If you could work just five hours per day, would you? Most of us would thrive with that lifestyle and would take that offer instantly. 

For many or most adults, working full time is a norm we get used to. In other parts of the world, people take three month vacations or work just a few hours every day. Meanwhile, America is a bit more focused on hustle culture. People love to talk about how they're always grinding away to make money and advance their careers. Have you ever been to a party and started talking to someone who brags about their long hours in the office? They'll start telling you about how they wake up at 4 AM to exercise, then head to work and sometimes stay until the late hours of the night. That sounds like a waking nightmare to me, buddy, but I'm happy that you're happy. 

The person who shared their story to malicious compliance seems like they had a completely terrible working situation. They were doing the work of multiple people. Other coworkers kept leaving the job. And all the while, u/Anonynominous' bosses were still unhappy with their work. 

Read the whole story below, and then read another encouraging work story about this coffee shop manager who decided to quit and then immediately block their bosses' numbers. 

This Karen literally did all of this to herself. First, she marched into a popular Mexican restaurant with approximately 15 teenagers behind her, threw down her credit card, and let all these kids order whatever they wanted. Her abrasive behavior had already ticked off the manager and the other employees at the restaurant, so they were happy to see these teens order more than their fair share. By the time the manager gave the Karen a $250 bill, things started to get way more heated.

For one, she threw a loud tantrum and disrupted a long line of customers who were waiting for their food. When the manager told her she specifically said the kids could order whatever they wanted, she decided to get physical and shoved the then pregnant manager in front of two on-duty officers, who just so happened to be customers waiting in line. Thankfully, the manager was completely alright and shared her side of the story via this thread on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit. However, the same cannot be said for the Karen, who was immediately put in handcuffs.

Keep scrolling below for the full story from the manager's perspective. For more, check out this post about a Karen whose kids got in trouble for being too rowdy at the movies.

If you work somewhere long enough, you know all of the business's pressure points. And if you work at a coffee shop for 90 or 100 hours per week, you'd know exactly how to sabotage said business. 

This work shared their malicious compliance story of the time they really got back at their boss. This person was a manager, but they found it hard to work because their bosses were breathing down their neck all the time. They "only cared about money," the employee writes. That can be a big red flag in a business: it means that the owners care more about their bottom line than their workers or products. It's hard to get excited for a job where the owners could care less about anything except that sweet sweet moolah. 

The situation seems even more infuriating for the OP (original poster) because the owners decided to stop paying overtime while still blaming the employee for low sales numbers. With all that pressure, it was just a matter of time before the employee threw their hands up and quit. 

After you check out this person's inspiring story, read up on some utterly terrible bits of advice people got, like one person who was told in earnest to "Invest in DVDs." 

Generally, when someone is willing to lend their advice to help you with a problem it's best to listen. Still, no one likes unsolicited advice and that's an important thing to remember when you consider offering it—regardless of whether or not someone is in dire need of hearing it. Those who have elected to proceed without the proper knowledge and precautions are most likely to be the least receptive to listening to other people. Then, if they decide to arrogantly proceed with something that is blatantly dangerous, it's time to get the proper authorities involved.

This arrogant neighbor refused to listen when this homeowner advised him that the renovations he was undertaking on his property required proper permits and safety considerations. Despite the homeowner's best intentions and attempts to communicate his message diplomatically, he was met with a discourteous retort and decided to wash his hands of the situation. Eventually, the predictable occurred and the local governing body caught on to the unpermitted changes that were taking place and the neighbor paid dearly for not heeding the warning he had been given. Of course, he then blamed the person who had tried to warn him for "tattling."

Serving customers is not always an easy task. Having said that, most people who decide to work in the hospitality sector are people who like engaging with customers and have excellent interpersonal skills. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there is no justification for rudeness or improper behavior on the part of clients.

The story that follows is an account of an irritated server. For some time now, the Original Poster (OP) has been employed by his brother-in-law, who runs a Mexican restaurant. Because of this as well as the possible repercussions, OP makes it a point to extend a warm greeting to every customer who walks into the restaurant. However, even OP, who firmly intended to maintain his composure, struggled to keep his cool and carry on with his day without reacting to the haughty customer who burst in and demanded service.

Having said that, if you're curious about what transpired between OP and the entitled customer as well as what might have pushed OP over the edge, be sure to read the story below! When you're finished, don't forget to read about the hotel employee who was driven to her breaking point by a demanding client who treated every employee like her personal nanny!

