Be careful what you wish for. Or, more importantly, what you ask your employees to do. Workplace rules are there for a reason, but they have to be reasonable and logical for everyone to accept them. If they aren’t, don’t be surprised if you see your workers rebel in creative ways. Say, by following the rules you set out, to the letter. Oh no!

Redditor u/Yingxuan1190, an English teacher in China, shared a very witty story with the r/MaliciousCompliance crowd about a peculiar situation at work. Apparently, management suddenly demanded that their class reports be written in the language all the teachers speak at home. That caused some chaos when everyone decided to do exactly that. Read on for the full story.

We got in touch with the author of the viral post, redditor u/Yingxuan1190, and they shared their thoughts on what to keep in mind if you ever want to teach English in China, as well as what some of the signs of a great manager are. You’ll find Bored Panda’s full interview with them as you scroll down.

Some managers will come up with nonsensical rules just to appear like they’re doing something useful

Image credits: Thirdman (not the actual photo)

A teacher based in China shared how they and their colleagues followed the new regulations to the letter and how that went down

Image credits: fauxels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Yingxuan1190

“Be available if needed, otherwise, let teachers teach in peace”

We were curious to see what the OP’s thoughts were on why their story caught so many people’s attention on Reddit. People really seemed to enjoy it!

“I think people enjoyed it because all of us have come across silly requests from management,” they shared with Bored Panda.

“We just want to teach our classes and be left alone, but they need to justify their position so they come up with random requests. This was us getting some payback whilst doing what they wanted,” u/Yingxuan1190 said.

Bored Panda asked the author of the post about the advice they’d give someone who’s considering teaching English in China. Taking the time to sit down and do your own research, they said, is essential.

“I would advise people to do their research. China is a massive country with many different types of weather and lifestyle. Decide if you would rather be hot or cold, in a massive metropolis or somewhere quieter then start looking for jobs,” they noted just a couple of things to consider.

“Make sure you have a work visa [Z-visa]. No other type of visa allows you to work legally,” u/Yingxuan1190 pointed out. “University or international schools are your best choices. University is easy and work hours are low,” they said, adding that the pay, unfortunately, usually isn’t all that great.

“International schools will pay a lot more, but you’ll work hard,” they said that this is the choice you should go for if you want a higher wage and aren’t afraid of working longer, harder hours.

“Avoid training centers as you’ll work hard for likely not much money. Plus the government is trying to make them extinct,” they said, referring to the ‘double reduction’ policy. The policy was aimed at reducing the burden of excessive homework and after-school tutoring. However, according to some research, it imposes a “significant negative impact on the education industry.”

Meanwhile, u/Yingxuan1190 said that they love to see managers who genuinely want to help: “Be available if needed, otherwise, let teachers teach in peace.”

Image credits: Taylor Flowe (not the actual photo)

Learning to ‘manage up’ is a useful skill at work

Many redditors had a lot of fun reading the story and pitching ideas on what the OP might want to do next. Our particular favorite was someone urging them to “go old school” and use “Shakespearean slang” in one of their future reports. A close second was using Texan slang.

Funnily enough, the teacher’s manager refused to admit that the new rule was causing more trouble than it was worth. “My boss is now struggling but refuses to admit defeat. She’s instead spending a lot of time using translation software to understand what we’re writing,” redditor u/Yingxuan1190 shared.

However, it’s still unclear why management decided to implement the rule in the first place. One running theory is that they were tired of reading copy-pasted reports and wanted some more originality.

A decent way to show your superiors that they might have gotten things wrong is to follow their demands to the letter and then let the results speak for themselves. Their bright ideas won’t always bear fruit. In fact, they might make life far more difficult for everyone. However, in the OP’s case, their boss “can’t admit failure” and doubled down on the new rule.

Learning how to ‘manage up,’ aka manage your manager, is an absolutely essential skill to have. Unless you’re running your own business or you’ve been promoted so many times, you’re literally sitting at the top of your company’s hierarchy and/or skyscraper, it’s useful to take the time and consider how to approach talking to your boss.

Everyone gets frustrated with their superiors from time to time. Obviously, the worse the manager, the more nonsensical their rules, and the more often this will happen. It’s vital that you have the courage to speak up about any issues in the workplace. If something’s making your life hell, you have to address it, whether in a one-on-one with your direct supervisor, an HR rep, or your boss.

The better you know your boss, the more prepared you are for tackling sensitive topics

But before you do that, consider how you’ll broach the topic. Forbes suggests figuring out what drives your boss, what their priorities are, and what will get their attention. Think about what they value, what their character is like, and how they measure success.

What’s more, come up with some possible solutions to your problem. Venting is useless if you genuinely want to fix things. Find some alternatives to the current rules. Look for potential compromises. And try to be firm, friendly, and lighthearted instead of aggressive—you don’t want them going on the defensive. Instead, show your boss that you’re a problem solver.

As awkward as these one-on-one chats can sometimes be, they’re essential. No manager will ever be perfect. And it’s very likely they won’t even know there’s an issue until you broach the topic. Not everyone is perfectly aware of their actions and how they affect everyone around them.

In those cases where your boss might be too proud for their own good, you have to be the bigger person and offer them a way to ‘save face.’ However, if your manager is toxic, bullies you, or criticizes you no matter how well you do, draw some boundaries. Be diplomatic but don’t let them walk all over you. For instance, if they shout at you, take the high road by being calm and in control. Explain to them that you won’t tolerate this sort of behavior and make it very clear that you expect to be treated like you treat them: with dignity and respect.

Forbes notes that if you plan to call your boss out on their toxic behavior, you have to do your research. Consider how much you’ve documented their behavior. Think about who might support you at work. And think about alternative places to work if things don’t work out as you envisioned.

A dash of malicious compliance can go a long way and is entertaining as heck. But tackling the problem head-on is what will eventually help you uproot the entire problem.

Image credits: Kenny Eliason (not the actual photo)

The author of the post sparked a discussion online. Plenty of people expressed their support and had some great suggestions

Here’s what some other readers had to say about the situation at work

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