Employee gets moved to another department after 17 years, refuses to train his unqualified replacement: 'He keeps asking me how to do his job'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Feb 7, 2026 8:00 AM EST

It wasn't this long-time employee's responsibility to show his replacement the ropes, so why should he?

This company man had given nearly two decades of his life to this large company, where it was not uncommon for people to move from department to department every couple of years or so. Sometimes, this would happen for legitimate reasons. Let's say an employee found a better role that was more suitable for their skill set. Perhaps their superior transferred departments, and they wanted to follow in their footsteps. 

However, this author was recently informed that he would be switching departments simply because it "wasn't working out" between him and his new manager. He took this news personally because, while he understood that he and his boss were not exactly a match made in heaven in terms of their mismatched personalities, he enjoyed the work itself and felt that he was pretty decent at it. Apparently, that was not enough to keep him in that role, and as a result, the author had to change jobs just because the "vibes" were off. 

As for the replacement, well, it turns out that the vibes weren't exactly right either. This new dude was making considerably more money than the author despite the fact that he lacked the experience and qualifications to fulfill these responsibilities. Still, the boss felt he was a better fit for the role for reasons no one else seemed to understand. The problem was that it did not take long before the new guy was asking the author for help every two seconds.

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  • It's hard to go out of your way to help someone who you feel does not deserve to hold their title, especially when that person is getting compensated much more to do the same job you had been doing for years. 

    Thankfully, this author had the confidence to feel that he was in no way responsible for this guy. If this guy had to take the fall for not being able to do his job properly, that would likely further prove to everyone and their mother that the author was always the right person for the role. It wasn't that he was doing a bad job; it was that his boss refused to see the author's contributions for what they really were.

  • Two coworkers sit next to one another in a confined office space.
    via Tim van der Kuip

    Two coworkers sit next to one another in a confined office space.

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

  • "Petty against my replacement"

    I'm working for a big company where it's easy to be shifted around if someone higher up doesn't like working with you for whatever reason. So I got moved
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • to another team, without any explanation except a "it doesn't seem to be working between you and your 'boss'" from even higher up the chain. I've been working here for 17 years in various positions, so I know pretty much everyone. My
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • replacement however is new to the company and never worked in my field. He only did a small re- employment course. Somehow this earned him a higher position than me, with higher benefits.
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • This dude never did anything wrong to me but he keeps asking me how to do his job. A job I apparently wasn't doing very well. So I'm just stonewalling him.
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • I could make this guy's live so easy, or I can keep telling him to ask his boss. I know I'm petty here, as I keep having to think about what to say so that I don't cross the line towards insubordination.
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • An employee sits at his desk in a confined office space.
    via Tim van der Kuip

    An employee sits at his desk in a confined office space.

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

  • west_coast1313 Unless it's your job to train them, telling them to ask their boss sounds perfectly acceptable. Just say you don't want to give them bad instructions.
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • Trippynet. "Sorry, I wasn't good enough for that job and I don't want you inheriting any of my past mistakes. Ask your boss instead, I'm sure they'll be able to train you better than I could".
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • harrywwc. - yeah if you're not 'good enough' for the job, then you are no where near 'good enough' to train your replacement.
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • Mazoc. I mean, if they don't think you are right for the job, who are you to tell others how it's done? Better to hear how the boss thinks it should be instead, hah
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • erko_23. i mean yeah, quiet quitting is generally an acceptable practice.
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • fiddlesdevil Respond to the new person that since you weren't qualified to fulfill the needs of the role, you do not want to provide misguided recommendations the boss is surely to disagree with.
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • DesignerAnywher... Some companies don't do a good job of giving promotions and increasing salary as per the industry standards. Hence changing. jobs might give you the leverage you need.
    via MrCannonFodder_1
  • GAF53 Not your problem. I left one job and former coworkers only called me to ask how to do stuff. They got blocked.
    via MrCannonFodder_1

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Tags

terrible coworkers replacement employee toxic-workplace petty funny work stories money
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