I pulled down the main office power switch to kick people out
English is not my first language.
I 27F, I work as the sole ICT. I am the youngest in my office, so I am not taken seriously. Most employees have kids my age.
In 2022, a sponsor helped set up a lab in my workplace. We use a Financial System, an upgrade from the old paperwork.
The lab is used to train users across various departments on how to use the system.
Different trainers from the head office come and use the lab; if it is full, they book hotel conference rooms.
For the past 5 weeks, since the start of the new financial year, there have been training sessions, even one overlapping with another. I do not do the planning; my job is to ensure that the lab is functional.
I will focus on the last 3 weeks of training, which were directed by Mr. S. He is an accountant at the head office.
I have helped with his training a few times before, but never closely, until now.
This was what I noticed.
- He never pays our office cleaners an allowance for cleaning the lab, yet he expects it to be clean.
- During his three weeks, he paid me for two, yet expects ICT support.
- Does not provide breaktime or Teatime between training, usually at 10 am, the trainees were hungry, I sold $20 of sweets (which is 35K in our currency).
- For lunch, they were served minimal food, with no drinks, just water, because Mr. S did not pay the Hotel enough for that.
- He finishes the training late; our offices close at 4:30, and he wants to go beyond that, more than an hour. Overtime is not refused, as long as transport is arranged.
I am emphasizing the final point.
Our office is some distance from the city, a fifteen-minute walk.
But during late hours, the route can get dangerous. A few years ago, one of our colleagues was stabbed in the ear after leaving late.
This is where I started to get upset. Last Tuesday, at 4:30, I announced that it was closing time.
Training was over, but some trainees were still doing their trial balance and also wanted to use the system.
System access closes at 5:00 pm, but they contacted the head office to keep it open.
I told them I had to go home; it was getting late, dark, and I could miss my bus.
They pleaded, and Mr. S said, "Do not worry, the people will drop you off in town so you can take your bus."
He asked my boss for an extended time.
My boss agreed, left me the keys, and left.
I waited until 5:30, and the guys were done. I realized Mr. S was not with them; he had left.
I closed up the office and went for the ride. I was told the car was full. So I had to walk to town with my phone and laptop.
Fortunately, there was no harm. I got my bus and got home late.
I was angry. The next day, I got to work and cut the network to the lab; no one uses the system. The class was going Acapella; if anyone asked, the response was that the network was down.
The training stretched to overtime again, and at 5:00 pm, I went downstairs, looked at the switchboard, let the dark thoughts take over, and pulled it down. Cutting the power.
And guess what, this guy went on with the class. Even his students, his trainees, were tired of him repeating the same thing.
And when it finally ended, he wanted the class representatives to give a speech. Like Dude!
I went downstairs and told my boss about the power outage. Because I was not taking the keys, he was; he has no car at the moment. The office car was away making payments, and he did not bring his personal car for reasons only he knows. My boss is a quiet guy, chill dude; he might look like he is okay with Mr. S, but internally, he is not.
And on Mr. S, he does this on purpose because he is selfish. He receives the full budget training to cover a week, which includes allowances for support staff involved, i.e., the cleaning staff and me.
He also receives the budget for food and refreshments.
Where does the money go?
His pocket.
Since he trains multiple people, they can't notice it. He manages the payments; he is the guy who goes to the bank and sends the money, so on paper, it says I got paid 3 weeks, but in reality, it was two.
The trainees will complain about the poor hotel service giving them minimal food, but in reality, they got minimal money. So what Mr. S paid is what they delivered.
At the Hotel serving us, they do have excellent service because a different trainer used them for training, and also hired staff to cater for an office trip. The food was enough.
Mr. S makes Krabs look like a saint because these are government funds.
Mr. S can have the training for a full week; he chooses to squeeze it between three days, making us local staff work overtime.
Next time, I will just lock them in, since he likes the office so much, I will not be held hostage by responsibility. And his poor planning does not constitute an emergency.