Welcome to the workforce, where managers never pick and choose their battles carefully. This one decided to scold her employee, a lawyer at a firm, for leaving the office early one day because he had to start a few hours earlier for a deposition. The meaning behind her frustrated lecture was that she did not want other lawyers to get the wrong idea that they can leave the office at any time. 

Let us be clear if we haven't been already on this site: if you are an employee and you have to come in early for work, you should be entitled to leave early too. Office hours should be malleable for situations like those, and if anyone notices this lawyer leaving early, they can simply inquire about it and learn what happened. 

So after his boss's intense speech, the lawyer decided to take the opportunity to enact some well-deserved malicious compliance. He stuck to those 9:00am - 5:00pm hours in that he never showed up early and never left late. You can imagine what that meant when there was an important meeting scheduled before 9:00am one day where the boss heavily relied on her employee's presence. I guess she should have been more careful about who she decided to lecture.

Keep scrolling below for the full story. For more stories like this, here is one about a boss who tried to take her employee's first class seat on a flight.

Yuck. I mean, yawn.

Eh, same, same… Do you know what you're doing in life? I don't. I haven't a clue. Eat, sleep, work, repeat. The days drag on and turn into weeks that turn into months. Winter is crawling by at a snail's pace, and I wonder when the sun will come out (properly) and shine again. When does the cold end? Why is it still dark out past 5 pm? Summer, where are you?

I wish I could fly somewhere and take a break, but money-wise, that's a problem. I bet for most people it's a problem. Not to be a Negative Nancy, but it's nice to know I'm not alone. I'm sure you can tell, it's been a day. And hey, don't we all sometimes require a bit of extra serotonin? Luckily, I can provide that… via wholesome posts and memes. Scroll down to smile, and then check out this employee who quit and got reimbursed for $21,000 after their boss insisted they commute 200 miles daily for free.

This call center worker has a really great idea for dealing with their most irritating customers. 

When you work in a call center, you deal with people from every walk of life, from youngsters to oldsters, from people who have worked customer service jobs before, to those who want their every whim catered to. People aren't calling for a friendly chat, either: they're usually having difficulties and want their issues fixed as quickly as humanly possible. These people are already at their whits' end, which leaves the call center reps to deal with angry and uncooperative customers. This is their job all day long… it must take a real toll. 

This person has come up with the perfect pacifist solution to their callers. It's a bit radical, and I wonder if that method would fly at other companies. (In the comments, some other call center workers shared that they are not allowed to do it.) Check out the post below, as well as comments from people who shared the ways they deal with their angriest customers. If you can't hang up on them, finding creative solutions is their next best bet. 

Next up, this woman got to fully ruin her boss's life during an exit interview. 

People talk about how the ability to keep a secret is a good personality trait, but isn't it way more fun to hear people spill the beans? It can't be healthy keeping everything inside anyway, so let's just say that confessing your secrets is a mutually beneficial exercise. Obviously, there are instances in which the knowledge you have could affect someone else, so definitely use your judgment. That's why anonymous confessions are even better for everyone involved.

These folks let the flood gates open as they revealed a variety of information from embarrassing moments in their childhoods to secrets about their relationships. They shared those confessions anonymously via the following r/AskReddit thread. Keep scrolling below for these confessions and for some fun reactions in the comments section. When you're done, feel free to take a look at this collection of dramatic wedding day fiascos and this list of lies people were told by their parents and teachers.

These people thought they were getting good advice, only to realize years later how wrong the advice was. 

Relying on trusted friends and family members is how many people get through life. Of course, you trust the judgment of your mom or your best friend… but they aren't always right. Sometimes well-meaning bits of advice can totally miss the mark. Just because dad can dole out some advice that his father gave him in the 1970s, doesn't mean that's useful in today's day and age. Thanks, but no thanks.

Some people were given career advice that set them back, like one person who was encouraged to pick a college degree, any degree, and work towards that. That person didn't know what they wanted to do in life, so they just got a random degree that they have no use for now. That's a steep price to pay for a career you won't embark on… Other people also shared the tidbits of bad advice they've gotten about relationships, careers, and more, which you can check out below. 

Next up, this ride-share driver couldn't believe that this passenger wouldn't exit his car, so he drove her out of the United States and into Mexico.

It's important for job seekers to know what to ask if they are worried about a toxic work environment. Oftentimes, it takes experience in a prior toxic workplace to know what those red flags are. However, every so often, there is a friend or colleague who is willing to share their tough experiences so that you don't have to endure the same trials and tribulations. Consider this the polar opposite of "paying your dues," an outdated concept that tends to allow for the continuation of bad workplace behavior. 

