While I agree with the idea that we need to address corporate malicious compliance and other such behavior in very a very swift and stinging fashion I don't thi

While I agree with the idea that we need to address corporate malicious compliance and other such behavior in very a very swift and stinging fashion I don't think that this is an example of malicious compliance. Being presented with a rule and declining to do the thing that would require you to follow the rule is the opposite of malicious compliance. Malicious compliance is when you do the thing,and follow the rule but for the purpose of inflicting unanticipated damage on the entity that is compelling you to follow the rule. Imagine a situation where a parent tells their child that they must spend 60 minutes cleaning their room or they won't get ice cream. A child who says 'Yeah, no, I don't want ice cream that bad" isn't being maliciously compliant, while a child who says 'Yeah sure thing mom, 60 minutes of cleaning" while they spend that time doing cleaning their room as slowly as possible is malicious compliance.