Dienst nach Vorschrift

"Dienst nach Vorschrift" describes the deliberate decision to do only what rules and job descriptions explicitly require, with no extra initiative or goodwill. The best English equivalent depends on whether the context is a formal labor dispute or a personal attitude toward work.

1. work-to-rule · labor relations

The standard labor-relations term: employees follow all rules strictly to slow operations, typically as a collective industrial action that stops short of a full strike.

Die Gewerkschaft rief zum Dienst nach Vorschrift auf, nachdem die Tarifverhandlungen gescheitert waren.
The union called for a work-to-rule after the wage negotiations broke down.
Ein Dienst nach Vorschrift bei der Bahn führte zu stundenlangen Verspätungen im gesamten Netz.
A work-to-rule by rail staff caused hours of delays across the entire network.

2. doing the bare minimum [informal]

Best suited when describing an individual's attitude of not going above and beyond, rather than a coordinated labor action.

Seit er keine Beförderung bekommen hat, macht er nur noch Dienst nach Vorschrift.
Ever since he was passed over for promotion, he's just been doing the bare minimum.
Dauerhafter Dienst nach Vorschrift fällt Führungskräften oft erst dann auf, wenn Projekte ins Stocken geraten.
Consistently doing the bare minimum often only comes to a manager's attention when projects start to stall.

3. malicious compliance [informal]

Emphasizes the subversive angle: rules are followed to the letter precisely to expose their absurdity or to frustrate management's actual intent.

Die Vorschriften verlangten für jede Kleinigkeit einen schriftlichen Antrag: die Belegschaft betrieb Dienst nach Vorschrift mit Ansage.
The regulations required a written request for every minor matter: the staff responded with pure malicious compliance.
Sein Dienst nach Vorschrift war so konsequent, dass der Chef das absurde Regelwerk schließlich überarbeiten musste.
His malicious compliance was so thorough that the manager eventually had no choice but to revise the absurd rulebook.

Notes

"Work-to-rule" is a fixed technical term in labor law and sounds more neutral than "malicious compliance", which carries a deliberately provocative connotation. For everyday talk about unmotivated employees, "doing the bare minimum" is the most natural choice. "Quiet quitting" is a related recent coinage but implies a broader psychological withdrawal from one's role, not merely strict rule-following.

Synonyms

Bummelstreik

Related phrases

Streik Arbeitsverweigerung Tarifstreit Gewerkschaft Diensteifer Engagement innere Kündigung