Gizmodo recently asked their readers to submit their nightmare stories of worst IT job ever.
One that caught our eye, and IT managers can send to their management as a “lesson”, is a story of why your organisation should appreciate the Snr Systems Administrator responsible for the email server.
Wrote LordHelmet at Gizmodo,
Company had 3 offices and decided to close my office to save money. I had been there 14 years and was the Sr. Network Administrator on a salary, not hourly. Email server was in my office, as well as several live websites and SFTP servers. They gave us 3 months notice before the closure (state law, not out of the kindness of their hearts) so everyone immediately set out to find new jobs….
… They never worried about moving the email server even though I was the only one who touched it and knew the system. So my last day comes and the VP sends out a meeting request for the following day (Saturday) with me as mandatory, subject line “Move email server”…
… They expected me to do this for free the day AFTER my last day. I told them sorry, my last day is today, I don’t work here anymore after that. He looked me straight in the eyes and said that since I don’t start my new job until Monday I technically still work there. I said sorry, can’t do it, and told them I MIGHT consider doing it at a consultant rate. They said no, so I wished them the best of luck and moved on. Three weeks later they called in a panic and agreed to pay me whatever I wanted as long as I could get the email server moved that weekend…
Don’t you think it is time to have a “Appreciate The IT Manager In-Charge Of Email Server” Day?