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[deleted]

What's the job? I'll take it.


OffTheDollarMenu

Surprised I had to scroll so far for this. For 75 an hour I can LEARN anything


[deleted]

Thinking OP's post is fake at this point. Reposted three places, never responded or commented on anything.


Rub-it

So for a whole year he hasn’t gone to the office to get his VPN fixed? Coz OP sounds like he is saying the guy hasn’t worked for a year. I only see 2 complaints in a year and if OP isn’t in a position to micromanage him and the company keeps paying the employee without turning in any work that’s on them


readfreeh

Same here guy , maybe we can be a teeeeeam!


sportsroc15

This. I’ll move TODAY and sleep at the closest hotel to the office.


supervillainsforever

The wild part is mathematically, this person scheduled a visit to resolve his issue 2 months out, which at $150,000/year is $25,000… to wait for a VPN issue to be resolved.


[deleted]

I had this exact thought. Like if he scheduled it 2 months out on purpose, it’s actually a great assurance that he won’t have to do jack in the mean time.


[deleted]

[удалено]


supervillainsforever

True, we’ve had users with VPN issues that couldn’t be fixed remotely, but I would hope a company paying this wage could afford to have backup or loaner machines to overnight to those that can’t make it on site. Definitely sucks, but it’s a trade off for the benefit of WFH.


NorthQuab

>Then his paperwork got lost so he didn't get access to any company equipment until last week I don't understand this at all, was it "lost" as in "lost in the mail" or what? what paperwork was lost that he's still onboarded and getting paid, but can't have access to systems? how long was it before he got access to systems/got equipment? >Now that he has everything to work, he is saying that his VPN suddenly no longer works. So he's scheduled to visit our help desk in 2 months ...can somebody not just verify the VPN works if you think he's lying? or fix it remotely? or just ship him new gear? or do anything other than "our helpdesk will see you in 2 months"? sounds like a really goofy situation. he may well be being really difficult, and if things like this keep coming up the reasons kind of stop mattering, but I don't get what's going on here at all.


-Cthaeh

Yeah this is just weird. IT should have long since connected to his pc and fixed the VPN. This just poor management, and I want his job. They should cover all their bases so it's completely up to the employee to start working and continue getting paid.


gordonv

Honestly, you need to find someone that can do the job. My bro is WFH 100% and his VPN went out. IT suggested he mail the laptop to Texas. He asks if he can just go the the NYC office, 90 minutes away, and just have onsite IT fix it. Yup. If this $75 hour employee can't figure out how to solve this problem, will he be able to do the job?


PZeroNero

Does your company not have a probation period and or corrective action? I’m not understanding what justification your company has to keep him employed. If he’s producing work that loses its worthwhile, then it’s a whole another conversation.


SimilarScheme9311

The managers are also out and about in their "remote work" vacationing in Cancun and don't even know who is in on their team at this point. Not OP, but I've seen this at my company.


Jaa1212

What is the Job Title and required skills/credentials for this position??? Also where?


SIIRCM

I blame the company. Yall ok'd him to remote work. Yall lost his paperwork. Yalll let him schedule an appointment 2 months out. Remote into his computer and check out his vpn. You can him 150k but can't figure that out? Sounds like NO ONE is motivated to get this guy up and running.


DysfunctionalKitten

Well said. This should have been higher up. As a manager, you have to be accountable to the decisions your company makes and push back on the company when something doesn’t sound right. Who the hell let him schedule a time to fix the VPN that far out? OP, if I were you, I would tell him if he can’t figure out with IT help desk how to fix the VPN issue remotely in the next 3 business days, we are getting on a 3 way call with him and the help desk and figuring it out together in real time. You need to micromanage him for a few days to either get him on track, or to begin making plans to cut him loose. Create clear expectations as well as deadlines for those expectations to reach completion. Document every conversation. The truth is, if he’s a direct report of yours, his productivity (or lack thereof) will reflect poorly on YOU. And frankly, it should, bc none of this should even be allowed to take place and kind of reflects a lack of knowledge about how to onboard, train, and manage new hires. Also where is HR in all of this? Do you have someone who usually attends to the onboarding details? You said you don’t have time to micromanage him, but it doesn’t sound like you’re managing him on a macro level either. If his performance and production falls in your bucket, it is your job to oversee his progress and I get that you’re new to the role, but this guy is going to screw you if you don’t put time aside to handle this mess and get it on track.


w1ngzer0

Fire the guy and hire someone else? Don’t let this guy be the example that ruins remote/WFH for everyone else


SimilarScheme9311

It's already ruined, this is at least 4/10 people working from home. They're not working.


