Most of us do a great job at work because we’re invested in our positions and take pride in our work. But of course, we’re there to be compensated too. And if going above and beyond will reflect on your paycheck, that’s a win-win!

However, one man turned down a substantial bonus during Christmas time because it was far more than the price he had agreed upon with the client. Then two months later, the same client came back with a gift even better than a check. Below, you’ll find the full story that was recently shared on the Malicious Compliance subreddit, as well as some of the replies from readers.

This man refused to take a bonus from his clients after completing the job they hired him to do

Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels (not the actual photo)

So the clients maliciously complied and came back with an even better surprise

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Mizuno K / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Odd-Zone4359

Image credits: Towfiqu barbhuiya / Pexels (not the actual photo)

It’s always great to receive a bonus at work

Most of us would never turn down a bonus from our employer or a client, as we can always use more money and it’s nice to feel appreciated for your hard work. According to The Muse, it’s common for companies to provide annual or quarterly bonuses, a signing bonus for taking on a new role, referral bonuses and annual holiday bonuses. 

Small business owners aren’t likely to see bonuses as regularly, as they’re in charge of their own paychecks, but they can sometimes receive bonuses or gifts from satisfied clients. This is similar to how those who work in hair salons, nail salons, etc. might get a little something extra from their customers around the holidays. Perhaps it’ll be a much larger tip, or it might be an actual gift. Satisfied clients often find a way to make sure that workers feel appreciated.

Owning a small business is not an easy feat, and it can bring about many new challenges that owners never had to deal with when they were simply working for someone else’s company in the past. But one thing that can make a business owner’s life easier is to build strong relationships with their clients. AIContentfy notes that this can go a long way in increasing customer loyalty and client retention.

Image credits: fauxels / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Building strong relationships with clients can be very beneficial for business owners

Having satisfied customers not only ensures that they’ll want to return to your business, it can also act as free marketing when they spread the word about how great your product is. “By providing excellent customer service, personalized experiences, and building trust with customers, businesses can increase the likelihood that their customers will continue to use their products or services,” AI Contentfy explains. 

A steady flow of happy clients also means businesses will have an easier time building their profits, and it will also improve the brand’s reputation. The stronger a company’s reputation is, the less a company will be impacted by one negative review or one unfortunate experience with a customer. If plenty of other clients already trust the brand and feel comfortable with it, they won’t be swayed by negative comments.

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When businesses have great relationships with their clients, they are also likely to receive better feedback from them. If you work with a company once and you’re not satisfied, you’ll likely never contact them again, and they probably won’t know what they could have done differently. But if your clients feel comfortable being honest with you, they’ll be up front about what you do well and what has room for improvement. They want the best experience possible, so they’ll be happy to see your work get better.

Image credits: Tiger Lily / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Being recognized and appreciated is one of the top motivators for workers

The better a business knows their clients, the better they’ll be able to provide personalized experiences and tailor their work to specific clients’ needs. By building a relationship over time, business owners will learn how to communicate with clients, what the clients’ tendencies are, and what to recommend to provide them with exactly what they want. They’ll understand their customers’ needs and expectations, and everyone will be satisfied.

The Malicious Compliance subreddit doesn’t often share wholesome stories such as this one. Typically, somebody has learned a lesson by getting exactly what they didn’t want from another person. But in this case, Steve and Mary perfectly executed wholesome malicious compliance. They obliged OP’s request not to give him a bonus and instead found a creative way to show their appreciation.

Being recognized and appreciated for hard work is one of the biggest motivators that people can find to do a great job at work, and Steve and Mary found the perfect way to do so without making OP uncomfortable or trying to force a check upon him. We would love to hear your thoughts on this wholesome story of sneaky compliance down below. Then, you can check out another story from Bored Panda featuring malicious compliance!

Amused readers shared their reactions and some similar stories of their own

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