Every workplace has that one moment where a manager decides they know better-despite the veteran employee gently waving red flags like they’re at an airfield trying to prevent disaster.
And in this story, a stubborn manager, a mistyped roster, and a very patient employee collided perfectly to create a $10,000 corporate oopsie worthy of popcorn.
The setup is simple: a worker who has been on-site for eight years, knows the system inside out, and understands how public holiday shifts work… discovers he’s scheduled incorrectly.
He tries to warn the brand-new manager-who was hired over him despite his experience.
She responds with a note that basically says, “Just follow the roster.” So he does. To the letter. And the consequences? Chef’s kiss.
Want the full tale of managerial self-destruction? The original post sits below.
A man tried to warn his inexperienced new manager about a major scheduling error, and she insisted he “just follow the roster.”
There’s something uniquely satisfying about stories where an employee tries to help, gets dismissed, and then simply lets reality run its course.
This one feels like karmic workplace theatre: eight years of experience ignored, a brand-new manager refusing basic logic, and a public holiday that quietly waits to expose everything.
Honestly? The mental image of this man relaxing for 12 hours at 2.5x holiday pay with his shoes off is cinematic.
But it also raises an interesting question: why do so many managers trust paperwork more than the people who actually understand the job?
This situation highlights a classic workplace phenomenon: when new leaders experience “authority bias,” the tendency to overestimate their competence simply because they hold a title.
According to Harvard Business Review, first-time managers often fall into the trap of asserting control instead of listening, especially when managing employees with more experience. This manager’s “just follow the roster” note is a textbook example.
Another factor at play is what organizational psychologists call knowledge neglect-ignoring expert input even when it’s readily available.
Psychology Today notes that people often overprioritize formal procedures over human expertise, especially when they feel insecure in their role. Her lack of experience and sudden authority created the perfect storm.
The company’s policy about unmanned positions, not to mention $10k fines,makes this even more serious.
When high-stakes environments rely on rigid scheduling systems, any deviation requires critical thinking.
But new managers often default to the written schedule because it feels “official,” regardless of whether it’s correct.
VeryWellMind also highlights that resentment in the workplace (like being passed over for a promotion) can lead to reduced emotional labor and “minimum compliance” responses.
The employee didn’t sabotage anything; he simply followed orders without overextending himself to fix the manager’s mistake.
The lesson here isn’t about petty revenge-it’s about the cost of ignoring institutional knowledge.
Companies pay for their mistakes one way or another. This one just received the invoice in cash.
Redditors had a lot to say, and their responses grouped into clear themes:
Some focused on the importance of listening.
They pointed out that managers who ignore warnings usually end up blindsided, which is exactly like what happened here.
Others shared painful stories of promised promotions that never materialized. Their lesson? “Never trust a verbal promotion-get it in writing.”
Few expressed disbelief that companies keep hiring unqualified managers over experienced staff. Many suspected internal politics or favoritism.
Some discussed how common this kind of bureaucratic incompetence is, especially in security and shift-based industries.
And then there were the jokesters-who admired the OP’s “feet up, watching movies at double pay” energy.
Sometimes the best way to expose bad management is simply to do exactly what they said.
This employee didn’t sabotage anything, he followed incorrect instructions after being dismissed, and the consequences unfolded in the most predictable way imaginable.
When leaders ignore experience, companies pay the bill.
Would you have done the same in his position? Or would you have stepped in to fix the mistake anyway?
Share your thoughts and your workplace karma stories below!