A few weeks ago, we came across a story about a job candidate who withdrew their application following an uncomfortable interview with a startup. This candidate had several years of experience and was confident enough to question the interviewer when he scoffed at the concept of a work-life balance. Thankfully, we were able to get in contact with this candidate, who has chosen to remain anonymous, for further tips on how other folks can be prepared in their interviews to spot these red flags, particularly when it comes to startup culture and toxic management.

First, the candidate acknowledged the common red flags in job postings, from "no salary transparency" to vague lists of required skills and qualifications to the classic, toxic "fast-paced" and "we're a family" phrases. As for the questions to be armed with in interviews, below is a list of some great ones to keep in mind according to this candidate, whose experience in marketing and startups spans over a decade. Let these pointers serve as a reminder that every interview is a two-way street. You absolutely have a right to question a potential employer as much as they have a right to question you. Many thanks to the Redditor for connecting with us and for giving these pointers.

Keep scrolling below for those questions, along with their original post. Here is our initial coverage of the interview gone wrong.

Who was always the person who gave you the best advice? Was it your grizzled high school sports coach? Was it your wild college best friend? Or was it someone more traditional like your cargo-short-clad, dear ol' dad? Nowadays, it's hard to gauge the kinds of folks we can trust. With everything moving online, our human receptors to assess reliability have been blocked, making us wonder who has our back. For people who have ever been sucked into a pyramid scheme or have gotten added to an unwanted email list, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about. 

However, the Internet isn't all bad. In fact, some anonymous white knights out are happy to share their infinite wisdom with us. Unlike your high school acquaintance who's attempting to sell 10 bottles of supplements from their latest vitamin cleanse, these sage gurus have nothing to gain by sharing pro tips that have advised them and served them well throughout the years. These genius hacks are not only reliable, but they can potentially change the way we go about life by saving us time, money, and a little sanity. 

Scroll onward to power up your brain mojo with this week's best life pro tips!

It may be said that working as a customer support agent is really challenging. If you stop to think about it, your bosses' opinion of you, or at least their general impression of you, is entirely dependent on your capacity to manage challenging clients in a cool, collected manner. In other words, performance evaluation only takes into account a customer service representative's ability to maintain composure, regardless of his or her level of talent.

The story that follows proceeds to be told from the perspective of an irate front desk employee. The Original Poster (OP) has been employed in the hospitality industry for a considerable amount of time. Before deciding to pursue a career in the hotel sector, OP had spent almost five years working with children in the behavioral health field. Put another way, it's hardly shocking that the original poster had the patience of a saint. However, even the original poster was about to lose it when a certain, entitled guest began to treat the hotel amenities as though they were her own.

Having said that, be sure to read the story below if you're interested in learning what could possibly push OP to the breaking point and how OP handled the entitled visitor who, for whatever reason, refused to leave the hotel and go home! After you're done, don't forget to read this tale of the chef who quits because his boss won't pay him what he deserves!

This messy lie snowballed and this dude has realized there's no getting out of it. 

Every person in the world has lied at some point. There's no getting around it: whether you tell a white lie to make someone feel better, or lie to your boss about turning in a project, or tell your friends you're on your way to the function while you're still getting dressed, these little fabrications add up over time. They say that it's best not to lie because when you do, you have to remember to cover your tracks. It's a lot of mental energy to keep lying over and over again. 

This person is learning that lesson the very hard way this week. In a post that I really hope is real, and which the internet is monitoring with bated breath, this person reveals the whopper of a lie they told to a woman. You must read it for yourself, because it is hilarious.

This dude reveals that they're going to meet up with a date they met online. They bonded over the Grateful Dead, which is when u/splitopenandmelt11 lied to their new love interest. They told this woman they were "Jeff Chimenti's piano teacher," although they literally know zero songs on the piano. This is already a super dumb fib, because what did the OP expect would happen the first time their date wants to be serenaded on the piano? I'm sure the OP had their reasons, and the internet can't wait to find out what happens next. 

After that, check out one woman who single-handedly caught her company in a financial lie. 

There are few things less mildly infuriating when traveling than ending up with accommodation where the wifi doesn't work. For one thing, if you're traveling internationally you're going to be on one of various cellular data roaming plans, which are usually overly expensive for the limited amount of data they offer, leaving you dependent on reliable wifi to take care of data-intensive tasks—and for your daily TikTok doomscrolling session. With this in mind, it's wild how many top-tier hotels (and other accommodations) have you pay through the nose only to fail to deliver one of the most basic services expected of them in this modern age. 

