What is Malicious Compliance?

Malicious compliance occurs when an employee uses an organization's own rules, processes and procedures against it by taking them too seriously or literally. It is often motivated by a grievance or resistance to change.

Work-to-rule

Work-to-rule is an organized version of malicious compliance conducted by organized labour. It typically involves doing the minimum as required by contract and taking rules overly seriously and literally to the point that work slows towards a standstill.

Illustrative Example

A customer service representative at an airline may invoke obscure administrative and security protocols on every passenger as a means of slowing down work and lowering customer satisfaction. Such procedures may be in the rule books of the airline but are intended to be used with discretion. Technically the employee isn't breaking the rules but each customer they serve has a terrible experience that damages the airline's reputation.

Overview: Malicious Compliance
Type	Resistance To Change Office Politics
Definition	Using an organization's own rules, processes and procedures against it by applying them in an unproductive or unreasonable way.
Related Concepts	Office Politics Resistance To Change Reactance Trained Incapacity