Boss insists employee 'follow the script.' So they did, leading to a million-dollar client meltdown.

Managers have a key responsibility to ensure the organization functions smoothly. To achieve this, they regularly monitor what is going on in the workspace and update the system accordingly. However, excessive interference can sometimes hinder employees' ability to perform effectively. In one such scenario, an employee who goes by u/firakti on Reddit was forced to comply with their manager's order of "following the script" despite knowing it would backfire spectacularly.

"I work in customer support for a company that provides specialized software to major players in the healthcare industry. Our clients aren't your average users—they're hospitals, clinics and medical centers where downtime can have serious consequences. I've been with the company for five years and know our software inside out," the employee shared in a post, emphasizing their experience with troubleshooting unusual problems. "A few months ago, though, a new supervisor named Alex joined us. He was fresh from a corporate management program and came in with grand ideas about 'efficiency' and 'productivity.' In his mind, the solution to our 'slow response times' was simple: a 'script-only' policy."

The employee continued, "According to him, every client interaction needed to be scripted to prevent 'wasting time on unnecessary advice.'" Alex strictly instructed everyone not to provide "custom solutions, no additional steps, no thinking outside the box." Instead, they were advised to "log it, escalate it, and have the client wait for a callback" if their questions weren’t covered in the script. "When Alex announced the new policy, I raised my hand, explaining that most clients call us precisely because they're dealing with specific, time-sensitive issues," the post revealed. They tried to convince Alex, but he would not budge and seemed to be under the impression that he was "re-inventing the wheel."

A few weeks later, the flaws of the new policy were inevitably revealed. "One morning, I pick up a call and am greeted by the CEO of one of our top clients—a massive healthcare network we've worked with for years. They hold a multi-million-dollar contract with us and losing them would be catastrophic. The CEO is calling in a panic because their entire system is down. The glitch they're dealing with is blocking patient records and diagnostics, putting patient care at risk. This isn't just a technical issue; it's affecting people's health," the employee shared. They recognized the problem immediately and knew it could be fixed in five minutes, but they decided to "follow the script" to avoid risking their job. "So, I do exactly as Alex told me to do. I go through the script step-by-step. The CEO is losing patience fast. As I drone through basic troubleshooting steps he clearly doesn't need; he interrupts, asking why I'm wasting time," they shared.

"I explained the policy: 'I'm only allowed to offer solutions that are in our script. If this doesn't fix it, I can escalate the case, and someone will call you back within 24 hours,'" the employee revealed. The CEO asked them to escalate it immediately. "I logged the issue as required and am escalating it for a callback. Within an hour, word spreads that Alex has been summoned to an emergency meeting with our department head. The CEO of our client had gotten in touch with our company's leadership directly and wasn't mincing words," they shared. "By the end of the day, we all received an email titled, 'SCRIPT POLICY UPDATE.' Effective immediately, we were now 'encouraged to use best judgment' and to go off-script as needed for high-priority issues. Alex's entire 'efficiency' plan was scrapped on the spot, and he's now under 'performance review.'"

They concluded the post by stating that they had returned to working in the same way they did before Alex arrived. Many people expressed their thoughts in the comments. u/bkibbey wrote, "The best way to fix a stupid process quickly is to follow it rigidly until it falls apart. Excellent work. Also, smart to hint to the customer at the source of the problem so they can bring the pain and not you. Ten internet points for you." u/expended1 commented, "These idiots are best described by the term seagull management: fly in, make a lot of noise, and crap all over everything until someone finally chases you off. Find a new place, lather, rinse, repeat." u/hey_nonny_mooses remarked, "Meh, been there, done that, successfully thrown under the bus by said supervisor for following their script. Leadership didn't care. Happy to leave that job, but following a stupid process isn't always the 'get out of jail free' card."