We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
HR

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Work to Rule?

Malcolm Tatum
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 14,087
Share

Work to rule is a labor practice that is sometimes employed as a means of workers logging dissatisfaction with employers. Essentially, in a work-to-rule situation, employees remain on the job and carefully perform each and every task that is explicitly associated with the work position. However, the employee ceases to perform any ancillary tasks that may be related to the core duties associated with the job.

In many instances, employees do tend to perform tasks that are not directly related to the job description of the position held. For example, the job description for an Accounts Payable clerk may not explicitly include tasks that are associated with helping to generate invoices to customers. In a work to rule situation, the AP clerk would perform the Payable functions considered to be directly associated with the position, but would not touch anything connected with the Receivables. Thus, the clerk is performing the minimum required by contract, and is in theory less likely to be disciplined for non-compliance or failure to perform the minimum required to retain the position.

Work to rule is sometimes utilized when employees are unhappy with working conditions, but do not wish to stage a walkout or force a shutdown of the business. The idea behind the work to rule is that it is possible to make the point by ceasing to perform what amounts to extra tasks above and beyond the basic job description. Ancillary tasks that remain undone can make it clear to the employer how much above and beyond the basic terms of the work contract are handled by the employees on a daily basis, and thus encourage employers to listen to employee demands and work to reach a resolution that is mutually agreeable to both parties.

However, it should be noted that not all employers react favorably to the work to rule strategy. Many employee contracts today contain clauses that allow for a broader interpretation of duties related to a given position, often allowing the employer to add tasks that are not specifically addressed in the original contract. When this is the case, the employer may determine that work to rule is in fact a violation of the work contract and terminate the employee on the basis of non-compliance.

Share
SmartCapitalMind is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Malcolm Tatum
By Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing to become a full-time freelance writer. He has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including SmartCapitalMind, and his work has also been featured in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and newspapers. When not writing, Malcolm enjoys collecting vinyl records, following minor league baseball, and cycling.
Discussion Comments
By MissDaphne — On Jul 09, 2012

This kind of protest is tailor-made for teachers (my profession). I've never been involved in one myself, but a friend of mine was part of it.

See, teachers can't really do a labor strike; it's often against their contract and plus it makes them look bad. But most teachers do a lot more work than their "contract hours." They come in early and stay late.

So when they do a work to rule protest, they come in exactly at 8:30 or 7:45 or whatever their contract calls for and leave at precisely 2:45 or 3:15 or whatever. No late parent conferences, no extra planning, etc.

By anon35432 — On Jul 05, 2009

Address the issue of when there is already a team of person already getting paid to do a job but other woirkers who are not getting paied to do that job and did not apply for that job are being forced to do other employees' work.

Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing...
Learn more
Share
https://www.smartcapitalmind.com/what-is-work-to-rule.htm
Copy this link
SmartCapitalMind, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

SmartCapitalMind, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.