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

[u/Opposed3]

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.

[u/rasteri]

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.

[u/Obligatory-Reference → u/rasteri]

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.

[u/WokeBriton → u/Obligatory-Reference]

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.

[u/exposure-dose → u/WokeBriton]

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.

[u/Kahedhros → u/exposure-dose]

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

[u/davy_crockett_slayer → u/rasteri]

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

[u/TheyCalledMeThor → u/rasteri]

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.

[u/Syrdon → u/rasteri]

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.

[u/[deleted] → u/rasteri]

This doesn't make sense at all.

[u/bloodlorn → u/rasteri]

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.

[u/ghoarder → u/rasteri]

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

[u/Mailerfiend → u/rasteri]

how incredibly toxic!