When new management takes over a company, it often signals a time of transition filled with challenges, impacting the organization as a whole and, more significantly, its employees. Changes in leadership styles, strategies, and expectations can disrupt established workflows, creating a ripple effect throughout the workforce. Employees who are used to the previous management practices may struggle with unfamiliar directives and protocols, leading to feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. Communication issues, conflicting priorities, and different problem-solving approaches can heighten tensions and reduce productivity.
In today’s story, a new boss joined a rural cell phone company from New York, leading to conflicts with employees like OP, who occasionally used competitor phones for work. While this practice was previously tolerated, the new boss imposed a strict ban and threatened OP with termination. In retaliation, OP decided to engage in malicious compliance during a snowstorm, resulting in overtime and a chaotic fallout that ultimately led to the boss’s dismissal.
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1. “You’re forbidden from using phones from our competitors,” was the firm directive.
2. In a remote rural region, OP was employed by a small cell phone company, now defunct. These conversations are recounted from memory, to the best of his ability.
3. In the rural expanse where he was stationed, driving for hours often meant encountering nothing but landscapes of fields, forests, and wildlife.
4. OP, prioritizing efficiency, procured a phone from the competitor and kept it handy for upgrades, with his boss’s approval.
5. After a few months, a new superior arrived, heavily accustomed to New York City life. Spotting OP’s call from a competitor’s number in his first week, he took offense, instituting a ban on using rival phones.
6. Despite voicing his concerns, the response was dismissive, citing the lack of necessity in New York City. Despite OP’s crucial role in site maintenance and upgrades, the directive remained unchanged.
7. Shortly after, at one of the most remote sites, approximately 45 minutes from the next site, OP completed his tasks diligently. However, upon encountering issues, he realized his only option for communication was a competitor’s payphone.
8. Facing a freak blizzard, it took approximately 1.5 hours to reach the next site, only to find it down as well. Despite challenging road conditions, after 2.5 hours of driving, service was finally restored, revealing a switch error.
9. Thirty minutes later, the site still remained down, prompting another hour-long journey to the nearest site for further troubleshooting. Eventually, after 18 exhausting hours, the issue was resolved, and OP returned home.
10. Monday morning, as OP power up his phone for thier routine weekly meeting, it’s bombarded with texts and voicemails from his boss and their superior.
11. BB expresses frustration, questioning why there was a prolonged outage for a brief upgrade. He accuses OP of falsely claiming nine hours of overtime.
12. OP explains the circumstances, citing external issues and a snowstorm that delayed response time. He send pre-prepared emails detailing the events to both his boss and the company’s vice president, countering the dismissal of his need for a competitor’s phone.
13. BB chastises OP, questioning why he didn’t use a payphone. OP reminds BB of the previous directive forbidding the use of competitor phones and explains the hours spent driving in a blizzard to find service instead.
14. BB denies threatening termination, insisting OP could have used a payphone, but VP intervenes, noting the documented actions and instructing BB to call immediately.
15. BB’s tenure ended on a rocky note, leading to his swift removal. OP now works for the company that acquired their competitor.
16. In the United States, the area code and exchange numbers in a ten-digit phone number often reveal the service provider, which was how the discrepancy was noticed.
17. In his situation, they had a couple of exchange numbers. When OP called in on a different exchange number, like 962, it was apparent that they were not using company phones.
Comments on this Story:
18. Many managers seem adept at burying their heads in the sand. Kudos to the VP for addressing the issue head-on.
19. The invention of CC and BCC for emails is truly a game-changer.
20. Why weren’t you given a satellite phone earlier, especially considering the competitor’s presence?
21. BB seems to have been relocated from New York to your remote location.
22. A Redditor shared how his European cell company provided its technicians with SIM cards from a foreign operator, allowing them to make calls on any network through roaming.
