I've been working as an Information Systems Manager for a small company with around 45 employees for the past 12 years. Although I've requested promotions and pay raises every year, they've been consistently declined. My responsibilities are extensive, including major decision-making in information technology, software projects, implementations, cybersecurity, audits, compliance, network and firewall management, IT assets, and so on. While most of our general help desk issues are outsourced to a service provider, I do assist with them when I can, depending on their complexity, so we don't always have to outsource typical IT work if it's not necessary.
Recently, the company underwent structural changes, and I began reporting to the Chief Admin. Interestingly, the Chief Admin, who was hired at the same time as me, quickly climbed the ranks within the company. Anyway, a couple weeks ago, I submitted a request for a 1-week time off, which required his approval. He responded that he couldn't approve my time off until we figured out coverage details for my absence. In all my 12 years, this is the first time they are worried about coverage.
He asked me to document all my responsibilities and create a knowledge base, then train him on how to do my job. This would include fixing common computer and network issues, resolving malware/virus problems, connecting to servers, handling SaaS and application issues, dealing with cybersecurity, network configs, etc.
Taken aback, I told him that teaching him a decade's worth of IT knowledge wasn't feasible. He insisted, pointing out that I was self-taught, so I should be able to teach him. I tried to explain that IT doesn't work that way, suggesting instead that he contact our service provider in case of an IT emergency. And if it's not urgent, they can leave it and I can return to fix it. He countered that the service providers take too long to respond and insisted I train him or someone else. I continued to object, detailing the complexities involved in IT duties, but he persisted, saying, “We don't need to be trained on everything; we only need to know if something goes wrong, how do we fix it?” Frustrated, I finally agreed to see what I could do, to which he responded, “Great, I'll sign off on your PTO once our training is done.”
An hour later, I returned to his office with a 2-week notice, placed it on his desk, and walked out.
The following day, I was called into a meeting with the Chief Admin and the CEO to discuss this “matter.” During the meeting, I learned that the CEO and CAO are cousins, seems clear whose side the CEO was on at that point. They did all the talking, and I simply presented two options: approve my 1-week PTO or accept my 2-week notice. I then excused myself from the meeting.
It's now three days closer to my scheduled PTO, and I have yet to hear a decision from them on either option. I'm not playing their stupid games. I think I'll just quit.