Working to rule

Dienst nach Vorschrift — service according to regulation. Doing precisely what the rules require and nothing beyond.

In Germany this is a recognised form of industrial action. Following instructions exactly is understood to damage the employer, because the organisation depends on people exercising judgment the rules do not describe.

It is also used as an insult about an individual. To say somebody does Dienst nach Vorschrift is to say they have stopped thinking.

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