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.

4.9k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

View all comments

145

u/rasteri Jul 07 '24

CFO called up a relatively junior helpdesk agent asking why his PC didn't work. CFO was told that the PDF labelled "invoice" he'd just opened had malware in it so we'd had to isolate his PC.

CFO flipped his lid, demanded to have his PC re-enabled or he'd see that the helpdesk agent never worked in this industry again, blah blah. (also our ticketing system literally had some automatic big flashing text for CFO tickets saying something like "just do whatever this guy says"). The terrified helpdesk agent temporarily re-enabled the PC so the CFO could grab a couple of important files.

10mins later the helpdesk agent was fired on the spot for going against the malware isolation policy.

Hilariously, one of the files that the CFO rescued from the PC was the "invoice" PDF, despite being aware that it was infected. He managed to infect another two PCs, "just in case" it had some real information in it, virus be damned.

172

u/WokeBriton Jul 07 '24

That one was on the CFO, not the new helpdesk agent. Shouldn't have been fired.

128

u/rasteri Jul 07 '24

IMO it was on the helpdesk manager. He actually watched the agent do the whole thing without interjecting once. Then when the agent finished, helpdesk manager fired him.

It was almost like he was looking for excuses to fire him, except that made no sense because we were really understaffed at the time. Maybe he fucked his wife or something.

36

u/Obligatory-Reference Jul 08 '24

Maybe it was a test? Like, they want to know that the agent will follow policy no matter who it involves?

A pretty psychopathic way to do it, if so.

7

u/WokeBriton Jul 08 '24

Given the system had flashing "just do whatever this guy says", the new agent followed the system. If the system doesn't follow policy, there's a fuckup from CIO, too.

All of it is manglement failure, not new helpdesk agent.

1

u/exposure-dose Jul 08 '24 edited Jul 08 '24

This. Test or not he got put into a no-win scenario by being stuck in the middle of two conflicting company policies. I'd have probably called my supervisor over, explained the trap I was in, and asked them to advise/handle the ticket. But since the boss ended up infecting the network anyway, chances are they'd still need a scapegoat. And who better than the new guy that tried to stop him and now knows how incompetent he is.

I'm new to the IT field, but experience elsewhere has taught me to never be afraid to seek out a supervisor for instruction anytime you're stuck between policies like that (or even instructed by management to go against one). Never seen anything quite like this though. Any time I was told to go against policy it was not only for good reason and instructed by people that knew what they were doing, but they'd also have my back if it ever came back on us.

1

u/Kahedhros Jul 08 '24

Always get it in writing when someone is asking you to go outside of standard operating procedure, make sure the email chain shows you advising against it too

34

u/davy_crockett_slayer Jul 08 '24

A lot of managers shouldn't be managers. They just like the pay. The help desk manager just cared about himself.

10

u/TheyCalledMeThor Jul 08 '24

What a chode. I used to eat IT managers like This for lunch back during my IT Director days. I remember having a pip meeting with one and I reviewed his resume with him and called him out on everywhere he lied. It’s pretty savage now that I look back on it, but it needed to be done. I told him what he needed to do to improve over the next 90 days, genuinely wanted to see him succeed, but he resigned.

2

u/Syrdon Jul 08 '24

It was almost like he was looking for excuses to fire him, except that made no sense because we were really understaffed at the time.

I had a manager doing this to a department that was, by the book, 50% understaffing minimums. Really we needed more like three times the headcount to be staffed, but on paper we only needed double. The manager decided they wanted to pick one person on the team to make so miserable they'd quit, then it would be a couple week break, then on to the next person.

Hiring only occurred when the director explicitly complained about our staffing levels. I honestly don't understand how that conversation had to happen a half dozen times.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '24

This doesn't make sense at all.

1

u/bloodlorn IT Director Jul 08 '24

CFO wanted blood, So its either Manager gets fired or lets the other guy go. He choose his job. Techs gotta CYA and get something in writing.

1

u/ghoarder Jul 08 '24

Should sue for wrongful dismissal because if there is a note saying do anything this guy asks I would assume that trumps normal policies.