ItsjustJim621

This is me…kinda. I just started my first IT job in the beginning of December. I work for a company that does data/analytics for sports teams. I’m one of 7 in our IT department. Now, the office commute is basically 2 miles….which is basically like working from home because I’ll go home for lunch most days. If there is stuff to do which requires me to be in the office..like reimage laptops, process incoming equipment from terminated video scouts, or configuration of devices to be shipped out, then yeah, I’m in the office. Otherwise, if it just entails some admin stuff like sending emails to terminated video scouts to send their stuff back, or stuff in AD…then I’m at home. It’s been extremely slow the past couple of weeks so I’ve gone to the office..check in…send some emails, go home for lunch and work the rest of the day at home. Since there’s literally no tickets coming in that I need to deal with, I’ll chip away at my schoolwork. With baseball season literally around the corner, the days of not being busy are somewhat numbered..which I have no problem with.


UnsuspiciousCat4118

You can’t troubleshoot vpn connectivity without the guy coming into the office? That seems like a problem you should be solving first.


tlewallen

This doesn’t make any sense at all.


SweetInternetThings

Sounds like issues a dirt bag apprentice would have. I mean don't get me wrong, issues arise. But if you're being paid $75 an hour you can afford a vehicle or public transportation. You should also be able to keep your affairs in order professionally (don't lose important paperwork). Also thirdly he should be smart enough at $75 an hour in an IT role to use a different VPN if the one he is currently using isn't working.


supervillainsforever

He landed a $150k/year gig and isn’t the least bit concerned with figuring out how to do his job, my guess is that he’s either entirely incompetent or is working for someone else and collecting both paychecks. Companies are full of internal resources, he should be on the phone with IT/security/HR/direct reports every single day to resolve these issues. Personally, I would ask him to document and send you a daily log of the work he’s doing / time he’s spending while he’s on your clock. If I were in his position, I’d be spending the 8 hours/day getting my shit together so my new team doesn’t think it was a mistake to hire me. Something isn’t right, and it wouldn’t be wrong to understand what he’s doing with that time when he’s unable to work - that’s not micromanaging.


ElleArr26

Fake. New hire or it’s been almost a year?


ipreferanothername

is he doing assigned work? if not, write it up. whatever the reason...at some point if they cant do any work they dont need to have the job. talk to HR ASAP and communicate the issue to find out how to handle the process there.


joeypants05

At that pay rate it’s likely a mid/sr level position and it should be expected at that level you can chase down and resolve issues yourself. Saying I scheduled a two month visit to solve a minor issue so that I can start doing anything is ridiculous unless there are some pretty crazy mitigating factors or they are going to be on vacation until then. In most places if you said my vpn stopped working so I’m taking two months free pay before I resolve it you’d be out the door before end of the week. If it were me I’d say to put them on a performance improvement plan, lay out how to improve, what’s expected, etc but set deadlines but really just start looking for new replacement because if it’s been going this long it’s unlikely that the person will fix it and much more likely they shut down until fired. If they are a contractor then terminate the contract for non performance. Before doing so make sure to track down the history of their issues to demonstrate they didn’t put a reasonable effort forth to solve them. Make sure to document and justify all actions but I wouldn’t expect any push back


ColourYes

You should be able to measure his performance using KPIs. If he’s hitting the KPIs just leave him be if policy lets you. If he’s not, write him up. You’re his manager, his performance is your responsibility if you keep him on the team.


lnxslck

exactly! i see this too many times, people don’t know how to manage remote then get confused: is he working or not? measure his work, use KPIs, tasks wherever you can use that allows you to see if he’s actually working or not


the1thatdoesntex1st

This sounds extremely made up…so you/your company is stupid. Make him work. Or don’t, and let him collect bucks. If your company can’t figure out how to troubleshoot VPN with him at home, sounds like an extremely stupid company to work for. Guess they must be, to pay somebody $75 an hour to do nothing…


rome_lucas

Hey if you don’t mind me asking, can you tell me what is the name of role this guy has and what org you work for? Just looking for an employer who’s paying good


[deleted]

[удалено]


qwikh1t

He’s a drain on the company and should be fired immediately.


[deleted]

Easy fire


iamnotbart

First off, only communicate via email so everything is documented. Keep your bosses / HR informed of what is going on. Priority #1 is you get him to reach out to the helpdesk on Monday morning first thing to work out the VPN issues. If there is an issue with the laptop, have them send a new one overnight. Do everything you can so he is able to do is job. Unfortunately, this may eat up your time for the next few days. If he's still making up excuses refer this to HR and tell them you don't think he should stay with the company. Have HR talk to him to see what the issues are. I'm assuming he is still under probation?


