Lahat ng Kabanata ng I Weaponized the Rules: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

My boss, Patrick Larkin, sat in the center of the conference room holding the promotion notice. Just as he was about to make the announcement, Michael Jones, one of my colleagues, shot to his feet.After pulling out a photo, Michael called out, "Mr. Larkin! I have something to report. I found a problem with Connor Grady's attendance record."Everyone turned toward me, but I kept quiet.Patrick picked up the photo Michael tossed out and examined it carefully. "What's the problem?"Michael loudly replied, "Company policy states that our lunch break is from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. However, at 1:31 pm, Connor was still napping in the break area. He exceeded his break time by one minute."Someone in the conference room let out a barely audible snort of laughter, breaking the silence.Patrick's expression darkened as he looked toward me. "Care to explain yourself, Connor?""I overslept by accident because I didn't hear my alarm," I calmly answered.Michael swiftly fired back, "Failing t

After arriving at the office the next morning, I pressed my finger against the scanner, and the machine beeped. My name and employee ID appeared on the screen. I'd clocked in at 8:27 am, which was three minutes earlier than the designated clock-in time.I turned on my computer and continued studying the employee handbook. I jotted down more notes, especially from the sections on attendance regulations and the flexible clock-in procedures. My notebook was filling up fast.At noon, everyone took their lunch before lounging around for the rest of their break. I was the only one still sitting in the office area, still poring over the employee handbook.Michael and Ian put on a little performance in the break room."Today's the second day he hasn't taken a nap during the lunch hour.""It's obviously because he's feeling embarrassed. Now that he's been caught red-handed once, he's too chicken to take naps anymore. I bet you he's abused company policy like this many times in the past."

Within minutes, a long line had formed outside the HR director's office. It stretched all the way from the doorway to the end of the hallway and around the corner.Staff from every department, including the tech, marketing, sales, and operations departments, were in line. The only ones missing were the senior executives.Everyone clutched their phones or printed copies of their attendance records, their expressions grim with anxiety. The entire line looked like a huge, writhing snake that radiated anger and unease.Francine Withers, the HR director, stepped out of her office, only to freeze when she saw the crowd gathered outside."What's going on? What's the meaning of this? Why have all of you gathered outside my office? Is this some kind of coup?"Howard, who stood at the very front, responded to her with a heavy expression, "Francine! We have a serious problem on our hands. We're here to ask about the attendance policies.""That's right! We're here for clarifications regardin

Patrick's back looked stiff, his shoulders slumped as he trudged back toward the chaotic scene outside the HR department. The crowd automatically parted to let him through, but it wasn't out of respect. They only did it so that they could surround him, making sure he was under scrutiny."Quiet down, everyone!" Patrick took a deep breath and forced himself to put on an air of authority. "If you have a problem, speak up one at a time! Why have all of you gathered here like some rowdy mob?"He wanted to take back control of the situation, but no one was buying his act anymore. Howard was the first to step forward. He waved the attendance records in his hand and said, "I just want a straight answer, Mr. Larkin. Connor lost his promotion because he exceeded his lunch break by one minute."I just checked my own records and found that I forgot to submit approvals for three instances of overtime last month. According to the rules, that counts as an infraction, too. Does that mean I'm als

At 2:50 pm, a meeting notification popped up on the company's internal messaging system."Attention, all employees. Kindly gather for a meeting at 3:00 pm in Conference Room 1."The message came from the director's office.The moment of judgment had arrived. Everyone in the office seemed to have heard the call to arms, and they all stood at once, making their way to the conference room.This time, no one was late. No one dragged their feet.The large conference room quickly filled to capacity. People were even standing in the aisles. The air was thick with tension and anticipation.Michael showed up as well. He tucked himself into the least conspicuous corner, keeping his head lowered. He was afraid to meet anyone else's gaze.After heading into the conference room, instead of choosing a seat at random, I walked straight to the front row and took the seat right in the middle. It was usually reserved for senior management and honored guests, but I took it for myself today, and no