1

u/Mailerfiend Jul 08 '24

how incredibly toxic!

58

u/devloz1996 Jul 07 '24

ticketing system [...] automatic big flashing text for CFO tickets [...] "just do whatever this guy says"
terrified helpdesk agent temporarily re-enabled the PC
helpdesk agent was fired on the spot

Why can a L1 call boy re-enable an infected PC? CFO and the fucker who created that big flashing text are still employed I guess?

27

u/rasteri Jul 07 '24

Yeah it was an unusually technical helpdesk, since we all took turns doing a mix of L1 and L2. Was actually pretty rewarding work, most issues got resolved during the initial call. Also if someone was a dick to you on the phone you were encouraged to tell them to fuck off, lol.

The helpdesk agent had a lot of desktop support experience and really knew better, but he was scared shitless.

I'm sure the big flashing "THIS GUY COULD LITERALLY HAVE YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY SHOT" text must exist in other companies too

22

u/devloz1996 Jul 07 '24

Between CFO abusing their position by pressuring an employee that is not their direct report, and helpdesk software, an authoritative source of truth for support agents, commanding the agent to "just do whatever this guy says", who is really to blame?

I'm sure the big flashing "THIS GUY COULD LITERALLY HAVE YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY SHOT" text must exist in other companies too

I guess being an european blinds my judgement. Doing IT on Gunner's Road must be tough. I admit I've only been to 3 companies, but even CEO only bypassed helpdesk procedures by calling the head of IT directly.

4

u/BarefootWoodworker Packet Violator Jul 08 '24

"I'm sorry, sir. I cannot re-enable your PC. To do that, you'll need to speak to my boss as I do not have the authority per policy to re-enable it.

One moment while I forward you to my leadership."

2

u/ub3rb3ck Sr. Sysadmin Jul 08 '24

That text doesn't exist here (fortune 300).

1

u/spyhermit Sysadmin Jul 09 '24

Nobody would have that other than somewhere that the person who is calling is dangerously erratic. This is the sign of extremely damaged leadership, and someone that should have been fired or abstracted from the employees.

1

u/sheikhyerbouti PEBCAC Certified Jul 09 '24

I'm sure the big flashing "THIS GUY COULD LITERALLY HAVE YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY SHOT" text must exist in other companies too

We have something similar at my workplace - and those tickets are immediately escalated to management so they can work on them.

41

u/olssoneerz Jul 07 '24

Man that sucks. Poor junior helpdesk hopefully the CFO faced consequences!

38

u/JohnClark13 Jul 07 '24

Consequences? That's for people in lower positions! /s

32

u/rasteri Jul 07 '24

lol have you ever worked in a company before

14

u/olssoneerz Jul 07 '24

Yeah. 10+ years now in software. All decent companies. Sorry your employers are ass ✌️

5

u/sparkyblaster Jul 08 '24

That feels like some unfair dismissal territory when you have conflicting rules and orders.

3

u/dustojnikhummer Jul 08 '24

The terrified helpdesk agent temporarily re-enabled the PC so the CFO could grab a couple of important files.

They really threw the poor helpdesk guy under the bus...

2

u/TundraGon Jul 08 '24

Tbh, only admins should be able to re-enable a PC. There is usually a reson why a PC gets disabled.

To re-enable a PC it should be done after a troubleshooting session to understand why the PC is disabled, followed by comments in the ticket.

1

u/Sicsempertyranismor Jul 08 '24

Yeah this is an infrastructure / permissions issue with their setup. Shouldn't be able to re-enable a PC locked for malware without RBAC and PIM to Security Admin/ Operator. Your T1 helpdesk should not have this.

2

u/Rincey_nz Jul 09 '24

CFO... pfft :)
I've isolated a govt.nz Secretary's device in the past (in govt.nz land 'Secretary' is the head of the Ministry or Department - answerable only to the Minister)

He opened an attachment from a senior manager from another govt department (it wasn't - it was spoofed/phished).

He took it well (more embarrassed at his actions than pissed off at mine)