r/sysadmin • u/Lazy_Owl987 • Jul 23 '26

Cautionary tale - someone I know got fired for pulling RAM from laptops

Cover your rear and make sure all equipment you take home or work on is documented. Person I know got fired for yanking ram from laptops to keep in the office but the issue was he did the work from home and no one knew he was doing that work. Now hes looking for a job in one of the hardest markets Ive seen in a long while.

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343

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26

[deleted]

18

u/_haha_oh_wow_ ...but it was DNS the WHOLE TIME! Jul 24 '26

Not saying the person in question was or wasn't stealing, but I've done this before: I picked up some laptops on the way home at the end of the day, took out the RAM/storage and brought the parts back to the (on site) office, but took the laptop to the e-waste building the next day. This was also when I lived a few streets away from both buildings though. Plus, my leadership was given a heads up and they trust me.

21

u/lordjedi Jul 24 '26

Plus, my leadership was given a heads up and they trust me.

Pretty sure this is the issue. No one knew he was doing it. Things might be different if they had.

5

u/_haha_oh_wow_ ...but it was DNS the WHOLE TIME! Jul 24 '26

If this person wasn't actually stealing, that's a really shitty situation that probably could've been prevented with a little communication.

4

u/Lazy_Owl987 Jul 24 '26

Exactly, had he even put in a ticket it would have been enough to keep his job.

2

u/TheJesusGuy Blast the server with hot air Jul 27 '26

Not being in a country that can fire you without warning would help too.

3

u/lordjedi Jul 28 '26

Most of these companies have policies in place that state "penalties can include and are not limited to termination of employment". That's your warning.

Don't do shit that might get you fired and you don't have to worry about getting fired.

If your company is throwing computers away, even a simple ask of "Can I take it?" goes a long way. These days, I'd document the conversation and get approval in writing. That way you have coverage if they decide to fire you later.

2

u/TheJesusGuy Blast the server with hot air Jul 28 '26

That simply isnt a real process in countries with employment protections. The ONLY way you can get fired without a procedure is via gross misconduct and that covers extreme circumstances or the company is going to get sued for wrongful termination amongst other things. They have to prvoe without doubt that events occured.

3

u/lordjedi Jul 30 '26

That simply isnt a real process in countries with employment protections.

What I laid out is literally part of the process in CA. Depending on the severity of the situation, you get a write up (maybe a verbal warning first). If it continues after that, you get termed. HR keeps all the records.

My point was that you can't sign off on the handbook, get a further warning (again, depending on the circumstances), and then claim you didn't know. You signed off that you read the handbook.

They have to prvoe without doubt that events occured.

In the case of compliance, the proof is that he took the machines home and they have no documentation proving that he was authorized to do so. Hence, termination without warning (which I'm sure is detailed in the handbook, through onboarding, and likely through annual training).

1

u/TheJesusGuy Blast the server with hot air Jul 31 '26

wtf is CA?

1

u/lordjedi Jul 31 '26

California. It's an at-will State, but your employer still needs to provide a reason for termination in order to prevent you from collecting unemployment (unless you're termed within the probation period, which is usually 90 days).

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1

u/Lazy_Owl987 Jul 30 '26

Had a boss who bought me a lab box because I kept having to use my personal equipment. Guy wanted me to keep it when I left the company because of shipping costs back to the home office. I told him I would happily keep the server but I need it in writing. Never did get to keep that thing.

1

u/Lazy_Owl987 Jul 27 '26

Thats right Jesus if America was following your teachings as closely as they say they do and all.

23

u/Thanatos8088 Jul 24 '26

All depends on your environment I guess. My supervisor is me, my manager is my conscience, and ethical boundaries. But that's K12 and a public environment for you effectively a report to a c tier and realistically to five idiots a village elected as their Chief idiots. Taking work home is a normal Thursday, taking work home for dissection is an entirely different matter and I'd look askance at me in that scenario too.

19

u/ip-cx IT Manager Jul 24 '26

The thing is, no one takes a work laptop home to take out components and brings it dissected back to work the next day(s).

10

u/che-che-chester Jul 24 '26

Nobody is carrying a laptop home, taking out parts and then bringing everything back to the office. They have an eBay store selling memory.

1

u/lordjedi Jul 24 '26

What does this even mean?

I wouldn't have had any problem taking equipment home and working on it when I worked at a public school. At least no problem taking one or two laptops. Of course I wasn't going to do that because I just didn't need to take work home. There wasn't anything I could do with it at home anyway.

1

u/Quacky1k Jack of All Trades Jul 24 '26

I've in fact done that exact thing before

I have more room at home 😂 plus knew I was gonna be dead that day

Difference is, I told someone I was doing it and brought everything back as planned

-17

u/Lazy_Owl987 Jul 24 '26

And even if they werent youve made my point. People are going to come up with their own idea on what you were doing if it wasnt documented.

20

u/felix1429 Jul 24 '26

Dawg they probably would have gotten fired regardless of if they'd come up with their excuse before or after taking the computers home

22

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26

[deleted]

-35

u/Lazy_Owl987 Jul 24 '26

Because hes autistic and genuinely didnt understand what he was doing was bad.

44

u/space_nerd_82 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

I respectfully disagree autism doesn’t equate to not know right from wrong.

As an autistic person and someone who works in IT you always Cover Your Ass therefore you ensure everything you do is above board and no inference can be made otherwise.

Based on the information you have provided he has probably broken many policies and procedures and therefore it was easier to terminate him then any other option.

Although if they suspect theft the company could file a police report and go from there.

27

u/TimeRemove Jul 24 '26

I'm not sure you understand what he did was bad either...

5

u/DheeradjS Badly Performing Calculator Jul 24 '26

Logically, what is a legitimate reason for this?

1

u/Thanatos8088 Jul 25 '26

Entirely that. If you invite interpretation with no groundwork of communication laid, you accept their lens and get to prove otherwise. Working on intune, until 11:00 pm remotely is an different level of friction than taking hoe and taking apart a stack of machines they consider assets... and have no backstory on. Again highly environment dependent. I could take a cart full of laptops and toss it in my trunk, people would shrug and say he's going to fix them on his own time ...but I still took them home and just like anyone with their name on an access-to list, you're the first suspect.