20 Employees Share The Dumbest Rules They Had To Follow At Work

Ever had to follow a work rule so absurd it made you question reality? You’re not alone.

On a recent Reddit thread, employees shared the dumbest work rules they’ve encountered. From restrictions on how many times you can use the bathroom to bans on talking during lunch breaks, these rules will leave you scratching your head and chuckling at the sheer ridiculousness. 

We’ve gathered the best of their stories here — stories that will make your own workplace seem like paradise in comparison. So sit back, relax, and prepare to laugh—and maybe groan—as we explore the zaniest rules people have had to endure at work.

1.

At one my earlier jobs, I had to follow a lunch bell like I was in school. Except I worked in the lab and sometimes the testing I had to do made me miss the lunch bell and so I would eat later. People reported me. So I ended up delaying testing to meet the lunch. Production went down a lot, but at least I followed the lunch bell.

2.

I got in trouble for having my 16 yo daughter walk behind me while having a zoom meeting. By my manager who had her 7 yo walk in, ask a question of said manager at which time she stopped the meeting to answer her daughters question. I was actually written up for mine. I quit on the spot after being written up and went on a tirade against the manager. No regrets.

3.

I still think requiring a doctor’s note for an excused absence is stupid. I’m not going to waste money on a doctor’s appointment, if I have a cold or the flu.

4.

If someone was banging on the door before opening time we had to let them in. How about no: im getting my computer up and running, making sure the waiting room is tidy, getting my coffee and taking a s**t. That door isnt opening until our office hours begin.

5.

“We are going to need you to be on call every other weekend, but you will not be paid for that”

I left shortly after.

6.

I was once told I wasn’t allowed to drink out of a water bottle while working without a doctors note saying that I needed to. I was a minimum wage cashier at a grocery store. Was a pretty funny Doctors appointment that followed.

7.

At one job, we had a rule where no one could adjust their own office chairs. If you needed it higher, lower, or tilted differently, you had to submit a maintenance request. This wasn’t just annoying; during busy periods, it could take days for someone to come adjust your chair. It felt absurd sitting uncomfortably while waiting for ‘authorized personnel’ to make a simple adjustment.

8.

No talking during lunch breaks.

9.

Having to wear nylon stockings (aka panty hoses) with your dresses. No bare legs. Lol okay, I just dated myself. This was in the early 80’s.

10.

I once had a job where we had to ask permission to use the restroom, even during breaks.

11.

People who discover a spill have to stand next to the spot until maintenance comes back with a broom/mop. As the only one working maintenance I got b*****d at in this order: “There’s a spill, you need to go get the mop”. “Why did you go get the mop? You are supposed to stand next to it”. When I said, “maybe you should hire a second maintenance person then”. The look on her face every time I said this was priceless.

12.

I worked for a store manager who “rounded by three.” I said, “no, you have to round by five. 0-4 is rounded down, 5-9 is rounded up.”

“No,” she insisted. “It doesn’t matter what number you round by as long as it’s the same number every time.”

“No, see, if you round by 3, then 0-2 gets rounded down, and 3-9 gets rounded up. That’s nearly twice as likely to get bad rounding errors.”

“Listen, I am a trained educator with two school-aged daughters. I know my math. You men think you know math so much better than women.”

Yet every Monday, when I called in the numbers, they didn’t match what the district manager had. That manager was eventually demoted to a penalty store. When I told the DM the “rounding by three” they said, “that’s technically fraud.” She was later fired from that penalty store in an audit.

13.

I used to work at a daycare. The kids were not allowed to scribble. If they were going to color they had to be attempting to color inside the lines.

I did not enforce that rule. I’m not gonna stop a three year old from scribbling. .

14.

Women had to wear foundation, lipstick, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, blush, earrings, rings, bracelets/watch, hair flair, necklace, and manicured nails. men: tucked in shirt, no neck beard, don’t stink.

15.

You cannot call the police, even when a client has already verbally threatened and physically assaulted another employee.

16.

Worked at a bakery where if we were there, doors had to be unlocked. Even if the store was closed. Even if we had no food.

We also weren’t allowed to tell customers if the store was closed.

17.

No using the bathroom if there are patients waiting to register ( which was all the time)
We had to wear full strength pads and pee in them while sitting and registering patients.
No drinking anything ( even water ) in front of a patient registering …
Had to text the front desk to beg to go to the bathroom and it would take 20-30 minutes for a reply.
Yep .. turnover rate as a registration rep at a hospital is crazy.

18.

I once worked in the call center of a large company where we were treated like s**t and got none of the perks the other departments did. We had to work holidays. We were subject to a “point system” where we got points for any lateness – even if it was 1 minute past your start time, or absence – even though technically we had 5 sick days a year, and could be fired at 5 points, etc, while the rest did not. The entire company except us was taken on all day picnics and other events at least twice a year. Etc. The icing on the cake though was the day the fire alarm went off in the 25 story building and as everyone started for the fire exits the department manager and head of HR yelled for everyone in the call center to return to their desks, as it was “only a drill.” Half of us left anyway and likely would have been fired had the building manager not gotten furious and pointed out to the head of the company that it was illegal for us to remain in the building during a fire drill.

19.

Thankfully this is from a friend and not me, but a friend who did office work explained to me this unwritten rule that nobody left the office before their boss did, despite them having set working hours.

20.

At a manual job I had standing up for 7 hours per day in a hot and sweaty factory floor during a 10 minute unpaid break we were not allowed to sit down. We had to stand up right next to the seats provided for break use. The seats were only to be used for the later unpaid 20 minute lunch break.

Meanwhile the managers who created this rule sat down all day in an air-conditioned office drinking coffee.

Just one example of management logic and motivation of the workforce. Not the way to get the best from your staff.

Read More: 25 Companies That Made Dumb Business Decisions And Ended Up Paying For It