Work can stink. We all know that. But when your boss makes you follow rules that make no sense, well, maybe it's time to dust off the resume and look for a new job.

There's a terrific Reddit thread asking "What's the most ridiculous rule in your place of work?" If you have a job, have ever held a job or are thinking of one day getting a job, you owe it to yourself to read this. It's also a gentle reminder that there's nothing quite like being your own boss.




Had a workplace time our bathroom breaks and deduct them from our allotted 15 minute breaks or lunch. We had to go see the office manager to get a key to open the restroom. As soon as we left his office he would start a timer... when you got back he would stop the timer and tell you how much time you needed to deduct from your lunch or next break. They watched our breaks like a hawk.


My dad told me this one a while back. He used to work for a PR firm... The way he described the office environment, think "The Office" but in the 1980's.
The company hired a "Corporate Efficiency Specialist" to come in and "improve" things. She came in and implemented all kinds of rules, which seemed to follow some sort of caste system.
Her philosophy was, the higher your office rank, the more "perks" you get...
Her idea of perks:
Number of pictures you are allowed in your cubicle.
Whether you are allowed to have a potted plant or not.
Being allowed to leave the office for lunch was also considered a "perk"

We can wear shorts on Fridays between memorial day and labor day. However the shorts can't have pockets on the side. It was written to discourage ratty cargo shorts. But the way in which it is written allows me to wear gym shorts. So I do.


  • don't talk to customers longer than 3 minutes unless you're making a big sale, even then, keep it short
  • you can't talk to your co workers outside of work
  • you can't talk to your co workers while at work, even if there was not a single customer in the store
    I'm sure there's more I just can't think of right now.



Two weeks after I left my previous job a memo went round saying people aren't allowed to look out of the windows at work anymore.