Employee stands up for themself, refuses to follow micromanaging boss' bathroom monitoring policy

In today's demanding work culture, it's not uncommon for bosses to sometimes make demands that seem unreasonable. Such requests range from unrealistic deadlines to unmanageable workloads. But there are certain demands which seem even more unnecessary. Reddit user u/Maleficent_Ad7033 shared his story of a boss who insisted that employees sign out every time they stepped away from their desks. The intriguing post has gained over 19.6K likes on the platform with over 3.7K comments. The individual starts the post by saying that he has been working at the organization for 18 years, which is a significant period. He then states that he is a "high-performing senior member of the team." Everything was good up until he got a new boss who was much more strict about work timings.

He says, "I'm almost 40 years old and I'm not about to walk over to his cubicle, slide my dot to the left to signal I'm going to the bathroom." The individual states that he might be okay with signing out when he goes for lunch. But even then, it's not a necessity as the organization allows for a prefixed 30-minute lunch break every day. Wanting to take a stand, he refuses to sign out when going to the bathroom. Seeing this, his boss threatens to write him up for "insubordination" or "failing to follow instructions." The individual is troubled by being in a hostile work environment and considers leaving the job. However, other than the new boss, the job itself offers him good pay, benefits and five weeks of vacation in a year, making him reluctant to pursue other options. Many individuals chimed in with their suggestions on what the individual could do in the comments section.

u/CharacterCoreGaming suggested, "I say go nuclear compliance... They threaten to write a loyal employee up for minor things they're finding reasons to discipline or remove knowledgeable higher, paid staff to replace with lower-paid people. Move the dot, and document the amount of time used to move it each time. Compile this data into a document and use it when the next evaluation occurs... If you've been a good employee for 18 years under other management, but suddenly a problem one, why the change? Show the wasted time and effort due to unnecessary micromanaging techniques preventing you from achieving former efficiency. But hey, that's just from a petty a-hole."

Another user, u/CaptPotter47, commented, "'Sliding out' for lunch might make sense. Although it's weird that your boss wants you to do that at his desk. I could see putting up a 'at lunch sign' on your desk. But bathroom breaks? That's dumb and possibly illegal due to medical issues. Your new boss wants to show her power off to you and assert dominance right off the bat." Such strange management practices highlight how insensitive the modern work culture can be. Despite being a long-time senior employee, the individual faces unrealistic demands and feels helpless. u/Berries-A-Million pointed out, "It's illegal in most states for him to ask for you to sign out for bathroom breaks. Lunch, yes, but not bathroom."