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“I Left Shortly After”: 30 People Discuss The Dumbest Rules They’ve Ever Had To Follow At Work
Interview
Workplace rules are there for a reason, and few people likely have something against them when they make sense. Nonsensical rules, on the other hand, can really be a pain in the neck for employees; and unfortunately, there seems to be quite a few companies that have such a type of regulations in place.
Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently discussed rules that could be considered ridiculous at best, after the user ‘OkCommunication5404’ started a discussion about it. If you’re curious what kind of absurd rules some people have had to follow at work, too, scroll down to find their stories on the list below and enjoy.
Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interviews with the OP themselves, as well as with the originator of Teaming Science and inventor of the technology for measuring collaboration between team members, Dr. Janice Presser, who agreed to answer a few of our questions regarding workplace rules.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I got in trouble for having my 16 yo daughter walk behind me while having a zoom meeting. By my manager who had her 7 yo walk in, ask a question of said manager at which time she stopped the meeting to answer her daughters question. I was actually written up for mine. I quit on the spot after being written up and went on a tirade against the manager. No regrets.
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#2
At one my earlier jobs, I had to follow a lunch bell like I was in school. Except I worked in the lab and sometimes the testing I had to do made me miss the lunch bell and so I would eat later. People reported me. So I ended up delaying testing to meet the lunch. Production went down a lot, but at least I followed the lunch bell.
ZGutr 7 months ago
Had a boss trying that on me. Not an actual bell but the rule. Lunch from 12 to 13 strict. I told him I'd be hanging up on customers and promise them to be called back 13 sharp. That was not accepted. Told him I'd be flexible if the company is. It's not a one way street. He backed out.
#3
I still think requiring a doctor’s note for an excused absence is stupid. I’m not going to waste money on a doctor’s appointment, if I have a cold or the flu.
In the OP’s opinion, while rules are necessary to ensure order and productivity, they should be reasonable and not overly restrictive. “The best rules are those that support employees rather than hinder them,” they told Bored Panda in a recent interview.
“I think it's important for companies to regularly review their policies and get feedback from employees to ensure the rules make sense and foster a positive work environment.”
According to Dr. Janice Presser, worker protection and safety rules are almost always necessary. “Beyond that, most work rules are not,” she pointed out. “To understand the difference, you need to look at both the intended consequences of the rule, as well as the unintended consequences.”
#4
"We are going to need you to be on call every other weekend, but you will not be paid for that"
I left shortly after.
#5
If someone was banging on the door before opening time we had to let them in. How about no: im getting my computer up and running, making sure the waiting room is tidy, getting my coffee and taking a s**t. That door isnt opening until our office hours begin.
Even though some workers—two in five of them in Britain, for instance—view rules as unnecessary even when they relate to their own health and safety, imposing restrictions in certain situations is a must.
The expert suggested that wherever worker safety and health—including mental health—are at risk, and the business owner or manager believes that people won’t all naturally act a certain way, it’s necessary to create a rule; it’s also crucial to outline consequences, and apply it equally to everyone, including themselves.
#6
At one job, we had a rule where no one could adjust their own office chairs. If you needed it higher, lower, or tilted differently, you had to submit a maintenance request. This wasn’t just annoying; during busy periods, it could take days for someone to come adjust your chair. It felt absurd sitting uncomfortably while waiting for ‘authorized personnel’ to make a simple adjustment.
#7
I was once told I wasn’t allowed to drink out of a water bottle while working without a doctors note saying that I needed to. I was a minimum wage cashier at a grocery store. Was a pretty funny Doctors appointment that followed.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 7 months ago
OK I work in a food plant and personal beverages are NEVER allowed on our production floor but we keep a water station off to the side for this exact reason. Denying a worker hydration is a major OSHA violation. That's like theft of wages serious. It can get a place shut down.
#8
People who discover a spill have to stand next to the spot until maintenance comes back with a broom/mop. As the only one working maintenance I got b*****d at in this order: "There's a spill, you need to go get the mop". "Why did you go get the mop? You are supposed to stand next to it". When I said, "maybe you should hire a second maintenance person then". The look on her face every time I said this was priceless.
Talking about the significance of rules, Dr. Presser pointed out that most of us have likely had to follow them when we were kids. “Hopefully they were for health and safety, like not sharing toothbrushes, crossing only on the green lights, and not running with scissors,” she said, adding that some of those rules likely felt like they were imposing on our child ideas of freedom - like having dessert before dinner. However, when rules make sense and are imposed to keep children safe, they grow up to realize that they were necessary.
