Employee gets let go after 17 years, now receives incessant calls from former coworkers asking for help: 'If the company needs my knowledge that [badly] they can rehire me'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jan 26, 2026 2:00 PM EST

This loyal company man gave nearly two decades of his life to the business, and yet somehow, upper management thought he was expendable.

This is what happens when there is a change in leadership and no one with authority seems to actually have a strong sense of who is good at what they do. When upper management makes assumptions based on vibes or simplistic data without taking a moment to spend real time with employees, mistakes are often made.

Unfortunately, this author was a casualty of this kind of poor decision-making. Everyone on his team knew that he knew all the ins and outs of the operational structure of the company… except for new management. In fact, he was the go-to person for training all the employees in his department when they first joined the organization. Not only did he know how to do his own job, but he had a pretty strong sense of how to do everyone else's as well.

When he was unceremoniously let go during a round of layoffs, the author was completely blindsided. His boss with whom he had formed a healthy working relationship, was part of these layoffs as well. Even before his final moments in the office, the author had an inkling that he would be needed soon thereafter. After all, no one knew what they were doing without him.

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  • At first it was a simple phone call. A coworker contacted the author to ask if he remembered how to file something. Then it was an email, a message, and another phone call. Before long, the former employee was being contacted by his ex-coworkers every week and sometimes multiple times a day, always regarding how to do something he was no longer paid to do.

    While the author concedes that he always got along with the folks on his team, after a while, he started to resent them for this. Eventually, it got to the point where he had to say something and put his foot down. If he is not going to be rehired or brought on as a consultant for his former company, then he had no time, desire, or energy to continue to support a business that took him for granted. Talk about not know what you've got until it's gone!

  • An employee carries a box of personal items as he walks out of his office.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "[Would I be wrong] for refusing to answer any more questions from my old job after they laid me off"

    I worked at this company for 17 years. I was basically the person who trained everyone and over the years I just accumulated a ton of knowledge about how everything worked.
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  • Processes systems weird little things that only I knew how to fix. They d me off a few weeks ago.
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  • My boss got cut too. New management came in and apparently didnt believe one person was handling all the stuff I did.
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  • They now have three people trying to do my old job which is kinda funny considering they let me go to save money.
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  • Anyway since I left my old coworkers keep texting and calling me asking how to do things.
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  • Stuff that was my responsibility before. Were still friends outside of work so I think they figured Id just help out.
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  • At first I answered a few questions because I felt bad for them. But its been constant.
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  • Multiple times a week sometimes multiple times a day. And Im realizing theyre basically using me as free support while I get nothing.
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  • Im thinking about just telling them Im done. That I love them but I cant keep helping for free.
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  • If the company needs my knowledge that bad they can rehire me or bring me on as a consultant.
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  • But I know if I stop helping theyre gonna be stuck. Theyll have to tell their bosses they cant figure stuff out and itll make them look bad.
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  • Theyre already stressed about it and I feel guilty putting them in that position. Also job searching right now is exhausting.
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  • Its like a full time job just applying to stuff and I dont really have the bandwidth to be doing unpaid work for a company that cut me.
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  • WIBTA if I just stopped answering?
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  • A businessman with his laptop open puts his head in his hands in frustration.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • NorCalNostalgic NTA. This literally isn't your job anymore. But you could offer to work as a consultant for an hourly rate 3x higher than your previous salary!
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  • ReputationReal7891 they made the choice to let you go without any knowledge transfer plan and now thats their problem not yours
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  • monkeybyz Do NOT work for free. Your coworkers who truly are your friends will understand. They laid you off. They can hire you back as a consultant. Quote them 10x your old rate with a minimum of 40 hours per month
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  • Next-Drummer-9280 "I'll help, sure. My consulting fee is $350/hr, with a 4 hour minimum, paid in advance." Or "Guys, I don't work there anymore. You're going to have to figure it out yourself. I don't work for free."
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  • magicmavenhart YWNBTA. You don't work there. Stop working for free. They can rehire you or bring you on as a consultant (charge a ton, make sure you understand how it'll impact your taxes) and don't work for free. They are in the find out stage of FAFO and that's not your problem.
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  • ArtBear1212 Tell your former coworkers that they need to get your old job back for you (if that is what you want.) Don't work for free. YWNBTA
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  • lostinthesnakepit Just tell them you don't have time to help them because you are spending that time looking for a new job
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  • Hot_Needleworker4631 NTA. Stop answering work questions. It's not your work, it's not your problem. Tell your old coworkers one time "I don't work there anymore, don't call me if that's what you want to talk about. I consider us friends which is why I helped, but you're taking advantage." If they're actually friends, they'll apologize, stop doing it, and maybe buy you a treat to try and make up for it. If they keep calling, block and move on.
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  • ChemistryEastern36 The company needs to understand the situation or things will never get better. This is not on your coworkers, they are not going to get in trouble proper handoff didn't happen. This is a management they did to themselves and they NEED TO KNOW. why are you doing free work for a company who fired you? Literally insane behavior. And they don't even know you're doing it so you won't benefit from a good recommendation. STOP.
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  • PaixJour You owe ZERO to the former employer and ZERO to the friends still working there. Next time they call, consulting fees are $300 CASH per hour, paid in advance, whether your helpline is 5 minutes or 55 minutes. You will quickly see who the real friends are.
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boss employee coworkers upper management layoffs money employment
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