Imagine going two years without taking a vacation.

If you finally got approved vacation time but your boss expected you to work unless you were in a remote location without service, would you bring your work computer and phone, or would you go to a remote location without service?

In this story, one guy chooses the second option, and the chaos that ensues in the office proves just how valuable he is as an employee.

Check out the full story.

“Unless you’re in the middle of nowhere you have to work during vacation, you’re salary!

I work for a small company in the trades as head of the IT department (aka the only IT person).

Truthfully the gig is pretty great. Good pay, benefits and I can come and go as I please within reason.

The two people I have to answer to are the VP and CEO and as is par for the course they know all about anything to do with technology and generally leave me be as I’m good at my job and everything runs smoothly.

This is where it gets tricky!

Being a small company a lot of us don’t take vacations due to A) building the company and B) not having replacements for the time we’re gone but after two years vacationless (we’re in the US) my wife convinces me to use the time I’m given to decompress and take a small, one week, get away.

I talk to VP and he gives me the thumbs up to take the time barring I get everything in order and do some minor teaching to other staff incase of an emergency. Cool, easy.

Enter FOD (Field Operations Director) a man who is an attack dog for the VP for no reason as the VP is nothing but polite and reasonable.

UH OH…

FOD loves giving everyone a hard time, adding steps to tasks to make himself look like he’s part of the process, reminding everyone how much of a “boss” he is to the rest of us in management and calling me a nerd any chance he gets.

Fair to say – I dislike FOD immensely

After making my rounds with other staff it’s FODs time to do some scary computer related learning. FOD refuses to look weak under any circumstances and gets very aggressive when learning new things because “I’m the boss, I already know.”

He’s being so mean!

In the midst of learning it dawns on him to ask why he has to learn this stuff anyway, I’m the nerd and it’s my job to do this.

I clue him in on the week I’m taking off and this stuff is just precautionary.

This worries FOD as he’ll have to retain information, answer questions and do some minor troubleshooting.

The conversation went something like this, and I wish I could tell you that this guy isn’t this much of a dumb person, but he is.

FOD = “boss” Me = me

That’s INSANE!

FOD: Who approved your vacation?

Me: VP did as long as I could get you guys comfortable with some small maintenance.

FOD: I only approve vacation time, I’m your boss.

(Side note: he does THIS so much that VP actually wrote out the hierarchy in chart form and we all carry a digital copy with us to remind him who he’s actually in charge of)

Me: You’re not. shows chart

He was not expecting that!

FOD: Well fine! But you’re salary so you have to work during your vacation. You’ll bring your laptop and work phone with you.

Me: When YOU vacation you make it very clear you’re unreachable and can’t be bothered even if it’s an emergency.

FOD: That’s because I go to places without service and unless you’re going to the mountains you have to work! You’re salary!

Malicious Compliance Initiated

He knew he had to do something about this!

Me: Just to be clear; if I go to a place without service I won’t be expected to work, yeah?

FOD: That’s right, but you’re a nerd you don’t do anything outdoorsy.

Me: Great, thanks for clearing that up.

Fast forward 3 weeks later and it’s vacation time. All my ducks are in a row, people are comfortable with me being gone for the week and are all encouraging me to just disconnect.

He made sure to find his way around the boss’s condition!

A close coworker of mine knows of the conversation FOD and I had and asks what I plan to do to about it so I shared my easy but effective plan.

Wife and I rented a cabin in the woods, 2 hours from the nearest town and it doesn’t have service.

Set up automatic email replies that have all IT questions and concerns forwarded to FOD since “he’s the boss, he knows.”

It gets interesting…

Leave work phone on the charger in my office with ringer on, door locked so he has to hear it and voicemail changed to have FOD become IT for the week.

Coworker loves the idea of flooding FOD with questions he can’t answer so much that he gets other coworkers in on it.

Midway through the week I get a call from coworker with an update: FOD loses it. He can’t keep up with any requests for help and didn’t bother to memorize the simple tasks I showed him so he does what any good “boss” does and puts in a request to take a vacation until I get back.

Finally it started paying off!

Retreat is always an option. Nothing screams leader more than retreat. It’s not weakness and failure if he’s not there!

My coworkers were able to manage and FOD got his 3 day vacation, unfortunately.

After the week off I’m called to VP’s office to catch up and get things back on track. VP obviously heard of the hardships FOD faced in my absence and laughed at my MC surprisingly.

The cherry on top!

VP struck a deal with me moving forward since it was made clear to him no one else knew how to do my job: I can go on vacation wherever I’d like as long as I bring my laptop and phone and check it once a week.

They’ll refund my vacation time for that day even if I only work for 5 minutes.

I took that but with the caveat of making FOD actually learn some of my duties just in case.

VP agreed. Now I do an hour of teaching a week to a very surly FOD. After all, he’s “the boss” he’s gotta know.

GEEZ! That was a fun story!

I hope it was a relaxing vacation, but it sure sounds like it was chaos without him there.

Let’s find out what people on Reddit think about this one.

This user knows why an FOD shouldn’t know a lot!

This user thinks it is strange to not take vacations!

This user has an important question for this guy!

This user knows what’s happening here!

Exactly! This user knows this story is a win win for this guy!

He deserved that vacation.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.