“My daughter was three when I made a rule she disagreed with—she wasn’t allowed to go out alone after dark,” Dr. Presser shared. “Her little face tightened into rage and she spat out, ‘When I grow up… and you grow down… then I’ll be the mother.’
“Luckily, she grew up to become a wonderful team player who understands that the best way to have fun is to get other people to feel better when you’re around, not the reverse. I fear that those who make self-defeating, team-busting, employee-demoralizing rules are still trying to be the ‘bad mommy’ of their childhood.”
#9
I worked for a store manager who "rounded by three." I said, "no, you have to round by five. 0-4 is rounded down, 5-9 is rounded up."
"No," she insisted. "It doesn't matter what number you round by as long as it's the same number every time."
"No, see, if you round by 3, then 0-2 gets rounded down, and 3-9 gets rounded up. That's nearly twice as likely to get bad rounding errors."
"Listen, I am a trained educator with two school-aged daughters. I know my math. You men think you know math so much better than women."
Yet every Monday, when I called in the numbers, they didn't match what the district manager had. That manager was eventually demoted to a penalty store. When I told the DM the "rounding by three" they said, "that's technically fraud." She was later fired from that penalty store in an audit.
#11
Women had to wear foundation, lipstick, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, blush, earrings, rings, bracelets/watch, hair flair, necklace, and manicured nails. men: tucked in shirt, no neck beard, don't stink.
According to Dr. Presser, imposing ridiculous rules—especially rules against inconsequential things that usually make workers feel better, like personal photos in their workspace—lowers employee engagement and reduces productivity.
“Moreover, when the rules affect one group more than another (most rules about appearance fall in this category), you are not only working against your best interests but may even be setting yourself up for a nasty discrimination lawsuit. It has never ceased to amaze me how many employers with absurd rules whine about how they can’t recruit ‘good people’—whatever ‘good people’ means,” the expert said.
#12
I used to work at a daycare. The kids were not allowed to scribble. If they were going to color they had to be attempting to color inside the lines.
I did not enforce that rule. I’m not gonna stop a three year old from scribbling. .
flower petals 7 months ago
Oh for f*x sake- some of the rules on this list 🙄.. It’s important that children scribble, doodle and draw. These behaviors make it easier for the kid to later write, draw and handle small objects (pencils et c). Drawing and doodling should be encouraged for children.
#13
I once had a job where we had to ask permission to use the restroom, even during breaks.
#14
I once worked in the call center of a large company where we were treated like s**t and got none of the perks the other departments did. We had to work holidays. We were subject to a “point system” where we got points for any lateness - even if it was 1 minute past your start time, or absence - even though technically we had 5 sick days a year, and could be fired at 5 points, etc, while the rest did not. The entire company except us was taken on all day picnics and other events at least twice a year. Etc. The icing on the cake though was the day the fire alarm went off in the 25 story building and as everyone started for the fire exits the department manager and head of HR yelled for everyone in the call center to return to their desks, as it was “only a drill.” Half of us left anyway and likely would have been fired had the building manager not gotten furious and pointed out to the head of the company that it was illegal for us to remain in the building during a fire drill.
Not being allowed to have personal belongings at work—even photos, as Dr. Presser noted—was exactly what the OP had experienced themselves. “The most ridiculous rule I encountered was at a previous job where we weren't allowed to have any personal items on our desks, including photos or even a coffee mug. It felt very impersonal and strict,” they shared.
#15
Having to wear nylon stockings (aka panty hoses) with your dresses. No bare legs. Lol okay, I just dated myself. This was in the early 80's.
#16
At a manual job I had standing up for 7 hours per day in a hot and sweaty factory floor during a 10 minute unpaid break we were not allowed to sit down. We had to stand up right next to the seats provided for break use. The seats were only to be used for the later unpaid 20 minute lunch break.
Meanwhile the managers who created this rule sat down all day in an air-conditioned office drinking coffee.
Just one example of management logic and motivation of the workforce. Not the way to get the best from your staff.
Szzone aka Rottyintós Batman 7 months ago (edited)
Again, corporate dystopia, with just a dash of wage slavery. We're entering "young adult dystopian fiction" territory. It's just that OP needs to be a late teenage young woman making ends meet for her family and an angry, handsome fellow factory worker, who is a few years older than her, dark and stormy and handsome even under the machine oil smeared on his face, as the love interest. Their district has a festival for qhen quarterly quotas are met that dates back to after the Third World War, but one day the evil factory manager confiscates their contraband whiskey and guards arrest many as they are searching for illegal unionist provocators.
