Manager banned cashiers from sitting because it 'looked lazy' — their quiet protest left customers furious

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the perfect advice for someone who cannot stop meddling with things that do not need fixing. An employee who goes by u/DustCipherX on Reddit shared how their micromanaging manager removed stools from the registers because he believed sitting made employees look lazy and unprofessional. Two weeks later, his attempt to make workers appear more productive had backfired so badly that no employees were standing at the registers at all. The post was shared on May 31, and it received 4,600 upvotes and 161 comments.

Sitting down is lazy

The author described their manager as someone who was "obsessed with professional appearances." The first change he made was to remove stools from the registers. He did not care about the elderly employees or those with back problems. If someone was not standing during their working hours, he would come over with his speech ready. Because of this, people decided to follow the policy to a T. According to the company handbook, employees were allowed to take a 10-minute break if their "physical fatigue affects performance or safety." Usually, the employees just sat on the stools provided when they were tired. However, since they were removed, more and more employees took breaks. 

Mandatory 10-minute break

The author explained, "Suddenly everybody was getting dizzy, sore knees, foot cramps, lower back pain, etc." In just two weeks, this new arrangement reached peak chaos. More and more employees were missing from the registers because they were in the break room, and technically, they were allowed to be. Customers began complaining, lines became increasingly long, and when the manager tried to stop them from going to the break room, HR reminded him it was policy. When corporate paid a visit to the store, they were surprised to find all four registers empty and employees icing their knees in the breakroom. By Monday, the stools came back, and no one said anything since.

Bad managers

Very few people are lucky when it comes to their managers. GoodHire surveyed a total of 3,000 employees across different job sectors. 82% of the respondents said that they would potentially quit their job if they had a bad manager. 83% said they could do their jobs without their managers. Only 22% reported that their managers would trust them to be productive during work hours while working from home. The author's manager had tried to micromanage the employees, and in his attempt to make them look professional, he ended up creating an even bigger problem.

'Against the law'

People in the comment section called out the manager for his inhumane decision to remove the stools. u/BucktoothedAvenger commented, "If you're in California, removing those stools is against the law. I would take a good look at the labor laws where you live." u/LemonFlavoredMelon countered, "Oh, so if sitting down doesn't look professional, why not get standing desks for the managers and corporate?"

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