Of course, while BnBs can be amazing deals and offer an incredible experience for your vacation, they can also be a lot more inconsistent and hit-or-miss than just booking a hotel. After all, especially in more touristy areas, you're likely to find yourself at the whims of a private lone-wolf individual who might only be in it for the money. That's exactly the situation this guest found themself in when their host refused to allow them access to the wifi, once they figured out how to connect they changed the settings so that the host themselves would be locked out and forced to organize a technician with a hefty call-out fee.

Dressing to impress is the cardinal rule of working your way up the corporate ladder. Although nobody ever admits it, if you overdress for your position, people will automatically assume that you're their superior, so if you're looking for a meritless promotion, that's the way to go. As someone who sports sweatpants and a hoodie for most of the year, I certainly don't have an aura of intimidating professionalism, but the guy in our next story realized how quickly our stylish social stigmas can derail a couple of employees.

This particularly sharp-dressed man showed up at the grocery store to pic up his girlfriend on her lunch break. After strolling through the front doors, he noticed quickly that the employees (his girlfriend's coworkers) began to scatter like roaches under a harsh light. Confused by the scattered chaos and the unnerved looks, the man soon realized that his attire was the reason they were treating him like a pariah. 

Scroll for the entire story and the ensuing hilarity that occurred when a man dressed a little too impressively to take his girlfriend out to lunch. 

This dude was clearly just filling a quota while operating on his superiority complex. It comes as no surprise that most parking tickets are nonsensical, and nine times out of ten, you do not get the opportunity to argue your way out of getting a ticket as it's being handed to you. Sure, you can contest a parking ticket after the fact, but even that is always a process.

This young woman saw an officer give her parents' car and several other cars in the neighborhood tickets because of a temporary No Parking sign. What the officer did not notice, despite the clear writing on the sign, was that this rule only applied to Tuesday of that week. However, when the young woman pointed this out to him, he was so offended by her "audacity" that he refused to entertain her thought and proceeded to write the tickets even though it was not Tuesday. Thankfully, the young woman did not stop there. She decided to call Internal Affairs and get his lieutenant involved. Keep scrolling below to see how she formed a special bond with the lieutenant and got this dude in massive trouble. 

For more content like this, check out this post about some mailbox vandals. 

Think of the most charming and adorable granny and grandpa imaginable–now picture that delightful couple, just enjoying their golden years with freshly baked pies and knitting projects, getting completely ripped off by a sleazy contractor. Yuck. If that doesn't grind your gears and make you instantly infuriated, it's time to check your pulse because you may be heartless. 

The college girl in our next story felt the same kind of rage when she came home for winter break. Upon returning to her childhood home, a house her parents worked and saved for their entire lives, she returned to a demolished front driveway, construction carnage, and a very concerned pair of elderly parents. What happened?!

After finding out her parents had been getting squeezed for every last dollar in their retirement fund by a shady contractor, the college girl's legal nails retracted and she went into battle mode. Scroll for the entire story of how one determined daughter's first legal battle was fought using jargon and knowledge from her first semester in Lawyers 101. 

Leave it to an executive with no common sense to make a huge mess. As so often happens, this higher-up wanted to prove that they were the head boss in charge, and made everyone else's days a little worse for it.

Our society would be nowhere without the folks who work in construction. Concrete is in just about every modern building, not to mention sidewalks and roads. Construction crews can make quick work out of this. In just a few hours, your company can go from having a broken slab of concrete outside to having a freshly made sidewalk square. 

But if you know anything about concrete, you know that it's temperamental. The professionals who make it have learned the exact amount of water to add to the mix to make it the right consistency. Otherwise, you end up with chunky, unworkable concrete, or watery concrete that won't set. The worker in this story, u/Hadak-Ura, had another problem to contend with: their machine had a door that wouldn't shut properly and led to constant problems. Although the employee was aware of this, an exec who was shadowing them for the day didn't care about it at all. 

After that, check out the retail manager who left the world's most difficult passwords for their company just before being fired. 

In every office, there is at least one uptight coworker and one coworker who thinks he's a good guy but is a total devil. The former example can certainly be annoying and frustrating at times, but it's par for the course in a workplace environment. However, the latter is a wildly toxic presence that often needs to be excised immediately. 

With this story, we have a prankster who shared his "win" against an uptight coworker, only to get completely roasted in the comments section. Most folks joked around about how this guy was accidentally revealing himself to be the prime example of the office devil. The best part was that when he was defending his actions in the comments section, he kept characterizing these backward dynamics as something that was totally OK in the 90s. Again, this did not stop other commenters from getting on his case about how even back then, mean behavior was mean behavior and there was no excuse for that.

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from folks in the comments. For more content like this, check out this post about a messed up HR request.