When choosing between the efficiency of the company's work processes and a strong desire to get a relative a great job, what will you choose as a boss? Paradoxically, there are many companies whose higher-ups pick the first (and then rant about “staff shortage" - but that's another story...)
Well today's tale, first told by the user u/StormShadowJoe, will tell you about one of such companies. One can only marvel at the patience of the author, who worked in the same place for 12 years without any promotions or pay raises. However, let's just cut to the chase.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post had been working in a small IT company of around 45 employees for 12 years
Image credits: Antoni Shkraba Studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The author worked as an information systems manager and had a wide range of responsibilities, making him a crucial cog in the machine
Image credits: StormShadowJoe
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
At the same time, all the author's requests for getting promoted through all these years have been in vain
Image credits: StormShadowJoe
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
However, another guy who came to the company at the same time climbed the ladder, becoming a chief admin and the author's boss
Image credits: StormShadowJoe
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
So one day, upon bringing that guy a 1-week PTO request, the author faced a demand to give him a "crash course" before actually going on vacation
Image credits: StormShadowJoe
It turned out the chief admin was the CEO's cousin - but the author issued them both an ultimatum of either approving his PTO request or signing his 2-week notice
So, the Original Poster (OP) had been working in one company for 12 years, and during this time he had become a very important cog in this small corporate machine (about 45 employees, as the author says). He worked as a systems manager, and over the years he had asked for a promotion or pay raise more than once, but was rejected every time.
However, another employee, who joined the company at about the same time, had already managed to rise to the rank of chief admin, and became our hero's immediate boss. So one fine day, when the author brought him a 1-week PTO application for signing, the boss demanded a 2-week "crash course" in response - just in case.
Of course, teaching him a decade's worth of IT knowledge wasn't feasible, and our hero simply recommended that in case of any emergencies, he simply contact their service provider. But the chief admin persisted - and said that otherwise he wouldn’t approve the PTO. The result was a meeting with the CEO and the chief admin, where the author found out that they were actually cousins.
Our hero issued an ultimatum - either they sign his 1-week PTO, or they’d have to sign his 2-week notice. The higher-ups chickened out - but then they still tried to trick him into teaching a free IT course for the boss. But our hero had already realized the real state of affairs and began actively looking for a new job. With his experience and skills, finding a new, higher-paid place was quite possible.
Image credits: Collins Lesulie / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Of course, it’s quite reasonable that the company wants to play it safe in case such an important employee goes on vacation - but it’s the action plan that the author suggested to the management that is usually considered typical in most companies. Simply pass on the basic instructions to colleagues - and in case of an emergency, contacting the service providers.
Here, the original poster was essentially pressured to give a free express course on transferring all his knowledge and skills for a decade - and this seems completely weird. Moreover, experts do assure that the requirement to train one's replacement as the main condition of PTO approval clearly contradicts the labor laws.
In general, the situation looks like the OP was clearly not appreciated at his (hopefully former) job and, perhaps, they were secretly trying to prepare a replacement for him. By the way, many commenters also agreed with this. “In reality he wanted you to ‘train’ him because he wants to be able to terminate you down the road,” someone wrote in the comments.
Responders also believed that the author definitely should have looked for a new job a few years ago. "Honestly no raise or promotion 12 years in IT. It’s about the time you stopped being their whipping boy" - this was probably the wisest of all pieces of advice given to the author. So do you, our dear readers, also agree with this?
Most commenters simply told the author to search for a new job immediately as this company had been mistreating him for years
