Project Manager Starts Panicking When Contractors Listen And Work As He Instructed Them To

When bosses and managers complain about bad workers, they usually use epithets like “lazy,” “always late,” and “hard to work with.” You probably won’t often hear someone complaining that workers are doing their job too fast.

Yet that is exactly what happened to this construction crew. When their boss told them their work pace was unsafe, the three guys decided to show him some malicious compliance. The crew started operating their machinery comically slowly, and, much to the boss man’s chagrin, ended up earning four times more than expected.

Bored Panda got in touch with the worker who shared this story, u/bigcapper69. He gave us more context behind the story and told us more about his future plans. Read our chat with him below!

A client accused workers of working too fast, so, they maliciously complied and really slowed down

Person cutting bricks with a circular saw, illustrating working too fast, surrounded by dust.

Image credits: Max4e / Freepik (not the actual photo)

And what makes this act of malicious compliance even more satisfying is that they got paid $150k more than planned

Text image about construction work and malicious compliance, highlighting concrete cutting with diesel and hydraulic saws.

Text about a small company's experienced leaders focusing on concrete work, highlighting working-too-fast issues.

Text about working too fast and malicious compliance in a no-bid contract scenario.

Construction workers in orange vests and white helmets discussing compliance on a site.

Image credits: Mohamed hamdi / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text describing a story about working too fast and malicious compliance during a safety meeting.

Text excerpt about a work scenario, involving a safety meeting and discussing project oversight, relates to malicious compliance.

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Text discussing working too fast and experiencing malicious compliance in a project setting.

Worker in blue outfit standing confidently on a construction site, highlighting the challenges of working too fast.

Image credits: Mikael Blomkvist / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Email warning about unsafe operations due to working too fast, suggesting slowing down for safety compliance.

Text excerpt discussing working too fast and malicious compliance in a safety meeting.

Text excerpt from a meeting discussing working too fast and malicious compliance.

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Text describing a situation of malicious compliance with safety cones and a slow work pace.

Worker quickly operating machinery on a street, illustrating malicious compliance with safety gear.

Image credits: Julian Geringer / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Text describing malicious compliance in slowing down heavy equipment for safety reasons.

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Text describing a slow process in construction due to malicious compliance, featuring workers operating heavy machinery.

Text about working too fast and a safety shutdown for malicious compliance.

Man in blue suit on a call, gesturing with frustration, illustrating malicious compliance.

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

Text highlighting malicious compliance when working too fast and crossing the line multiple times.

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Text about working too fast and malicious compliance, describing a delayed project due to instructions.

Two men in business attire and safety gear smiling and discussing work outside, highlighting working too fast and malicious compliance.

Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt discussing the effects of working too fast and resulting malicious compliance.

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Text excerpt about working-too-fast and malicious compliance shared by Cody.

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Image credits: bigcapper69

Image credits: LinkedIn Sales Navigator / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Although he was insufferable, the author sympathizes with John to an extent

The author mentions that this story happened two years ago, yet he only decided to share it now. “I have actually recently gotten into the rSlash podcast on Spotify,” the Redditor tells us. “[The host] covers this sub a lot. After hearing a lot of stories, I realized I had a potentially good one of my own to share!”

The situation the OP described, how many people would come and watch them work, only seems comical when we read it. u/bigcapper69 tells us that if you were there, you could almost cut the tension with a knife.

“As soon as the situation started, it was tense,” he says. “Very tense, like, you could hear yourself breathing on a jobsite with 50 people on it tense. No one talked – no, no one DARED to talk. After a while, though, the situation continued the same. We all started laughing and joking at John’s expense every chance we had,” the Redditor remembers.

Despite John being such a nuisance, u/bigcapper69 is ready to cut him some slack. “This really wasn’t what John did at the company regularly,” the author clarifies. “He had a function that he performed daily that got put on hold as he volunteered himself to run this project in hopes of getting a large end-of-year bonus.”

“I think he was just so inexperienced and/or too overconfident and overwhelmed with his ideas on how to save money and maximize his profits that [he] actually ended up with the complete opposite result,” the Redditor says, trying to see things from John’s perspective.

Image credits: Kampus Production / Pexels (not the actual photo)

The OP wishes everyone had such amazing bosses as Brad and Cody

As for the other two heroes of this story, the author has nothing but praise. “Brad and Cody are amazing,” the Redditor tells Bored Panda. “I will work for these men until the day I [pass [away]. I idolize them, almost every person I know looks up to them.”

“They prioritize and reward hard work, they aren’t greedy at all, which in turn has made them wildly successful and not a single person in our company resents the fact that they are both millionaires,” the OP shares.

“They are our bosses and could easily sit in their offices doing work that is a lot easier and surely there is plenty to keep them busy, but they refuse and are out on jobsites daily. Down in the trenches, performing the same duties as the lowest position in the company and outperforming everyone daily. They lead by example,” the Redditor told us proudly.

As of now, the OP doesn’t work in the same city as Brad and Cody – he moved elsewhere to open a branch of their company. But, even if not in their physical presence every day, the Redditor stays loyal to the men and what they built.

“These have inspired me to put my soul into this just as they have,” he explains. “I think that the world has enough greedy, bad people in positions like theirs and mine. I have a goal to emulate what they have done. If anything were to ever happen to them, I have a goal to buy the company to continue treating my employees the same way they have. Everyone deserves a boss like them,” the OP believes.

People rejoiced in such petty revenge on John, and some even shared similar experiences

Screenshot of a Reddit thread discussing working too fast and malicious compliance.

Reddit discussion about locksmith using malicious compliance to satisfy customer expectations by working slower.

A Reddit comment showing frustration, related to working too fast and malicious compliance.

Text comment on malicious compliance about wasting money to blame John.

Reddit comment discussing the cost of $200k to remove someone due to malicious compliance.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment thread discussing the consequences of working too fast and malicious compliance.

Reddit comment humorous about Christmas bonus, referencing working too fast and malicious compliance.

Text story about working too fast and gaining extra work through malicious compliance.

Text exchange humorously illustrating working too fast and malicious compliance.

Comment about Brad's "Shutdown" in a story on working too fast and malicious compliance.

Text screenshot about office worker's experience with "working too fast" and malicious compliance.

Reddit comment about managing by observing and praising workers, related to working-too-fast malicious compliance.

Comment expressing admiration and a desire to work under Brad and Cody, related to working too fast and malicious compliance.

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Text comment discussing working too fast and malicious compliance, mentioning John and a lost bonus.

Reddit comment about malicious compliance related to bonus money.

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