This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/compile_commit on 2024-07-23 04:10:23+00:00.
Backstory: Another story about Sam & Murad. My manager (Sam) is extremely chill and an outstanding leader. His manager (Murad) is a stickler for the rules. I work as infrastructure and configuration manager. I also love automation, and automate everyday tasks for myself, my team and sometimes management as well. Most of management loves it. Murad is not a fan though, he wants me to focus on my own work and he loves doing things manually.
Story: This is from November, 2022, My son had been ill for 2 weeks. He is on the mend, but requires constant monitoring to take his meds and fluids every hour (you cannot expect that discipline from a toddler). I have taken a leave for a week to focus on his recovery. In my absence, Sam has been handling most of my work. I check and reply to mails at the end of the day (I am not required to do this, and Sam asks me not to, but I do it anyway, just to get ahead of potential issues the project might face due to my absence).
At the end of the week, a management meetup is scheduled. Now, only management (team managers, scrum masters, system architects) is required for the call, but this type of management meetup is a potential goldmine for automation ideas, so I usually join in. In the previous 3 months, by joining this monthly meeting, and taking automation ideas that came out of them, I had saved the project (and management) ~100 hours of cumulative work weekly.
The meeting starts on Friday morning. It's a regional holiday for a lot of people, so most have joined from home. About 20 people have joined, I have joined as well from my home. My son is seated beside me, and I am teaching him how to play chess. The meeting doesn't really take a lot of focus from me, so my son doesn't mind. He is actually fascinated by most of my work, even though he is too young to understand any of it. Most of my teammates and Sam knows my son, having interacted with him during several calls.
Suddenly, Murad joins the call. He is usually never in this call, as he rarely gets along with the agenda or the way the call usually goes (the demeanor is usually pretty casual - people calling each other by names instead of official salutations, people talking in native languages sometimes). Murad, being everyone's boss, and having a giant poll up his rear, commands a serious tone from every meeting he is in. However, on this very occasion, it seems he wants to join in on the casual camaraderie. He wants everyone to turn on their cameras.
Everyone takes a minute, and the screen starts to light up with everyone's video. It seems most have hastily put on a formal shirt. Sam chimes in asking me to keep my camera off, because it's not required. Murad cuts in. the conversation goes like this:
- Sam: OP, you can keep your camera off, it's not required
- Murad: OP is here? Must be to take minutes. He can turn his camera on as well.
- Me: Actually I am on leave today. I joined in case my input is needed for any automation
- Murad: That's fine, but please turn on your camera, it would be good for everyone to see everyone else.
I turn my camera on. Both my son and I and the chess board between us is visible. I am using a wide angle camera. My tee reads - "I work for money. For loyalty, hire a dog." Murad's face was at its widest and it came to rest after 6 seconds with a reduction rate of 1 mm/s. The rest of the conversation goes like this:
- Murad: OP, that tee is not office appropriate.
- Me: It is quite appropriate for home though, where I currently am.
- Murad: You also seem to be playing chess. I would suggest you take your work seriously. Please focus on the matter at hand.
- Me: You are right. I should focus. (Disconnect)
In a call later, Sam said that while he explained to Murad that I was on leave, at that moment, in front of 20 other people, the sound of my disconnection felt surreal.
It's 2024, my automations have saved the project ~430 hours and the company ~250 hours weekly. Murad never joins that call anymore.