'You want me to resign? Well, good luck without me!': Disrespected engineer refuses to take on project during vacation, hands in resignation the day he comes back to work

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jun 23, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

Let this story serve as a friendly reminder to the employers out there who are prone to making impulsive decisions. Before you fire someone, make sure they're not the only person who knows how to complete a certain project. Otherwise, things may very well fall apart, as they did when this hot-headed boss gave his only capable worker an ultimatum he would come to regret.

After an on-site trip that was far more work than this author was promised, he put his foot down and told his boss that he would not be traveling for similar-sized projects again and would be handling future jobs remotely. He also had his pre-scheduled two-week vacation coming up when his boss put him on a project that looked like an absolute mess. Not only was the author's request regarding on-site projects completely ignored, but he was also pressured to get an obscene job completed right as he was starting his vacation. The employee stood his ground, which caused his ill-tempered boss to request that he resign. Since the worker was already seeing this coming, he was happy to oblige…

Advertisement
  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10519158528
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • It seems like this employee had decided he would not be messed with any longer after his last disastrous project. Unlike many other employees who may find themselves in similar dire work environments, the author was lucky enough to have savings he could rely on if he needed to resign. The best part was that he scheduled his final two weeks of work during that same pre-scheduled vacation, meaning his last day on the job would be his day back from vacation.

