'I told them [that] "This is going to end poorly"': IT worker has hands tied in client-related emergency since company started enforcing 'strict' overtime policy

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Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Jul 29, 2023 10:00 AM EDT

Work in IT is ever-evolving. Once you become an expert in one aspect of your job, it updates, and everything changes. But IT workers know this and choose this—they got in the game for this exact reason. It keeps them on their toes and keeps their creative problem-solving fresh and new every time. With the way society is unfolding, it appears we are always going to need IT workers. 

So why is it that toxic managers are still going to toxic manage? Why can't they evolve like the work they manage? One IT worker shared a story from the early 2010s of toxic management when he started working in IT. The client cut back 5% in pay, so OP's company wanted to cut everyone's salary by 5%. When the workers made it clear they would walk if they did such a thing, the company sent an email saying that they were going to strictly enforce a new policy for overtime. Now, nobody could take overtime without permission from the company, "no exceptions." OP immediately knew this was going to be a problem since they have instances where they have to fix something ASAP after hours. 

Of course, that day came, and his manager said he needed to come in immediately to fix an issue for the client. OP simply said he couldn't unless he got authorization from the company CEO, who happened to be on a long-weekend camping trip. The manager was furious and, come the next business day, had gotten the CEO of the company and the client's CIO to give him a talking-to. Fortunately, OP had the email stating the new overtime policy, and instead of him getting burnt, the company did. The policy was quickly redacted, and he stayed at the job for another two years. Sometimes a little malicious compliance is necessary to detoxify your upper management. 

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  • 01
    Product - Posted by u/ZeniChan 9 hours ago S No Overtime - No exceptions! M OC
    via u/negativespace
  • 02
    Font - I work in IT and worked with one client for years looking after their various networks. Normally it's a 9-5 kind of job, but if something goes wrong after hours it can become a real emergency for them quickly. One day the manager came down to visit our small team at this client's office. and years
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 03
    Font - We were told they renegotiated the contact and took a 5% cut on the job. So they asked if we would all take a 5% pay cut as well. No. No one accepted that and we were ready to walk if they tried to push it. The next
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 04
    Font - week we were told there was to be zero overtime without prior authorization of the company president himself and there are no exceptions to this iron-clad rule. They had us repeat the new policy back to them and e- mailed it to us.
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 05
    Handwriting - The only thing I said to them was "This is going to end poorly".
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 06
    Font - Two days later the core router that connects all the different parts of the big data center failed at 9:00 p.m. Our manager called my cell phone and said to jump in my car because the data center was down. I told
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 07
    Font - him that I don't have authorization from the company president who had apparently gone camping for the long weekend with his family and was out of contact. I told him sorry. I can't do any work as it hasn't been authorized. He tried to say how he's authorizing it. I
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 08
    Font - told him he specifically told us just earlier this week it has to be from the company president, and there are no exceptions. If he can get a hold of the president, then give me a call back. He was mad. The client was mad as they were told I refused to help. He left an angry voicemail for the president
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 09
    Font - about me. They did get it fixed when the manager drove himself to the data center at in the wee hours of the morning to pull the bad circuit board.
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 10
    Font - The next business day first thing in the morning the manager, the client's CIO and our company president were waiting for me to come in and told me to come in to the meeting room. It went as expected with raised voices, accusations and many "final warnings" until I pulled out the e-mail and gave it to the clients CIO to read. It took him 10
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 11
    Font - seconds to read, and then the CIO asked me to head back to my desk and carry on with my day. I never heard what was said in the room after I left. But there was a new directive that afternoon that overtime work no longer must have prior
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 12
    Font - authorization. I worked another two years there before I left for a better job. But to this day if there is rule with "No exceptions", I relate this exact story and ask them to rethink what they are about to tell us.
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 13
    Rectangle - Schlonzig +3.7 hr. ago "No exceptions" is like "zero tolerance": it throws common sense under the wheels of the bus of rules.
    via u/Schlonzig
  • 14
    Font - JoeyJoe JoeJrShab 5 hr. ago +2. Honestly, the most unexpected part of this story is where the manager drove to the data center and fixed the problem himself. Everything else went pretty much as I'd expected from reading the title.
    via u/JoeJoeJoeJrShab
  • 15
    Font - Arrasor 3 hr. ago • Nah the unexpected part is the manager knew how to fix it, not that he did it since his a would go down first had it not fixed lol. Those kind of manager is very quick to realize when they can't get out unscathed.
    via u/Arrasor
  • 16
    Font - ● corey69x 8 hr. ago I wouldn't even have answered the phone at 9pm, work phones go off at the end of work. Private phone number isn't given to anyone.
    via u/corey69x
  • 17
    Font - BMAM theothermeisnothere 4 hr. ago . I had an employment contract that stopped salary at 50 hours per week. After that, I was to get $35/hour. In 18 years at the company, I never went over 50 hours. Each time I got to 49 hours, I had to email my boss who then told me to go home. Every time. I liked that contract.
    via u/theothermeisnotthere
  • 18
    Font - . 8 hr. ago gretta_smith93 Man how often does IT have to late night fix it jobs? The IT at my company was telling me a story about how they had to come into work in the wee hours of the morning to deal with a major problem as well.
    via u/greta_smith93
  • 19
    Font - . 8 hr. ago It's very common. A lot of what we do is or can be very disruptive to things. Last week I did three nights of 2-4 hours of OT. I try to limit it, but there are times it's required. ZeniChan OP
    via u/ZeniChan
  • 20
    Font - notquitetame3 38 min. ago My husband is IT for a company that has various operations going round the clock. He'll end up with a late night on call usually at least once during his week on the rotation and, since he's the manager, he'll get called in to assist
    via u/notquitetame3
  • 21
    Font - even when he's not on rotation. The phone systems, software, etc don't care about business hours. And no, his pay isn't worth it. But thats a whole rant of its own.
    via u/notquitetame3
  • 22
    Font - not-rasta-8913 +38 hr. ago Love it when the manager gets to work unpaid overtime.
    via u/not-rasta-8913
  • 23
    Font - +2.2 hr. ago I mean, you didn't even have to ASK to get in in writing. This doc trail was voluntarily offered on a saucer. debouwvakker
    via u/debouwvakker
  • 24
    Human body - mizinamo +3 · 29 min. ago . Proving once again that all such rules must be in writing.
    via u/mizinamo

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