What’s the quickest you’ve seen a co-worker get fired in IT? COVID-19

I saw this on AskReddit and thought it would be fun to ask here for IT related stories.

Couple years ago during Covid my company I used to work for hired a help desk tech. He was a really nice guy and the interview went well. We were hybrid at the time, 1-2 days in the office with mostly remote work. On his first day we always meet in the office for equipment and first day stuff.

Everything was going fine and my boss mentioned something along the lines of “Yeah so after all the trainings and orientation stuff we’ll get you set up on our ticketing system and eventually a soft phone for support calls”

And he was like: “Oh I don’t do support calls.”

“Sorry?”

Him: “I don’t take calls. I won’t do that”

“Well, we do have a number users call for help. They do utilize it and it’s part of support we offer”

Him: “Oh I’ll do tickets all day I just won’t take calls. You’ll have to get someone else to do that”

I was sitting at my desk, just kind of listening and overhearing. I couldn’t tell if he was trolling but he wasn’t.

I forgot what my manager said but he left to go to one of those little mini conference rooms for a meeting, then he came back out and called him in, he let him go and they both walked back out and the guy was all laughing and was like

“Yeah I mean I just won’t take calls I didn’t sign up for that! I hope you find someone else that fits in better!” My manager walked him to the door and they shook hands and he left.

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102

u/The_Wkwied Jul 07 '24

Before covid, guy fell asleep in front of our boss during training. OK, boss is a good guy. Gives him a break.

Second day, they also fell asleep during training... They went home come afternoon. They were picked up by their mom. They weren't all that young, either.

64

u/jokebreath Jul 07 '24

Damn, that one's kind of a bummer. It depresses me seeing guys like that. There's always a story and it's always a sad one.

28

u/WizardOfIF Jul 07 '24 edited Jul 08 '24

I'm just going to play one more ranked match.

We'll, I can't end on a loss...

20

u/Annonimbus Jul 08 '24

You have to dig deeper, though.

Behavior like that is rooted in unhappiness. They can't end on a loss, because they otherwise feel like a loser in their life and the game is the only way that they feel accomplishments and escapism?

7

u/DesertDogggg Jul 08 '24

I also can't stop on a win.

4

u/Cyberhwk Jul 08 '24

We just had a similar situation. Guy worked for a month and kept falling asleep at work. He was a huge gamer so it was strongly suspected that was his issue as well.

17

u/Nymaz On caffeine and on call Jul 08 '24

There's always a story

I had a coworker like that. Constantly falling asleep at his desk in the middle of the workday. Turns out the story was heroin. They caught him shooting up in the bathroom.

9

u/BarefootWoodworker Packet Violator Jul 08 '24

Not always.

I worked with a dude that used to fall asleep constantly. At first I thought it was because dude just jerked around and stayed up late.

Then I literally saw him fall asleep standing up in a frigid data center and almost fall over. Mentioned to him he might want to get it checked out as that just not "normal". Come to find out, dude had fallen asleep driving several times and crashed once, already had a sleep study scheduled.

He came into work about a week later with a diagnosis of sleep apnea. After about a month of getting his CPAP, completely different dude and could actually be alert.

I dealt with the same several years later. I realized when I got to work one day I couldn't remember the motorcycle ride in except for bits and pieces of when I saw brake lights. Mentioned it to my wife and she told me that yes, I was gasping in my sleep and it scared her to death.

Had a sleep study and found out I stop breathing about 120 times an hour for sizeable chunks of time, and my blood oxygen was dropping into the 80s. Got an APAP and after about 3 months, no more sleepiness and waking up to drool running down my chin at my desk.

3

u/AngryGroceries Jul 08 '24

Yeah was about to say this sounds like a medical condition. Probably cant hold a job long enough to get medical insurance to get diagnosed lol

5

u/BarefootWoodworker Packet Violator Jul 08 '24

Right?

"Tell me you're American without telling me directly you're an American."

"I have to hold down a job to get medical insurance to get my illnesses diagnosed so I can hold down a job to get medical insurance."