  • 02
    Disclaimer 1: On mobile and English is not my first language, so apologies for any mistakes and bad formatting.
    via Sa1nic
  • 03
    Disclaimer 2: Labor laws in my country probably differ from labor laws in your's, so I'll try to explain them when they are important to the story. It is going to be a long one, sorry about that
    via Sa1nic
  • 04
    For the last 10 years I've been working from home as automation engineer for a relatively small company what produced custom-built industrial gas treatment units (industrial chillers, compressors stations,
    via Sa1nic
  • 05
    that sort of thing). My job was to write algorithms for PLCs, design HMI, and setting up data transfer for customers SCADA systems.
    via Sa1nic
  • 06
    Basically I was the person who told machines what to do. I was getting significant below market pay for such position, but with only 4-5 project per year and
    via Sa1nic
  • 07
    each taking me 2-3 weeks to complete, I wasn't arguing, since I was getting paid for mostly doing nothing and I was fortunate enough to have considerable passive income thanks to lucky investments of my inheritance.
    via Sa1nic
  • 08
    Everything was great until couple years ago, when owner decided to retire and sold the company. So here comes new managment with new policies.
    via Sa1nic
  • 09
    In my country every worker entitled to at least 4 weeks of paid vacation time per year all unspent vacation is rolled other to the next year, but you have to take at least 2 uninterrupted
    via Sa1nic
  • 10
    weeks per year, so if you only take your mandatory vacation, you accumulate 14 additional days per year. Given how much free time I actually had I rarely used more than mandatory 2
    via Sa1nic
  • 11
    weeks per year, always making sure what there be no commissioning or maintenance planned during my vacation. (During these events I would remotely access maintenance
    via Sa1nic
  • 12
    engineer's laptop to make neccessary adjustments to the algorithms, so everything works perfectly in real working conditions).
    via Sa1nic
  • 13
    But one of the first policies new managment implemented was schedule based vacations. So now O had to decide when I take my 2 weeks at the start of the year. I chose first weeks of April.
    via Sa1nic
  • 14
    In early March I get a call from manager of the development team who asks me to come on a quick 3 day work trip to help maintenance engineer switch plc and upload new project.
    via Sa1nic
  • 15
    Apparently thanks to new maintenance team manager a lot of maintenance engineers quit and they are short stuffed and the only one they can send atm is bad with computer. "Where isn't
    via Sa1nic
  • 16
    much for me to do, since we had identical station going through the same plc switch month prior, so I'll just fly there, chill, until electrical panel is rewired, new
    via Sa1nic
  • 17
    plc is installed, when I just upload new project to plc and fly home" - I thought for myself and agreed to go.
    via Sa1nic
  • 18
    Apparently maintenance engineer not only bad with computers, but also knows nothing about electrical work, so I had to do everything myself which I am not
    via Sa1nic
  • 19
    actually qualified to do, but at this point I don't want to disappoint client, who turned out to be a bunch of really nice people, so after a week and with
    via Sa1nic
  • 20
    only 3 burned down fuses | finished. After returning home I inform my manager what I am not going to any more business trips since I don't get paid enough to also do maintenance engineer's work.
    via Sa1nic
  • 21
    First say of my vacation comes and I get another call. Despite my poor judgment I decided to answer:
    via Sa1nic
  • 22
    . Hey, we need tou to go on another business trip starting next Monday, it will just take a week, it for this project
    via Sa1nic
  • 23
    • I'm not familiar with that project, it was done while I was on paternity leave (in my country either parent can take paternity/maternity leave up to 3 years and after first 6 months my wife asked me to switch).
    via Sa1nic
  • 24
    . Yeah, we had to contract a specialist to do that project while you are on leave, I'll send it to you along with documentation right away. disconnects
    via Sa1nic
  • 25
    Cheezburger Image 10519159296
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 26
    I check recieved project and it is huge - 7 PLC's, 6 HMI panels, everything has to work as a single system, and project is a total mess, nothing would work,
    via Sa1nic
  • 27
    you just has to do everything from scratch, will probably take me close to a month to finish. And that is with doing everything from comfort of my own home where I am more productive. So I call back:
    via Sa1nic
  • 28
    Yeah, I looked at this project and that's a mess, it's not in the working condition and no way to finish it in a week.
    via Sa1nic
  • 29
    I'll do what I can do, but as I said last time, I'm doing it remotely, as always, I won't go on another business trip, especially now, I have to many things planned for the next few weeks, I can't go.
    via Sa1nic
  • 30
    • But reception on site is terrible, you won't be able to access it remotely. And we already missed all deadlines on this project, client is p ed and we are looking at huge fines. CEO is breathing down my neck, we need it fixed yesterday.
    via Sa1nic
  • 31
    . • Then I'll email maintenance engineer project with changes each eavning once he is in hotel with decent reception and he can email me list of things what need fixing, it's not the first time we done it that way.
    via Sa1nic
  • 32
    Ok, I hear you, I'll have to speak with CEO about. About 15 minutes later I get another call.
    via Sa1nic
  • 33
    . CEO said what if you don't want to go, you should just write a resignation letter.
    via Sa1nic
  • 34
    . Hmmm, I am the only employee who knows how to וויו do my job, but yeah, sure, I'll send my resignation letter right away.
    via Sa1nic
  • 35
    I was thinking about not doing it so they had to terminate me and pay me termination compensation, but when I decided to be petty in a different
    via Sa1nic
  • 36
    way - in my country you had to give at least 2 weeks notice, unless both parties agree to shorter notice. So I write my letter and set my resignation day as 14th of April which is 2 weeks. Shortly after it gets approved. Did is done. And I get another call a bit later:
    via Sa1nic
  • 37
    So, will you be able to finish this project before you leave? -I won't be able to do any work on that project before I leave. -What? Why? You still have 2 weeks and we really need it done.
    via Sa1nic
  • 38
    -Well, you see, I am on vacation right now, last day of my vacation will me April 13th and I am resigning on 14th.
    via Sa1nic
  • 39
    Fallout: I recently got a message from ex colleague I have friendly relationship with apparantly they are in deep right now, deadlines were missed, fines rolled in and company's accounts
    via Sa1nic
  • 40
    have been frozen. They even were unable to pay salaries for the last 2 months. They are probably toast and if thing go that way they'll have to file bankruptcy. Don't worry, people
    via Sa1nic
  • 41
    will get paid in the end. In my country salary depts have the highest priority when bankrupt business sell thir assets. Downside? I still haven't recieved my compensation for my 120 saved vacation days.
    via Sa1nic

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

workplace-stories employee work stories toxic-workplace job malicious compliance work toxic-boss overworked-employees Horrible Bosses bad bosses company workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment
Scroll Down For The Next Article