On Call Welcome to another installment of On Call, The Register’s weekly reader-contributed column that tells your tech support tales.
This week, meet a reader we’ll Regomize as “Henry” who shared a chilling story from his time delivering internal desktop support for a major internet service provider.
This is a story that doesn’t deserve On Call’s usual light touch. The Register shares it in the hope it perhaps starts a conversation among readers about how to cope with the worst workplace moments. As you’ll see at the end of the story, we’re working on a plan to help foster that conversation.
Back, now, to Henry, who told us an important part of his job was keeping unauthorized software off company computers to protect the ISP from being sued for running pirated programs.
He enforced that policy with daily software inventory scans and when he found minor infractions, used remote access privileges to remove offending applications.
When he found serious violations, company policy required Henry to confiscate a user’s PC and inform management who would commence a formal investigation.
Henry eventually discovered a colleague who worked late and had downloaded “extreme amounts of pirated software.”
He reported it to his superiors, who ordered immediate confiscation.
After the investigation, the culprit begged for lenience, and management decided a brief suspension would suffice.
That was still too much for the pirate, who on his return to work seethed with rage.
“He would tell anyone who listened that the next time he saw me, he would put a bullet in my face,” Henry told On Call.
Henry felt this colleague was capable of violence, so he did not take the matter lightly.
Thankfully, soon after the suspension ended, his antagonist left the business and although the experience rattled Henry, he had no reason to ponder it for years after.
Until he learned, via news reports, that his former colleague had started a small business and murdered his partner in a dispute over borrowed money.
“I hope to never see him again,” Henry told On Call.
And with luck, none of us will, as the news report Henry showed us states the murderer will remain in prison for at least another 15 years – and possibly many more.
If you experience threats of violence in the workplace, report it to your employer and do not hesitate to call emergency services if you feel in immediate danger.
If your employer is not supportive, file a complaint with the relevant authorities:
Has working in tech support put you in an unsafe situation? If so, On Call is interested to hear your story, which you can share by clicking here to send us an email.
We will handle any such contributions with great care, and with a view to using them in future stories about how to handle extremely difficult workplace moments rather than the weekly mirth of On Call. ®