One way that you can tell whether your boss is a genuinely good leader or a power-tripping control freak is to look at the new rules that they establish. Leaders seek to empower their colleagues. Micromanagers, however, aim to interfere in their underlings’ lives as much as possible. In any way possible. Some might hand out company cell phones and create rules about how you immediately need to pick up when they ring, no matter what time of day it is!

Redditor u/ferddo recently went viral on the r/MaliciousCompliance online group after sharing a story about the owner of the company he used to work at. After issuing the OP with a company phone, the boss then attached a whole bunch of strings to its use. However, all of that micromanagement harmed job performance. The author of the post revealed what happened when the owner called them while they were driving to the office. Check out the full story below!

Bored Panda reached out to the author of the post, u/ferddo, and he was kind enough to share his thoughts on what happened and what can help set healthy boundaries at work. He also stressed the fact that his boss accidentally ended up solving the problem he’d created in the first place. Read on to see what the OP had to say.

If you’re given a company cell phone, there are certain rules that you have to follow. But they have to make sense!

Image credits: Luis Villasmil (not the actual photo)

An employee shared how his former boss used the company phones as a way to micromanage others

Image credits: why kei (not the actual photo)

Image source: ferddo

“[My] former boss liked attention and to feel that he was in control at all times”

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)

We were curious as to why the OP’s story might have gotten so much attention on Reddit. He told Bored Panda that a lot of people probably have the same problem with bosses which is why the story resonated with them.

“[My] former boss liked attention and to feel that he was in control at all times,” u/ferddo explained why his boss was so particular about giving others cell phones.

“Some of my colleagues pushed back, and I know that one of them also got his phone taken away,” the OP shared with Bored Panda.

We also wanted to get the redditor’s thoughts on what can help enforce healthy work boundaries with one’s boss.

“Probably the best way is to define worker’s duties and roles in writing via the job description. Including delineations between work hours and personal time, and stating what can be considered an emergency situation that justifies intruding into personal time,” he suggested making everything clear, in writing.

“Note that the most irritating part of the whole experience was that my boss was hampering my performance with needless interference,” he said. “Hence, while he thought he was punishing me (by taking the phone away) he was actually helping solve the problem.”

Most employees can’t stand disrespectful and negative bosses

A 2020 survey conducted by Glassdoor, which looked at companies in the UK, found the negative traits that employees most often had issues with. Add them all together and you have a blueprint for a truly horrible ‘leader’! A whopping 43% of workers couldn’t stand it when their bosses were acting disrespectfully toward them.

Meanwhile, 34% didn’t appreciate managers who had a negative attitude and a further 23% did not care for bosses who were lazy. Moreover, 16% did not like it when bosses always talked about themselves.

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Some other problematic behavior included inappropriate humor, coming in late, leaving early, swearing, loud phone calls, and sexist comments. However, these problems were nowhere near as bad as treating subordinates with a lack of respect.

Ideally, leaders should create rules that help support their subordinates

Look, the simple fact of the matter is that nobody is ever going to be the perfect boss. But you can’t help but respect someone who tries to do what’s right and who focuses on their team’s growth. On the flip side, it’s very hard to root for someone who comes up with random and nonsensical protocols, tries to micromanage your every move, bothers you when you’re not at work, and gets angry over the tiniest inconveniences. Someone who tries to make the workplace a better environment for everyone is going to have more support than anyone who’s only out to flex their managerial muscles.

Redditor u/ferddo pointed out that their former boss wanted everyone who was issued a company cell phone to answer whenever he called. However, another rule was not to talk on the phone while driving. So when the OP got a call while doing just that, he took the time to park his car before answering. He literally followed the rules as written.

However, the company owner wasn’t pleased. What followed was a very weird conversation. One that could’ve been completely avoided. Ironically, the OP would’ve made it to the office if his boss hadn’t rung him about… not being at the office yet.

When the boss decided to confiscate the redditor’s phone, it was genuinely a win for the OP. Now, he couldn’t be bothered outside of work hours, something he had to deal with regularly. The hilarious thing is that the boss completely forgot he’d taken the phone and got mad that his employee didn’t pick up when he rang. People who get mad over ridiculous things like this and can’t even remember their own actions probably shouldn’t be doing anything related to management. It’s not a good look.

Clear and timely communication helps create healthy boundaries in the workplace

Image credits: Amy Hirschi (not the actual photo)

As we’ve covered on Bored Panda in detail before, it’s absolutely essential to create—and enforce!—healthy boundaries at work. And that starts with clear communication. If you fail to do that, your supervisor and other colleagues can walk all over you. You might end up with piles of work on your desk—work that belongs to someone else. You might be working unpaid overtime. Or you might be the victim of office bullying. Or worse.

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Learning to say ‘no’ is vital. However, how you do this will depend a lot on who you’re dealing with. For instance, if you’re speaking to your boss, you may need to be more diplomatic. If they’re trying to give you a bigger workload, try explaining to them that this is perfectly fine, but in order to get on with the new task, you’ll have to give up on doing something else. They have to understand that your time and energy are limited resources.

However, if you’re dealing with a coworker who’s a bully or makes inappropriate jokes, it’s valid to bluntly ask them to stop. If they continue acting like jerks, bring the issue to someone higher up in the corporate food chain. Ask someone from human resources to mediate the conflict. Speak to your direct supervisor (and have all the facts to back up your claims!).

The author of the story shared more context in the comments of his post

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Here’s how other internet users reacted to the work drama

Some internet users even shared similar experiences

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