for the overlooked, the undervalued, & those working within the system: your position isn’t a weakness, it’s a strategic vantage point. here’s how to create friction without breaking a thing.
your power comes from access. you see the daily operations, the paperwork, the inefficiencies. use this knowledge. small, collective actions by low-level workers can slow a system faster than one grand gesture.
safety 1st: never endanger yourself or others. always have plausible deniability: “mistakes happen” “i misunderstood” “the system is so slow”
protect your peace & your paycheck.
the goal is FRICTION, not destruction. slow down unjust processes. increase the cost of oppression in time, money, & frustration. create bureaucratic shields for the vulnerable. lower the morale of abusers.
this is about the “human element.” inefficiency, confusion, delays, & “stupid” questions are your tools. you are not being difficult; you are being deliberate. you are making the machine grind its gears.
for the office workers, assistants, & coordinators: you govern the flow of information. here’s how to introduce strategic friction:
“the lost file” • misfile important documents for problematic projects or managers. use obscure digital folders or the wrong physical drawer. “it must have been misfiled during the audit.”
“the approval maze” • for any dubious request, insist on written approvals from multiple departments. “i’d love to help! i just need sign-off from legal, hr, & finance first to protect everyone”
“the typo cascade” • introduce minor, hard-to-catch errors in critical reports or schedules. a transposed number, a misspelled name, this triggers rework & delays. “oh no, a typo slipped through!”
“schedule sanctuary” • when booking for difficult leaders, double-book their calendars. schedule meetings in inconvenient locations. blame “calendar sync issues”
“supply chain glitch” • forget to order crucial supplies for oppressive departments. order the wrong, non-returnable items. “the vendor must have sent the wrong sku.”
the overly helpful inefficiency. leverage expectations of accommodation & “niceness” to create strategic slowdowns. for those who are told to “be more helpful.”
“can you explain that again?” • play into stereotypes. ask for repeated, lengthy explanations of simple tasks from condescending superiors. waste their time under the guise of “wanting to get it right.”
“the concerned compliance officer.” • voice exaggerated worry about minor policy breaches. “i’m just concerned we could be liable if we don’t follow the full 14-step protocol for this…”
“the maternal/parental delay” • use caregiving as unassailable, society-approved cover. “apologies for the delay, i had a family care emergency.” this is often met with sympathy, not suspicion.
“the helpful over-communicator” • flood channels with lengthy, unnecessary updates & clarifications. bury important requests in walls of text. efficiency drowns in thoroughness.
your “helpfulness” becomes a tool. you’re not refusing. you’re bogging things down in procedure, concern, & meticulousness. it’s a form of bureaucratic jiu-jitsu.
protective bureaucracy: how to shield your colleagues. use your procedural knowledge to create shields for those targeted. be a guardian of the paperwork.
slow-walk harmful actions • if processing a punitive write-up or layoff, “get confused” by the forms. require additional, hard-to-get signatures. send it to the wrong department for “verification.”
create unofficial alerts • develop a subtle, deniable signal system. a specific emoji in a group chat. a particular mug on a desk. a code phrase: “is the printer working?” to warn of a looming audit or angry manager.
misunderstand to protect • if asked to gather info that could be used against a colleague, “misunderstand.” provide aggregated, outdated, or irrelevant data. “i thought you meant last quarter’s metrics?”
become a firewall • route abusive communications through yourself. “i’ll pass that along!” & then… don’t. or rephrase it neutrally. you control the message.
your role as a processor can be a protector. you can insert time, confusion, & kindness between malice & its target.
customer-facing resistance for retail, service, & frontline workers. you’re the face of the system. you can also be its gentle saboteur.
“the misdirect” • for abusive customers/clients, give politely wrong info. “they’re in building c today!” (they’re not) send them on a wild goose chase. always be apologetic.
“system’s down” • casually mention the system is “incredibly slow today.” click with painful, deliberate slowness. sigh at the screen. “technology, right?”
“rulebook rigidity” • enforce every petty policy to the letter with troublesome people. for the kind & vulnerable, be flexibly helpful. you are the judge of who gets the “rules.”
“the vocal sympathizer” • loudly express sympathy for a customer wronged by a bad policy. “i know, it’s such a ridiculous rule, i’m so sorry.” publicly highlight absurdity under the guise of customer assistance.
“selective incompetence” • forget how to process certain troublesome transactions. need to get a manager who is mysteriously unavailable. “i’m so new/trained on a different system.”
digital & communication sabotage for the plugged-in resistor. your keyboard is your tool.
email tactics • the ‘oops’ bcc: “accidentally” bcc a reasonable higher-up on an email chain showing unreasonable demands. the slow roll: take hours (or a day) to reply to non-urgent emails from problem people (“inbox was swamped!”).
selective ‘poor connection’ • on video calls, let your connection “go buggy” only when you or an ally are speaking. “you’re breaking up, could you repeat that?” build frustration.
“reply-all apocalypse” • on a broad, non-essential email from leadership, hit “reply all” with a mundane question. watch the inbox flood with unnecessary replies & bury real work.
digital organization chaos • create labyrinthine shared drives. use useless folder names: “archive_final_v2_old” & remove helpful tags. chaos is a great demoralizer.
“the password hassle” • forget passwords for low-priority systems, triggering time-consuming i.t. resets. “i must have written it down wrong.”
collective & psychological actions: resistance is stronger together. here’s how to build covert solidarity & lower the morale of oppressors.
lowering morale • the silent freeze: when a toxic person speaks in a group, offer no nods, no “mmhms.” let their words hang in dead air. the unsettling compliment: “that was a very… confident… presentation.”
spread the “inefficiency virus” • casually normalize slowness. “yeah, everything takes forever since the new policy.” make it seem environmental, not personal. a collective mood.
build covert solidarity • create off-platform in-person “gripe groups” (never discuss illegal acts). use them to share intel: “he’s in a mood today,” “new policy release next week,” etc.
document everything! • privately & securely, log unfair policies, abusive incidents, ethical breaches. this archive is potential future leverage & a truth-telling tool.
redirect credit • if a manager steals a subordinate’s idea, subtly interject. “yes, building on [colleague’s] excellent point from our team huddle…” name the good names.
know your local labor laws • organize legally through unions where possible. use official reporting channels IF safe. prioritize your mental & physical well-being.
the most powerful, enduring resistance is organized, collective, public (when safe), & grounded in legal+ethical solidarity.
your humanity is not a tool. protect it & care for your community.
we can fight for a better world without losing ourselves in the process.
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