r/antiwork • u/Outkast_IRE • 1d ago
Employer asks Ex Employee to do something for them and has a small rant.
Came across this on linkedin today.
An employer goes on about how he burns no bridges etc. treats everyone leaving fair . Asked as ex employee for a work related favour and got told politely no and decides it's worth a rant on Linkedin. Whilst claiming in the comments it really doesn't impact him etc.
Whilst I believe in burning no bridges as industries in local areas are often small, unless good friends I would never do some work for an ex employer for free, it's unprofessional to ask is my opinion.
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u/AGooDone 1d ago
I fully expect that this guy wanted help with something highly technical that couldn't be done in "5 mins" and he offered no compensation or quid pro quo.
"38 years in the industry" speaks to an outdated model where we're supposed to go above and beyond for nothing more than goodwill and hustle. That ship has long sailed.
In the words of Goodfellas "fuck you, pay me!"
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u/Outkast_IRE 1d ago
They work in the realm of architecture/engineering and I know from experience there are very few true 5 minute tasks .
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u/StolenWishes 1d ago
Several times I've had coworkers message me "quick call?" and been naive enough to agree. (I've wised up.) Guess how many of those calls were actually quick.
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u/mikedidathing 1d ago
Not exactly related, but reminds me of an interaction I had. I work in IT. Guy catches me leaving my office and asks for help with his laptop. I tell him to put in a ticket (he was notorious for not doing that), and he says, "It'll only take 5 minutes!" Knowing it'll be longer, I choose the malicious compliance route. Fast-forward 10 minutes later, he starts to get antsy, telling me he has to go. I tell him it'll be about 5 more minutes. He seemed to finally get it after that.
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u/GreyerGrey 1d ago
I'm an under promise person. I book hour calls for topics I know will take 30 then when I end everything early, all the people who report to me are happy. "Let's end this here if there are no other issues, and we can all get coffee, grab lunch, or whatever we need."
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u/RedditorSince2000 1d ago
I'm an architect (buildings, not clouds). Just opening up the software program takes AT LEAST 5 minutes (and that's the fastest part of the day) sigh
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u/GreyerGrey 1d ago
Oh but they would say good things about them and that is worth more than money! /s
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u/Festernd 1d ago
if a former coworker wants 'free' favors, they should have some relationship with me, even if it's an automated birthday email or something.
If I only hear from a person when they need something, it's not just a no, it a no and I block them the second time they ask.
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u/sunnysideupseedaisy 1d ago
My lord, the righteousness in that last sentence, yeah right! That guy is gonna punish that ex employee at any chance he gets, if you're so full of mirth why wrote the post?
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u/Frozboz 1d ago
The "not a chance" tells me that either 1) no way it was a 5 minute task, or 2) crossed some other boundary such as providing proprietary code or other sensitive data. That plus the fact he's not offering any details for us to pick apart tells me he's definitely in the wrong and knows it.
I've had ex-coworkers do this to me. "Hey can you send me the repo for <this project he created>?" Absolutely not. Not a chance.
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u/dballing 1d ago
Option 3: the ex-employee was fired or laid off and thus has zero loyalty (rightfully so)
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u/Rachel_Silver 1d ago
Option 4: OP is a genuinely awful person with a history of screwing people over, and no one would ever willingly help them.
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u/Trini1113 1d ago
I have three former coworkers who were laid off in the pandemic. One cut all ties (and I don't blame them). Another is friendly, but I'd feel bad to ask anything of them. The third I'd love to see on our board of directors.
You can't generalise about ex-coworkers, or expect the same thing from anyone.
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u/QueenPuff88 1d ago
So hes mad because someone doesnt want to help him with something. Why does he feel so entitled to someone else's time, even for a quick 5 minute thing?
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u/floorsof_silentseas 1d ago
This deserves one of my favorite quotes:
"The annoying thing about showing restraint is that NO ONE KNOWS YOU'RE SHOWING RESTRAINT." (Paraphrased from Anne Tyler's "Vinegar Girl".)
This is such a humble-brag post. "Someone made me feel bad/annoyed/inconvenienced and instead of reflecting on WHY that was their response & WHY it made me feel bad, I'm instead going to give myself a pat on the back and make sure everybody knows it."
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u/TheMaStif 1d ago
Where does it say "ex-employee"? He said "colleague", which likely means another co-worker, not his subordinate
Asking for favors from people you used to work with is perfectly fine
Saying "no" is also perfectly fine
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u/erikleorgav2 1d ago
I could see this person on LinkedIn lying so they could puff their chest and feel better about themselves.
