A power-tripping manager tried to deny a 17-year-old waiter a basic human right: water.
During a chaotic, understaffed shift, the most experienced waiter on the floor was told he “couldn’t drink on shift.” Instead of arguing, he complied. He complied hard.
Now, read the full story:
That feeling of pure, cold compliance is just chef’s kiss. You can almost feel the OP’s internal monologue: “Oh, really? No water? Okay. Let’s see how this plays out.” It’s the quietest, most dignified form of workplace protest.
What’s baffling is the manager’s logic. He sees his most experienced waiter, the 17-year-old who is holding the floor together, and decides that’s the guy to power-trip on? This is a classic case of a manager mistaking “being in charge” with “being a leader.”
The core of this story is a manager making a terrible, and frankly illegal, decision under pressure. Denying an employee water, especially in a physically demanding job like waiting tables, is a massive safety and ethical violation.
In the OP’s home base, the UK, this isn’t just “questionable advice.” It’s against the law.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) explicitly states that The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require employers to provide “an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water.” This manager wasn’t just being a jerk; he was breaking a fundamental workplace regulation.
So why would he do it? It’s the classic “stress makes you stupid” phenomenon. He was in the weeds, understaffed, and instead of leading, he lashed out.
Dr. Amy Arnsten, a professor of neuroscience at Yale, explained this for Psychology Today. She notes that under high stress, the “primitive” brain, the amygdala, can take over. This action shuts down the more thoughtful prefrontal cortex. This “primitive’ response… is ill-suited to modern life,” she writes.
The manager’s brain wasn’t thinking “safety” or “legality.” It was in panic mode, and it defaulted to a crude display of authority.
The OP’s response, malicious compliance, was the perfect way to handle it. He didn’t cause a scene, which would have gotten him in trouble. He used the manager’s own stupid rule to expose its stupidity to the right people. He let the system correct itself. And it did, beautifully.
Check out how the community responded:
Many users praised the supervisor for actually paying attention, while sharing their own stories of terrible, petty bosses.
![They told him she was a great worker and word of his [shoddy] had gotten around and the staff were [mad] off. He later apologized to her and reversed it....](https://dailyhighlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/wp-editor-1762431731211-5.webp "Boss Tells Teen Waiter Not to Drink, Regrets It Immediately")
A hilarious number of people (especially restaurant vets) had the same initial thought: “Wait, he’s mad about you drinking… oh, WATER?!”
Others got into a debate about the “malicious” part, pointing out that the OP did dehydrate himself and that the plan only worked because the supervisor stepped in.
![shiftingtech − [What the heck]? Tells story about dehydrating themselves for multiple shifts, then ends with](https://dailyhighlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/wp-editor-1762431539350-1.webp "Boss Tells Teen Waiter Not to Drink, Regrets It Immediately")
Users also speculated on why such a stupid rule would exist, blaming everything from customer complaints to basic illegality.
![[Reddit User] − If you are in the US you cannot be denied access to drinking water at work. Your employer got lucky supervisor stepped in.](https://dailyhighlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/wp-editor-1762431467342-4.webp "Boss Tells Teen Waiter Not to Drink, Regrets It Immediately")
And one user was just sad the compliance wasn’t more malicious.
How to Navigate a Situation Like This
The OP handled this perfectly, but not everyone has a good supervisor to step in. If you’re told you can’t access water at work, you are likely being put in an unsafe and illegal situation. First, know your rights. In the US (OSHA) and UK (HSE), employers are legally required to provide drinking water.
You should not dehydrate yourself; your health isn’t worth a minimum wage job. If you feel safe, you can calmly and politely say, “I just need to stay hydrated to do my job safely. I’ll be discrete.”
If you don’t feel safe challenging them, comply for the moment, but document the incident. Write down the date, time, and what was said. Then, go to a different manager, your supervisor (like the OP did), or HR and report it. This isn’t tattling. It’s a critical safety issue for everyone.
This story had the most satisfying ending possible. The OP was safe, the good supervisor was a hero, and the bad manager was publicly humiliated.
It’s a great reminder that “following the rules” can sometimes be the most rebellious act of all. What do you think? Was this true malicious compliance, or just regular compliance that worked out? What’s the most “questionable advice” a bad boss ever gave you?
