A month ago or so, I got an email from a user for whom I support a couple of applications. She's missing one. Her desk is not that far away so I get up and saunter on over.

Me: What seems to be the problem?

Her: Well, I needed to get the [Other Application] installed and the guy gave me a different hard drive.

Now, she had just received a new computer a few days prior.

Me: (WTF?) Um, I'm sorry, what was that?

Her: Well, it was Trog and he didn't know how to install it so he changed out my hard drive for one that had the [Other Application] on it. Now my fonts are all messed up and I can't find my stuff and [My Application] is gone.

THUD (My jaw hitting the floor)

I guess I had quite an expression on my face because the gal actually recoiled a little.

Her: Is that bad?

Me: (In the calmest voice I could muster) Well, it's not the best way to go about things. You see, your profile is not on this disk. That's why you don't have [My Application] and why your settings are all screwed up.

Her: Oh.

I got her set up with the application I support for her and manage to tweek several of her settings so she wasn't going nuts and then walked over to our liaison with that group to explain what just happened.

Huge. Turns out, the guy that used to support [Other Application] may have been playing fast and loose with the payroll system to boost his pay. He got layed off but because of the union, he got to bump a lower grade person and keep some kind of a job with us. The problem is, now he "can't remember"!

IT: Where are the disks?

Dis Guy: Can't remember.

IT: Screw you, we got new disks from the maker. What's the configuration?

Dis Guy: Can't remember.

IT: Screw you, we figured out the configuration. What's the password?

Dis Guy: Can't remember.

A couple of us would really like to see Dis Guy prosecuted.

Anyway, because Trog couldn't figure out how to install [Other Application] (not his fault, really), what he figured out was to clone a disk that was already installed with it and just go to users computers and swap out their hard drives. W! T! F!!!

Mean time, IT created a new account with a new password for [Other Application] and all is right with the world.

Well, except that Dis Guy isn't in jail.

And the fact that Trog actually defended his "workaround".

 So there were no records cept of setup, passwords etc.

ignoring dis-gury unhelpfullness what would have happened if he had left/been runover by a bus pefor hgis disciplinary?

you would still have been in exactly the same position.

 

He did WHAT?!?

rudraigh:

He got layed off but because of the union, he got to bump a lower grade person

I think you mean lower-grade position. We already know he's a very low-grade person and can't get much lower. Stealing real money from the company doesn't get you fired? Some union. Sounds like the company needs to grow a pair or die trying.

Zecc:

He did WHAT?!?

 

You did a good thing.

 

Qwerty:

rudraigh:

He got layed off but because of the union, he got to bump a lower grade person

I think you mean lower-grade position. We already know he's a very low-grade person and can't get much lower. Stealing real money from the company doesn't get you fired? Some union. Sounds like the company needs to grow a pair or die trying.

No no, the union forced the company to allow him to bump into a lower grade person. He retained his full salary, benefits and pension, plus he got 4 weeks paid time off for the trauma of bumping into someone else.

ip-guru:

So there were no records cept of setup, passwords etc.

 

+1.

Configuration information should be documented, not kept in peoples' heads, precisely for this information.

Dis Guy was ordered many times to document this stuff. He had is little kingdom and didn't want to let go of it. That's why several of us are pissed off that he was only laid off and not fired for cause. This whole thing got very political because he's been around for a long time. He was in charge of the server, the software and the administration. We're also pissed off because he wasn't charged with time card fraud and loss of government property. So, there you have it. Dis Guy gets to keep a job while bumping a person at a lower grade into the unemployment line. It's disgusting.

rudraigh:

Dis Guy was ordered many times to document this stuff. He had is little kingdom and didn't want to let go of it.

 

If he won't document it, find someone else that can.

Rest of your post sounds like he has some kind of hold over management, not just company-specific information he won't release. Any clues as to what it could be?

Nope. I think it was a case of extremely poor management.

 Mmm... kinda suspicious about that.

Someone with a known reputation that everyone despises and is costing the firm money by doing not only bugger all but creating work for other people... and they don't look to get rid of him?

Even the most incompetent of managers can't view him as anything other than superfluous and dangerous.

Yeah, I know it's not your call - but people like this only become untouchable through some means, either via propriety knowledge they refuse to share, or through forming family relationships with those in power such that their actions aren't just tolerated but almost excused by spineless management apologists. Was just wondering if he fell into one of those categories.

 I expected more comments about how this is proof unions are wrong and evil.  I am disappoint.

Captain Obvious has retired.

Seriously though, there was a case where a government employee (unionized, of course) was found to have a huge cache of porn on his work PC.  Auditors also discovered that he spent nearly 100% of his time surfing porn at work...  He still has his job.

C-Octothorpe:

He still has his job.

 

Well, given his potential successor was that Romney fellah, it's best to leave him be for the moment.