Honestly, much of what I read on LinkedIn reads much the same as a false story made to make the author sound more important than they are.
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u/ChefCurryYumYum 1d ago
LOL, when people don't want to give any details "it wouldn't only take five minutes," 99% of the time it's because they know the details make them look like an asshole.
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u/Harrigan_Raen 1d ago
My last employer I left asked one week into my three week notice if I was willing to extend it for 2 additional weeks. I asked them, if they were going to increase my pay to my new rate and/or give me a bonus for doing so.
They had a much longer excuse, but it was essentially a "No". So, I just left the conversation at that.
But seriously why the fuck, would I stay with your job for less pay, and possibly alienate my new employer?
I should mention, this place was so cheap, when they counter offered, they didnt even come up to the new rate. They were under by a solid 7k/yr (73k/yr vs 80k/yr). Their reply was "But you have seniority here and are up to 4 weeks PTO per year."
"I start at 4 weeks PTO there, and seniority has gotten me nothing but new responsibilities outside the scope of my job." (I was a senior developer in responsibilities only)
I. Fucking. Hated. That. Place.
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u/mikemojc 1d ago
I'll take:
"How to tell people you are windy and entitled without using the either of the words Windy or Entitled."
for $600, Mayim.
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u/DimmyMoore70 1d ago
Hmm definitely leaving something out. Like is there a legal liability? Under what circumstances did this former employee leave the company? Many factors not shared here which could affect the response.
Having said that even if it was legitimately a small favor of no consequence, the former employer is not entitled to the ex-employee’s free time, even if only 5 minutes. You can ask in good faith, but you must also accept a “no” in good faith. Writing something like this on a public forum reads like a tantrum response and tells me there is more to the story than is being revealed.
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u/feignapathy 1d ago
eh, w/o knowing the actual request...
could've been writing a recommendation letter. could've been something like "do you still have an email from xyz from around Christmas of 2020?" could've just been anything very simple that honestly would've cost the former coworker no time at all. something that could've been done during the next poop on the phone maybe.
but maybe it was someone highly technical LinkedIn poster is underselling. would've taken hours or even days in reality.
without really knowing the specifics, I'm indifferent to this post.
If it truly was a ~5 minute nothing assist... why not do it? Obviously you don't have to. But in the idea of not burning bridges...
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u/Masquerouge2 1d ago
I think that the fact that the other employee said "not a chance" tells us it was not, in fact, a 5 minute assist.
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u/Historical_Concept77 1d ago
A favour is not an obligation. You ask and, if you get a no then you move on and try to find another solution to YOUR problem.
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u/BirdBruce 1d ago
Of course they won’t go into details about what the actual ask was, nor will they show receipts about the actual words that were changed.
And we all, of course, know why.
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u/Finwolven 16h ago
It was 'just a little 5 minute thing', so what I'm thinking it was at least three days worth of work he was asking for.
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u/GreyerGrey 1d ago
I am 100% more likely to help a former coworker who helped me during my time at a company than I am to ever help a former manager/boss, with few exceptions. The exceptions prove the rule.
That said, I also have a former boss whom if I saw crossing the street I don't know if I'd slow down or speed up, so suffice to say he ain't getting shit from me.
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u/TriumphDaWonderPooch 20h ago
I am a big fan of folks who after leaving the company on good terms answering that odd or specific question their ex-coworkers have. I am also a big fan of not bugging ex-coworkers. In a nutshell, if the ex-coworker wants to answer that occasional question, good for them! If the ex-coworker declines, good for them!
But I'll be damned if I insist they answer a question, or if I get upset if they do not.
I used to work for a Giant Entity - I left to work for a software vendor that Giant Entity used. If an ex-coworker called and asked about the software in general, I answered as I worked in the Support department and they paid for support. If they asked about a specific modification I had done while employed there I would politely state that I do not have the code in front of me (regardless of whether I did or not), and that I would check with the department head about it. If they wanted a change, they could pay for our consulting services dagnabbit.
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u/Resident_Reason_7095 51m ago
How do we know it’s an employer asking an ex employee? To me it sounds like this is just someone who retired (38 years could easily be their entire career as an engineer) who asked a favour of a former colleague.
Probably since they’re now retired, the former colleague doesn’t care to help them out, as they can no longer gain anything from helping a retiree.
Without context it’s hard to know, but it could absolutely be the “ex-employee” who is the asshole here!
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u/abatoire 1d ago
I mean, it's not bad advice. I've had past managers/employers recommend me for jobs when I was out of work which helped me out. Where I am currently is due to them saying I was available and good.
I suspect however their response speaks volumes about this manager and how they treated this ex employee.