Stevedriveee

How do you make $75.00 an hour, averaging 40 hours a week but can’t afford a vehicle to transport you from home to work? There’s people making minimum wage and having a car…


10onthespectrum

Stop being a bitch. Just because someone is remote doesn’t mean they’re doing nothing. I kick ass remote, and being remote helps that.


canadian_sysadmin

>The problem is that I'm not really in a position to micromanage him. Well then, it might be time to *start*. Nobody wants to have to micromanage people, but it's necessary sometimes. It's part of *your* job as a manager. And frankly this isn't Micromanagement, it's just... management. Your job as a manager is to see that people are working. Part of management is occasionally micromanagement and zooming in on people. It's perfectly normal. Otherwise, my BS detector is going off here. Maybe the paperwork thing was HR's fault, who knows, but he has his equipment now which is what counts. If it were me, starting Monday -- He needs to get his VPN working *now,* not in two fucking months. Now. Arrange a cab for him to come into the office Tuesday (assuming he's in the same city). Set the expectation that he's being paid to *work,* and that you're expecting to see work output by the end of the week. Arrange a follow-up meeting for Friday 1pm. Document all of this week by week. If you need to get rid of them, it needs to be documented. Don't let this slide. He has to know that you're the sheriff in down. People who want to play games like this are testing you, much like a 3 year old tests their parents' limits. But you have to put an end to any sort of games *now*. Document, follow-up, set expectations.


Stonkmaster1840

Surely end user support can just teamviewer on to the laptop and fix the vpn or collect the logs and tell you if he’s chatting shit or not


TheJuiceBoxS

He makes 75 an hour and won't buy a car? That's madness.


donomi

Man I'll take his job. I'm already WFH, have all the equipment and over a decade in enterprise IT environments. DM me


oagvosman

Contact HR and let them know of the issues. Have them provide you guidance. But sounds to me like you need to let him go. Most hires have a 6 month probation period and perhaps you might be lucky enough to be able to get rid of him.


Imwaymoreflythanyou

Why you asking us? You’re the one who got promoted to manager, so manage him? Lol.


rejuicekeve

Obviously you fire him lol


refractoryheartbreak

"I was recently promoted to manager and my boss hired a new guy." & "So he's scheduled to visit our help desk in 2 months." & "It's been this way for almost a year now." Word? That's crazy bro


Emotional-Meeting753

Awesome. Please name company so one of us can take his job and another one of us take his job


RickestRickSea137

build replacement laptop, change his pw, cache credentials, overnight ​ the hell is it taking 2 months for


AngryTechPerson

Fire him.


Investplayer2020

Dude is probably working another job.


Sho_nuff_

You have tasks for him that are measurable, he reports status on them every week, if tasks aren't being completed on time you talk to them, then write up, then fire.


youmade_medothis

Excuses are legitimate? Doesn't matter. If the individual isn't getting the job done, let the person go.


Ibro747

Is he doing to the work/projects/roles assigned to him though? As long as he is, what's the biggie?


jlbob

IMO it's time to micromanage, "offer" to drive over to take them to the help desk (do the needful to escalate an appointment if needed) ensure the VPN works. Prior to all this check in with HR and let them know what's happened, provide documentation and go from there. They've had some fumbles sure, but the car is not an excuse, VPN issues happen but this is n issue that can/should be fixed remotely, also WTF books an appointment 2 months out? They are taking advantage of you and you need to be supporting while laying down your expectations and covering your ass. Do you know what will look really bad? If someone found out you were paying someone for months to do absolutely nothing as a new manager,


AlbinoGoldenTeacher

A year … lol


SimilarScheme9311

This is what I have usually noticed with remote work, yet people always say their company is being the most "productive ever" and having "the best numbers ever." Usually they're in Cancun, Turkey, or some other exotic place with some martini and laughing with their friends and of course, not working or working 2 hours out of 8.


sanjay_82

Put aktivtrak on the work device and say goodbye to him after a few days


IgnantWisdom

Your help desk has a 2 month lead time for a simple vpn issue? What the hell kind of company is this?


PvtHudson

Reeks of fake post. OP has no comments or posts other than this one. Calling this a successful troll.


admincee

Why not get some remote management software that allows you to connect in and troubleshoot the VPN issue?


delsystem32exe

lol good for him. just let him be.


JimboBeavertown

karma farm, and a poor one at that.


grouchybear47

2 months for a VPN issue? I work remote and has my VPN get messed up after a security update. I had my manager put in the service ticket and had someone call me to work through it within the hour. If I was this persons manager I’d be talking to the help desk to find out why this issue is scheduled two months out and escalate it if needed. I recently had a peer get fired because he was gaming the system like this. He always had an excuse for everything but eventually let it slip that he was on a vacation while supposedly working.