We laid you off, but need your help.

[mspain]

Hi all,

I'd just like to run this past some other IT professionals.

Let's say small Company A decides to lay off their only IT professional (lets consider a lone network or system administrator for example). Now Company A is having some issues and needs some help so they call the person they laid off hoping for some free help.

If you were in this position, would you help and how much would you help? Would you have a threshold for how much effort and time you would put in? Would you demand some type of compensation? If so, what do you think would be reasonable?

I find myself in a similar situation. Personally I don't have a problem helping if it is just a quick question that can be answered over the telephone or in a brief email. I understand its not a good idea to burn bridges.

But, I would think if it is something more involved and I spend an hour on the phone or is something that would actually need to be looked at in person, I think that would be pushing it.

What do you think? Been in a similar situation? What did you do?

 

[CajunCenturion]

If they let you go, then you should charge them a fair rate for your time.

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[DTSMAN]

Maybe help them a little to maintain a good reference, once you land a new job, move on, tell them you are busy with your new job. Unless they are willing to pay you as a outside contractor/vendor.

Bo

Remember,
If the women don't find you handsome,
they should at least find you handy.
(Red Green)

http://www.redgreen.com

 

[kwbMitel]

I'm with CajunCenturion on this one.

Fair rate for me would be at least what they might pay an independant consultant for their time. The bonus being you are already familiar and actually worth more

*******************************************************
Occam's Razor - All things being equal, the simplest solution is the right one.

 

[NDakota]

Ha, this happened to me the DAY after my layoff. I got a call "Hi, this is work calling". My answer was "What work?"
Being something I could answer in a minute and just before a lunch date, I did. That was the only time they ever called. Gave me a good reference too.
Sometimes I think only the good get laid off!

 

[paterson]

Each situation is different. I would see it as an opportunity to start a conversation on contract work. At the very least, a quickly answered question may make you look good either for a reference or if they are in a position to rehire in the future.

But if the lay off was nasty, then I would tell them to pound sand.

_______________________________________________________________

If you did not take enough time to get it right the first time...

What makes you think that you have time to fix it?

 

[edfair]

Happened to me 14 months after my last company fired me. Traded my time for parts since I was maintaining equipment they were abandoning.
Happened after I left another company, but informal, and ended up with a parts trade there. Informal because the people would have been fired if the company knew, as I was toxic, as was my new employer.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[SteveTheGeek]

Assuming the layoff was of the standard style of "nothing personal, but we've got to let you go" then a response to a later request for help (of more than 2min on the phone) in the style of "nothing personal, but my time is worth money" is very reasonable and not at all bridge-burny.

 

[tcsbiz]

It depends on the relationship with the organization. If the relationship is still OK, I would give them one hour one time after which I would bill them. If it continued, I would negotiate a contract.

 

[kmcferrin]

kwbMitel hit it on the head. If it were a quick question like "Where did you put X" or "What was the name of the vendor that you used for Y" then I'd just answer and be done. But if they actually wanted help then they'd be paying my consulting rates with a minimum 1-hour charge.

You need to get compensation for several reasons here:

1. Your time is valuable. You should not be giving it away to a company that will be profiting financially from it without some form of compensation.

2. You've just been laid off. You need to spend your time and effort on finding a new job, and helping them takes away from that effort. Alternatively, you've already got a new job and helping them takes away from time that you should be spending on developing your career with your new employer.

3. They basically just told you that they didn't need your services and then came back asking for your services. You wouldn't work for them as an employee for free, would you?

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Server Administrator
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator
MCITP:Virtualization Administrator 2008 R2
Certified Quest vWorkspace Administrator

 

[SDowd]

I ran into this situation that was originally a contract. The obligations to the contract had been complete and both sides parted ways amicably. A couple weeks later they needed a quick answer which I was happy to oblige. Soon thereafter I was receiving emails and phone calls dealing with an expansion of the original scope of the project, to which I had to respond with asking if they were going to put me back on contract. I gave them a quick overview of the process and didn't hear back. I guess they decided paying wasn't worth it.
I would agree with the majority of the posts, if it is a short and sweet phone conversation, lend a helping hand. If it is going to be time consuming... time is money.

There is nothing wrong with stating that your services are worth something. Its business.

 

[IRudebwoy]

Happened to me 6 months ago. Long story short, I volunteer my time for some perks. The company I worked for is shutting down and I still have my keys to the building. I give them my time (within reason) for internet access. They have an active DS3 circuit (don't ask) while at home the only option for me is 1.5 ADSL via Qwest or a Verizon air card. Both are equal in my mind because I live in the desert southwest and there are no other providers.

Anyway, I didn't want them to pay me because it would interfere with my unemployment benefits. The state might consider it a part-time job and deny me all or part of my benefits.

Today, I'm two weeks in to a new job and I help them out on weekends. (Should be read: Help them use their bandwidth.) BTW, I live five minutes from my old employer and I now have an hour commute to my new job site.

