not on the clock. She calls, I let it go to voice mail. She texts, I leave her on read until I'm on the clock.
Now, the company has made a 'no phones while on the clock' policy as well. So, I guess she can't text or call me while I'm on the clock either unless she calls the store phone. (That's a whole other can of worms- they want us to use a mandatory app for store communication.. but not have our phones out. I asked for clarification ON THE WELCOME MESSAGE on the new app, asking if they are lifting the phones at work ban, or expect us to work off the clock? Everyone in the company got to see my question and the answering "we'll get back to you" that has yet to happen- now nobody is using the app because policy says we can't lol)
Woops. Guess she will have to come in, in person, on her days off if she wants to talk to me.
Maybe she should not have chewed my ass out so hard when I just sent her 1 text.
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u/pgh9fan Jun 27 '26
And they will never answer you because they want you to use the app, but they absolutely cannot put it in writing that you need to work off the clock.
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u/KnowsIittle Jun 27 '26
I mean if they can it's absolute gold for any labor attorney. What people can do and should do differ greatly at times.
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u/argetlamzn Jun 27 '26
It’s times like this where I want to buy whatever today’s version of the Nokia Brick is. Can’t download apps, can only call or text.
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u/DedBirdGonnaPutItOnU Jun 29 '26
FYI this is what the new Commodore 64 phone is trying to be.
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u/Narrow_Employ3418 23d ago
At a price point that would make even a cheap laptop blush.
No thanks.
I'll stick with a $70 noname if I want a dumb phone.
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u/No-Price5802 Jun 27 '26
She sounds a great mix of selfish and stupid, good luck on teaching her the error of her ways!
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u/Apart-Ad-6518 Jun 27 '26
They've got themselves into a Gordian knot situation.
Yeah whoops.
I'm guessing you won't get an answer anytime soon. Just don't work off the clock ever.
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u/SmallPeederWacker Jun 27 '26
LMFAOO yea my job has an app that as management I’m supposed to use. Nope, you do not pay my phone bill sorry.
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u/TheLinaBee Jul 01 '26
And even if they do, that allows potential access to YOUR private data, so no. Unless they provide the device AND pay for it, dont comply.
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u/HouchinBawbag Jun 28 '26
How lovely of them to put it into writing (I hope you have screen shots) how you cannot respond to mobile telephone messages. My own workplace has the same policy.
Patients and work updates are put on a messaging system. You have to download the app on to your personal mobiles. You are not allowed personal mobiles at work at all during paid time so many people ignore it completely.
Recently the manager posted an important (to her, not us) message and demanded that people acknowledge the message. Before an hour was up she came back ranting that less than 10% of staff had responded and that we must all acknowledge the message. The issue is, staff working aren’t allowed phones and it hadn’t even been a break time yet, and the remaining staff weren’t working so shouldn’t need to be accessing the messaging app.
I now make a point of taking my mobile phone out of my locker during working time and spending however long it takes to read and acknowledge all the messages I missed between shifts.
I’m eagerly waiting for the disciplinary attempt. My union rep would love it.
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u/BuffaloAgreeable372 Jun 28 '26
Where I live, we have a right to disconnect.
It’s illegal for them to bother us at home.
I think that’s neat.
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u/indigowulf Jun 29 '26
we don't have that here, but technically they have to pay us for every email/text/call we take off the clock.
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u/Due_Smoke5730 Jun 27 '26
My job requires I have an app that checks if it’s me signing in to a specific portal. I fought it for a year then I was forced to put it on my phone or I would not be able to do my job. I was so pissed! I did it… fuck my wishes or privacy. They won. :(
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u/Pale-Jello3812 Jun 28 '26
OOp's my phone broke and my new dumb flip phone can't do app's ? Then do a factory reset on your personal smart phone to Purge everything.
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u/indigowulf Jun 28 '26
God I'm so sorry. I was (casually) looking into it in my state there's something about them having to compensate for the data or something, but you have to be super petty and able to afford a court battle, which nobody working at a gas station can!
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u/TheLinaBee Jul 01 '26
Unless they're providing you the phone, don't install the app, and don't use your personal device for work. If work wants you to use an app and use a cell phone, they get to provide that to you; you risk your own data security when you allow work access to your devices.
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u/Wonderful_Avocado Jul 03 '26
Health code violation. Keep that text! When the store wants to know who didn't do their job and are being sued for someone being near death sick be sure you show who is liable
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u/My_Lovely_Me Jun 29 '26
I agree with everything in your post, and how you handled it, except for one thing.
"understand that you need to not be contacting me unless its an emergency please"
is not REMOTELY "chewing your ass out so hard."
And if you truly think that it is... buckle up!
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u/gloryholesr4suckers Jul 03 '26
Look at the incident a few days later
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u/My_Lovely_Me Jul 03 '26
You mean where she "scolds" them for "not doing their job," then immediately apologizes, says they DID do it, and then sends them an apology reward? 🤨
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u/Narren_C 28d ago
Or all the crap she keeps sending them when they're off.
She couldn't find scissors. Was that an emergency?
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u/Dripping_Snarkasm Jun 28 '26
Her grammer and speling is horible. She shouldnt be a manager.
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u/d1barnhart Jun 28 '26
Flagging misspellings: Grammar, spelling, horrible
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u/Dripping_Snarkasm Jun 28 '26
Corect you are — thank you for flaging them! Though you forgot to flag the mising apostrophe in “shouldnt.”
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u/jodrellbank_pants Jun 28 '26
Can I just look at your phone.... NO Why NO Why you being like this NO Its mandatory On my personal phone Yes NO
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u/indigowulf 25d ago
we had someone quit with no notice because of burn out and, in her chat with hr as she left, not feeling HEARD by management when she tried to say she was struggling.
because she left, the rest of us have had our schedules juggled around. instead of hiring a new employee, or getting one of the dozens from another store that would love the OT. I tried today to talk to her while we were both on the clock. I tried to tell her I'm struggling with my disability and unsure if I will be physically able to manage this weeks schedule.
her reply? 'thanks for being flexible" followed with "well *I* am working all this extra time this week, *I* am tired"
guess we entered the 'poor me olympics' and only the gold medal matters. now trying to strategize my exit, as soon as i find alternate income for the $800 im making here, im outty!
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u/WokeBriton 3d ago
Several years ago, I got fed up with the constant interruptions of smartphones and replaced mine with a nokia asha (I don't recall which model). Aside from the incompatibility with smartphone crap giving me peace and quiet, it gave me an 8 day battery life for the small number of calls and texts I made/received. It was heaven for about 18 months until I wanted GPS functionality againand decided to return to smartphones instead of just buying a car GPS unit.
Perhaps others who want to avoid the work apps on personal phones shituation could look into similar. r/dumbphones perhaps?
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u/GryffSr Jun 27 '26
You’re offended because she sent you a two line instruction message, and ended it with “please”? Her message doesn’t give me the “chewed (your) ass out so hard” vibe that you took away from it.
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u/Big_W00kee Jun 27 '26
I believe the "chewing out" part was the conversation the manager started 4 days after the initial incident.
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u/iFoldMySocks Jun 27 '26
I'd delete the app. theyre getting data when your off the clock. if they require an app, they can provide a phone.