#17
You cannot call the police, even when a client has already verbally threatened and physically assaulted another employee.
The redditor revealed that they decided to start a discussion on ridiculous work rules because they have always been fascinated by how different workplaces operate and how certain rules can sometimes seem absurd.
“I thought it would spark a lively and entertaining discussion,” they said, adding that they were genuinely surprised by the variety and extremity of the responses. “The most surprising were the rules that seemed to micromanage every aspect of an employee's behavior, even down to things like bathroom breaks.”
#18
No using the bathroom if there are patients waiting to register ( which was all the time)
We had to wear full strength pads and pee in them while sitting and registering patients.
No drinking anything ( even water ) in front of a patient registering …
Had to text the front desk to beg to go to the bathroom and it would take 20-30 minutes for a reply.
Yep .. turnover rate as a registration rep at a hospital is crazy.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 7 months ago
HOSPITAL!?!? I've seen that at a corner store or a gas station but a HOSPITAL!?! That's a new one on me.
#19
I worked for the Anaheim Ducks at one of their ice rinks. I was allowed to wear a hat but it had to be plain. I learned this rule when the manager told me to remove my Ducks hat. Again, I worked for the Ducks.
#20
We had to directly confront shoplifters. Like go up and get in their faces
Shockingly, a coworker got stabbed.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 7 months ago (edited)
Wow I'm surprised it wasn't worse. Maybe OP is in one of the countries that has sensible gun laws because here in the States, that could get you shot. This is why you see loss prevention guys at Fred Meyer and Walmart in kevlar vests.
While ridiculous workplace rules can make life needlessly difficult, certain rational ones can inadvertently do so, too. Discussing similar cases, Dr. Presser told Bored Panda about the time she was working with a Korean company in the US, which had a custom (perceived as a rule by many) of doing a series of calisthenics exercises at a certain time during the day. “The managing director would stand up and everyone else in the room would follow,” she recalled.
“Some of the exercises were pretty strenuous,” the expert added and said that at some point, said director asked if she was surprised by the exercise session. “He said they always did it, because that was what they did in school.
“He asked if I thought it was silly, and I said no,” Dr. Presser continued. “They wanted everyone to be strong and healthy; but thinking of HR issues, I gently mentioned that the younger women might be pregnant and not ready to tell anyone, and might not feel up to it, but wouldn’t want to just not do it.
“He had never thought of that, and we agreed that since there was a basketball hoop on the roof, they could just take a 10 minute break and let anyone play who wanted to, while others could take a social break or check in with children. It worked because people cared about each other and recognized that on a team, not everyone should always be doing the same thing.”
#21
Worked at a bakery where if we were there, doors had to be unlocked. Even if the store was closed. Even if we had no food.
We also weren’t allowed to tell customers if the store was closed.
#22
I worked in an upscale flower shop during college and we weren’t allowed to sit, even when the store was empty, which it was for the majority of the day, since most people called in. So all the chairs were essentially decorative because we had to ‘look busy’ for the customer that wasn’t there I guess.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 7 months ago
Had a manager get on my case for sitting on a milk crate the morning of a clopen shift. I closed the night before, got four hours sleep and opened the next day. She NEVER once closed that restaurant. I was there from day one and I was there for another six years after she got fired. Side note: most places, restaurant people don't get breaks. That's a whole other effed up thing.
#23
In my very first adult type office job, I was responsible for ordering catering. The first time I ordered, I got sandwiches and salads. I got a green leafy salad and got chewed out by one of the VPs. She explained to me that eating greens in front of clients made us look weak and I was only to order macaroni and potato salads (which I guess show strength?).
#24
Thankfully this is from a friend and not me, but a friend who did office work explained to me this unwritten rule that nobody left the office before their boss did, despite them having set working hours.
Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein 7 months ago
USA by any chance? I'm English but my brother now works in USA and he has to force his staff to go home at a reasonable time and take their annual leave.