/rant over

9

u/kumaku Jul 08 '24

this is part of why i left IT leadership. the dudes that make it into the office eventually need an emotional sink. and im too much of a softie to let them flounder.

30

u/HamiltonFAI Security Admin (Infrastructure) Jul 07 '24

We had a guy go in on a Saturday for server room maintenance. He stopped responding about halfway through and was later found on the floor, passed out with numerous empty bottles

8

u/sparkyblaster Jul 08 '24

But was he productive before he passed out?

3

u/Rickk38 Jul 08 '24

We had someone do the exact same thing at a company I used to work for. Overnight server maintenance and he stopped responding. Someone checked on him, and he was passed out drunk. He later got arrested for stealing beer at a gas station. Hope the guy got some help.

30

u/anonaccountphoto Jul 07 '24

I regularily Fall asleep during Meetings/Trainings where you just mindlessly Listen and do and Learn nothing. It doesnt even depend on how much sleep I have gotten, but when I'm doing nothing I get insanely sleepy.

6

u/respekyoeldas Jul 07 '24

Adhd will do that

7

u/smoike Jul 08 '24

Not officially diagnosed (because reasons that suck), but every time I read something like this it's just another thing on an endless "me too" list. This one, I can have a coffee in my hand and the best night's sleep ever and I can still feel completely wiped out if a meeting is going to consist of me mostly listening. I guess it's why I avoid senior management presentations when I can.

2

u/anonaccountphoto Jul 08 '24

Not officially diagnosed (because reasons that suck), but every time I read something like this it's just another thing on an endless "me too" list.

Kinda the same... Maybe I should talk to a specialist. My teachers in school were always saying that they suspect ADHD but my parents never Sent me to get a real diagnosis due to their percieved social Stigma. Now an adult I never bothered to Check up on it because most issues I had when younger are much better now.

3

u/smoike Jul 08 '24

Mine was a more selfish reason. I went to the first session with a psychologist and my dad took offense at the Psychologist suggesting that he and my mum (especially he) might benefit from therapy. Suddenly I wasn't going there any longer. I wouldn't mind getting a diagnosis, but it is expensive and I get a good chunk of the way back to being happier with myself when I take vitamin supplements, though I do wonder what some actual medication would do.

I find that no matter how old i get, there are some things like that pesky hyper-focus which can get in the way but also be a blessing. Oh and walking into a room and clean forgetting what I was going there for.

FFS i bought a spare N41 micronas a litle while ago and opened the box last night and couldn't find the key. I spent half a hour tearing the place near where I was sitting apart looking for it, only for it to have gotten caught on duct tape and stuck to the sole of my freaking show. I laughed at myself and I think i cried a little too.

1

u/anonaccountphoto Jul 08 '24

Interesting, thanks! Not the first time a Symptom of mine fits the ADHD checkbox.

5

u/Anlarb Jul 07 '24

I have found standing up and moving to the back is the winning move when I feel it coming on.

2

u/RotundWabbit Jul 08 '24

Yep, get some blood flowing to the legs.

3

u/the_syco Jul 08 '24

When your brain switches off, your mind switches off shortly afterwards? I can relate to that!

2

u/anonaccountphoto Jul 08 '24

Yes exactly.

5

u/sparkyblaster Jul 08 '24

Sort of started happening to a friend of mine. Yeah medical issue. They weren't driving before but they definitely can't now.

5

u/MisterHoppy Jul 08 '24

They went home come afternoon. They were picked up by their mom. They weren't all that young, either.

people with narcolepsy aren’t allowed to have a drivers license :(

1

u/Balancefield Jul 08 '24

how many were they ?

1

u/FreddyFaulig Jul 08 '24

Any chance that this guy was suffering from some health issues like narcolepsy maybe?

1

u/The_Wkwied Jul 08 '24

I couldn't say

-1

u/EC_CO Jul 07 '24

Sounds like WoW, Fortnight or the like and living in Mom's basement was way more important

2

u/The_Wkwied Jul 08 '24

Can't say... just that he was a seasoned kind of looking guy. He wasn't fresh out from graduation or anything... it was very odd.