‘I worked for a company full of children’: Employees change profile pictures to baby pictures to maliciously comply with new regulations
It is impossible to have a workplace without some kind of rules and comprehensive guidelines. Everyone needs to be on the same page when results need to be obtained. United. Professional. Motivation. Respect each other regardless of differences. But when there’s tension and division in the air, a spot of humor can help set things right (at least for a while).
Redditor u/Virule93 caught a virus After spilling the beans on the r/MaliciousCompliance online community about a hilarious incident at the company involving a profile photo an employee used for an internal site. In OP’s own words, scroll down for full text.
We believe that many offices should set general guidelines for things like profile pictures for internal use.
Image credit: Mikhail Nilov (not actual photo)
A worker shared how a colleague decided to follow newly introduced rules in a malicious compliance spin
Image credit: rawpixel (not actual photo)
Image credit: Virule93
The event was so hilarious that even HR decided to have a good time
A redditor explained on the company’s internal site how each employee can change their profile picture and add some kind of flair or icon on top of it. That way, every time they made an announcement, posted a job update, or commented on something, everyone could see their name and picture.
What seemed like a fun place eventually devolved into bitter political strife among colleagues. Some people started using icons to express their ideological views, heighten tensions, and piss off all those on the other end of the spectrum. and some have turned into celebrities.
The situation got so bad that the company’s HR had no choice but to intervene. They set new guidelines, requiring all employees to use a profile picture that is a “clear headshot of the employee on a plain background.” You will see other people, animals, flags, or icons.
However, no one said this had to be a recent photo. So some employees who saw an opportunity to get a good laugh started setting their profile picture to be their own since they were babies. Even the members did the same.
Employees should have at least some degree of freedom to express themselves as individuals
You’d be hard-pressed to find an employee who’s lost all their personality and wants to be just a brick on the wall. there is. Or at least there should be.
No one says your office should be turned into a full-on kindergarten (though consoles, foosball, ping-pong tables, and free snacks all paint a nuanced picture). Robot 24/7/365.
Teams should be able to take breaks, gossip about their favorite shows at the coffee machine, joke at lunch, or express their individuality in other ways. For example, by giving them a little leeway when it comes to emojis and profile pictures on internal communication networks. You can avoid looking at it as making money. [beep boop must work to survive and do nothing else].
But unrestricted freedom leads to utter chaos. Some common sense limits and boundaries are required. It’s imperative to match your employees’ faces to their names so you know who you’re talking to. (Especially since many people work full-time or part-time remotely and don’t see each other often in person) it’s not unfair to ask people to use real photos.
To get along with coworkers, you need to be tolerant of different opinions
On the other hand, we all know how sensitive topics such as politics and religion can be. In fact, many people think that they are right, that their personal values are right, and that everyone else is wrong. This is irrelevant to their actual views. People don’t enjoy being told they’re wrong (i.e. mentally tough).but they own Confirmed Belief and so said they are rightIf we are right, after all, it must mean that we are respected and loved by others. evaluated by the group.
So it’s no surprise, then, that larger organizations will have talent and skills from an incredible variety of backgrounds, with diverse views and experiences. There will always be disagreements no matter what you do, but as long as everyone respects them, that’s fine.
Problems can arise when people start to fixate on these differences too much. Some workers may forget that their colleagues actually think, think and breathe the same way they do, so beat arguments rather than agree to disagreements. I am concentrating on
While many of us feel a desire to be right (and we are! How could anyone else think differently?!), emotional maturity is a temporary Stop, refuse to escalate the discussion further, and keep working. It doesn’t make sense.
Obviously, if someone is openly disrespectful or bullying another, you should speak up. Don’t let your emotions get to the point where you forget that you might be there (whatever that opinion is). don’t take it too seriously. Change your profile picture to something silly. Have a good laugh and make everyone giggle!
Some of our readers shared some thoughts on the hilarious work story