 

[sleipnir214]

I am reminded of the old joke about the company whose most senior plant engineer retired. One day a machine failed at the plant. The machine was critical to the operation of the company and had been designed by, fabricated under the supervision of, and installed under the direction of the retired plant engineer. So the company called the engineer to see if he could take a look.

The old engineer agreed to look for free, but if he had to repair the machine, he was going to bill the company for his time. The president of the company agreed.

Then the old engineer got there, he looked inside and quickly announced he knew what was wrong and exactly how to fix it. The engineer asked for a piece of stiff wire and a pair of cutting pliers. He snipped off a short piece of the wire, reached down inside the machine and placed it somewhere out-of-sight. The machine immediately began to work again, and the president of the company asked the engineer to send a bill.

A couple of days later, the company got an invoice in mail. It read:

[tt]Repair of machine...................$50,000[/tt]

When the president of the company read the invoice, he got angry because of the cost. So in order to put off the engineer, the president called the engineer and told him he had to turn in an itemized invoice.

A couple of days later, the second invoice arrived. It read:

[tt]Custom part to repair machine...............$10
1 hour of the time of the only person on
the planet who knows how to fix the
machine................................$49,990
-------
Total..................................$50,000[/tt]





I had one employer sell off what was left of a computer division after laying everyone off, and when a server failed the new owner called me. After looking at what the new owner's idiot nephew had done, when I told the new owner that I could not possibly perform the repair unless he agreed to pay me for my time, he threatened a lawsuit. I turned on my heel and walked out the door.

I quit another company after it bounced a payroll check. A month later, the owner called me, telling me he would pay me under the table for my time to change some piece of software I had written for him. When I pointed out that before I could possibly take on any more work for him, he would have to make good the payroll check he still owed me, he got pissed.

I want to have goodwill with a former employer, but I'm not willing to work for anyone for free.


Want to ask the best questions? Read Eric S. Raymond's essay "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way". TANSTAAFL!

 

[Mountainbear]

Depending on how well you know the system and how easy it is for them to hire another IT person, this might be an ideal time to offer contract service to them.
It could be a win win. They get their network looked after without paying for a full time employee. and you get a much higher wage for doing what they used to pay you for. I don't mind helping people out but I have a very strict employment policy, "I don't work for free".

 

[SteveTheGeek]

@sleipnir: I've heard a variation of that one; it was a consulting engineer on Ford's assembly line several decades ago, and a piece of chalk making a line on the floor rather than a piece of stiff wire. The high price isn't for the chalk needed to make the line, it is for knowing where to put the chalk line.

And "when I told the new owner that I could not possibly perform the repair unless he agreed to pay me for my time, he threatened a lawsuit." LMAO It's sad that people can be that stupid.

 

[mattKnight]

@sleipnir: I've heard a variation of that one; it was a consulting engineer on Ford's assembly line several decades ago, and a piece of chalk making a line on the floor rather than a piece of stiff wire. The high price isn't for the chalk needed to make the line, it is for knowing where to put the chalk line.

There are many variations to this tale; the one I know involves the fitter hitting the machine with a hammer and the bill is itemised as
[ul]
[li] Hitting machine with mallet - £5.00[/li]
[li] Knowing where to hit machine with mallet[/li]
[/ul]

If you can deal with the enquiry quickly and easily by phone - its a freebie. If you've parted on good terms, anything else is an hourly or agreed rate. If its been a messy divorce - they can whistle...

Take Care

Matt
I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my telephone.
My wish has come true. I no longer know how to use my telephone.

 

[gbaughma]

I'm in a similar situation now where the company that laid me off almost 3 months ago is calling me because they're having problems. However, they DID give me a great reference that landed me a great job, and actually did me a favor by laying me off. (lol)

So.... I answer questions and so forth.

I agree with what was said above; if it's questions like "What's the password for the backup software" or so forth, I would fully expect to give those answers.

If it was "Hey, our web system broke and we need you to get in and program it", that's a different story.

In fact, I was asked something similar, and I pointed out "Well, you know, I'd be glad to help out, except that on the day you walked me out of the building, you had your IT consultant that was replacing me at double my yearly salary change all the passwords, so I can't VPN in."

It got real quiet. lol



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[SQLSister]

We hired a new person here once. The person they hired to replace her throughly screwed up their database. She went back to work for them at twice her old salary and a private office and the ability to work from home whenever she wanted. Sometimes you just aren't appreciated til you are gone.

I have answered questions from old employers (in the nature of where is such and such and then I usually refer them to the document I nicely prepared before I left that said where such and such was), but I would not put in more than an hour of time total on such questions without being paid. The only time I did more than an hours work was the time I trained my replacement on a Saturday but only because she was a friend of mine and I had recommended her for the job. I did it for her not the company.



"NOTHING is more important in a database than integrity." ESquared

 

[lespaul]

@IRudeBwoy - Where in the desert southwest?



Leslie

 

[IRudebwoy]

@lespaul

New Mexico, USA. West of Albuquerque.

The AT&T commercials are correct, they service 97% of Americans. But what happens if you're in the other 3% ? Verizon, west from Albuquerque to the AZ state line with few interruptions.