#25
Not a work rule but a rule in a place I do work at. I was giving a talk about awareness of violent crimes and what services exist to help victims (Aka the charity I work for). I was just getting set up in the hall when I realised I needed my anxiety meds and inhaler before I got started. One teacher who had brought her class to the hall early, came up to me and demanded I put my inhaler away. I gave her a confused look and explained it's for my asthma like no I'm obviously not putting it away it's medicine. Also I'll be not even 2 minutes chill love. She then said "the school has a strict no d***s policy" luckily the headteacher had come back at that point and saw the confusion and said to the teacher it was fine. But yeah that's how a teacher wanted me to not have my inhaler because it obviously wasn't medication and I'm obviously not an adult.
Edit: few folk are curious I'm 23 at the time I was 21 so I definitely looked young enough to be student. Only issue is here in the UK school uniform is really common. Also when giving talks I where my work ID lanyard around my neck. It's bright orange and has my charities name on it so you'd be pretty thick to get it confused with a school ID badge.
#26
When I was working at Ross as Loss Prevention we weren’t allowed to touch the shopping carts, ever. Even though we are stationed near where they go and plenty of idiots will just walk up to the front door, take their s**t and leave the cart blocking the entrance. If i took the 5 seconds to walk over there and put it away I get in trouble because i’m “leaving my post.”
Instead I have to tell the head cashier to either go move them or have another associate move them, even if it’s super busy. Ridiculous Lol.
#27
Somebody somewhere was offended by how they were told that the store was closing, so we were no longer allowed to announce that the store was closing or closed. This led to some really long waits where occasionally a manager would eventually have to go over and help them along and possibly politely tell them we had closed and of course they'd be embarrassed because it was almost an hour past closing time and then we'd still have to wait for the till to be counted afterwards. Ugh.
#28
Tattoos had to be covered but our shirts were short sleeve. I have a tattoo on my right shoulder that you could see maybe the bottom 10mm of it with the shirt sleeve. I still had to wear a black armband to cover it. For 4 years I didn't, no-one said a thing, no-one commented on the tattoo ever. That last year wearing the armband, without fail at least once a week a customer would ask me about it.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 7 months ago
And tell them the truth. "My employer is a judgemental d-bag so I have to hide my tattoos."
#29
I worked at a center that cold-called people on behalf of a two-year technical school. So basically telemarketing. In a room no one was in but all of us making the calls. I hated it, but I was a broke kid and it paid $2 more per hour than anywhere else.
Only women were hired to work there and, after I was hired, they told me there’s a dress code and I had to wear a skirt. I ended up quitting soon after because I became convinced someone had cameras or mirrors for upskirt pictures. It just gave me creepy vibes.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 7 months ago
A dress code at a call center? They can't see you! GM must have been a major perv.
#30
The way we were "supposed" to answer the phones. My last job was at a hotel and while I won't give the entire script it was supposed to say along the lines of "it's a beautiful day at (hotel), when are you planning your wonderful vacation."
No, I didn't say that, plus more than half the time people already made reservations and likely had follow up questions or was calling about something else, it was so stupid to say that. I refused.
What do you think ?
Diolla 7 months ago (edited)
Am I correct that most of these entries have a strong USA vibe to them? Most of that s**t would be illegal over here (Europe).
Ivona 7 months ago
Standing throughout the entire workday is the rule for stores and even banks here in the U.S.
Load More Replies... Justin Tyme 7 months ago (edited)
I worked for a company that had a rule against hiring members of employees families. But all the executives hired members of their own immediate family.
Andy Frobig 7 months ago
I'm sure that for some people, there's no point having power if you have to be fair to the people under you
Load More Replies... Christos Arvanitis 7 months ago
Years ago, I had to wear a suit when seeing customers. One day I was in the office with no appointments to see customers. But I was wearing a sport coat, tie and dress pants. When my boss discovered this, I was sent home to change. So stupid.
Diolla 7 months ago (edited)
Am I correct that most of these entries have a strong USA vibe to them? Most of that s**t would be illegal over here (Europe).
Ivona 7 months ago
Standing throughout the entire workday is the rule for stores and even banks here in the U.S.
Load More Replies... Justin Tyme 7 months ago (edited)
I worked for a company that had a rule against hiring members of employees families. But all the executives hired members of their own immediate family.
Andy Frobig 7 months ago
I'm sure that for some people, there's no point having power if you have to be fair to the people under you
Load More Replies... Christos Arvanitis 7 months ago
Years ago, I had to wear a suit when seeing customers. One day I was in the office with no appointments to see customers. But I was wearing a sport coat, tie and dress pants. When my boss discovered this, I was sent home to change. So stupid.
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