IT manager giving false information to management about the possibility of remote work

Question

My local government has requested that non-essential businesses either close or move to remote working if possible for the next two weeks. My company of around 100 people could do this, as everyone's work is 100% computer-based, but we're not able to. Managers up to the CEO are under the impression that we have no way to connect to our network drives/internal apps from outside the network. The IT guy has told them that since we don't have a VPN it's not possible.

The thing is, every work laptop does have a VPN already installed and configured. I used it successfully when I've had to do something after hours a few times. I checked with coworkers and they all have this VPN already installed too. At my last job I was a sysadmin, and part of my job was installing and configuring this exact VPN application. Right now, when you open it and click to connect, it gives a message that it was manually disabled.

I went to ask the IT guy about this message, and he told me that he disabled it because he doesn't want everyone to be working from home since he thinks it'll lead to worse productivity. He told me not to tell anyone since he's telling our CEO/management that we don't/can't have a VPN at all.

How should I approach this situation?

Answer 1

Your IT guy is way out of bounds and is putting people at risk by clearly overstepping his role, so you don't need to be extra careful.

Given them a chance to make it right.

1. Submit a formal ticket (or e-mail) asking for VPN to be re-enabled ( you want a paper trail)
2. Tell the person that you appreciate their concerns but that this not acceptable and you need VPN back on
3. Give them a clear deadline: If not's working within xxx hours you will elevate to their bosses and the CEO

They are not going to like it but chances are they will comply without too much blood being spilled.

If not, elevate directly to the CEO (copying your chain of command). State that working from home is entirely possible, that all laptops are equipped with VPN, that you have used it successfully before, that it recently has been disabled and that your request to have it turned on again was refused by IT.

If the CEO didn't know about it, it should be fixed quickly. If nothing happens, the CEO initiated the block and you either need to keep working in the office or find a new job. What happens to the IT person is not your concern either way.

Answer 2

Your first step should be to inform your direct manager about the situation and the details that you outlined in your question. I would also gauge his/her reaction carefully to see how they respond to the information you provide.

It's quite possible that the CEO and upper management don't want to consider work from home at all and are simply using the supposed lack of VPN as an excuse. Your direct manager's reactions/responses may give you some insight.

If you don't feel as if your concerns are being treated seriously then you could escalate to the next level or directly to HR. Worse case you may need to approach the CEO directly, but depending upon the structure, culture, and your position that may be difficult or have serious consequences for you.

I should also point out that you are not 'throwing someone under the bus', you are responding professionally to an issue and action that could have disastrous consequences and impact for the business.

Answer 3

How should I approach this situation?

I would report the IT guy to whomever you think is the most appropriate (possibly his manager or your manager) immediately. Deliberately lying as such in a professional environment is grounds for immediate dismissal regardless of coronavirus or not. I would be very wary about having someone like this employed by the company in the future as they have been shown to be extremely dishonest.

Answer 4

I disagree with the suggestion to "give them a chance".

This is no time for being polite. Go straight to the CEO and senior management and tell them they were lied to, with all the details.

The IT guy could be criminally liable for it and the company itself could be criminally liable for not following govt directives during a state of emergency.

Remember that time is precious and waiting days and even hours could expose people to risk. Management needs to plan an all-work-from-home setup, and the earlier they know, the better.

Answer 5

I would be inclined to send out an all hands email

I cannot tell whether it is the IT guy or the management (as we have similarly strange management), but everyone involved has had all the time in the world to be competent. At this point they are clearly a flock of idiots.

I would just send out an all hands email (you can claim it was accidental) about how every computer has a VPN. That will force a response.

Is that professional? Probably not. But at least in Canada, most government managers have responded to this slower than sloths respond to bullets. They deserve some embarrassment. I am considering doing something similar at my organization as there are currently no WFH plans.

Answer 6

Managers up to the CEO are under the impression that we have no way to connect to our network drives/internal apps from outside the network.

Start by resolving this. Talk to your manager. Ask for access to be made possible, or it can't, to know why. You may of course be refused for other valid reasons. But if the reasons are purely technical or logistical, mention your previous productive use of the VPN and ask them to reconsider.

Either way, you'll clear up any confusion the management may have about whether VPN access is/isn't possible, and take the decision about remote work out of the hands of the IT guy.

Answer 7

Just go right to the big boss. If this virus is as bad as they're saying then this guy could actually end up killing people.

Answer 8

Don't assume this was the IT manager's directive

The part that doesn't add up is why an IT manager (not a director level like a CIO) would just up and tell you

Hey, I unilaterally decided for the whole company that we shouldn't use VPN and have the leadership believing we just don't have it. Don't tell anyone, OK?

That manager would be sticking their neck WAY out on a limb. It's not impossible that's what has happened, but I've seldom met an IT person who felt empowered enough in making mundane decisions, let alone major decisions like this one.

What makes more sense is this

I was told to disable the VPN because it would harm productivity if people worked from home. Don't tell anyone.

In this case, the IT Manager knows they've been caught in the lie, but they can't own up to the truth because someone above them told them to concoct a plausible lie as to why the VPN didn't work.

Don't dictate terms to this person

In either case, you won't win by confronting them with ultimatums. Go over the IT manager's head and present the same case you presented the manager. Pretend you don't know what the IT manager told you. There's three possible outcomes

1. Feigned innocence - You might be talking to the person who ordered this. Listen carefully for quiet defenses of it and/or stalling about escalation.
2. Blatant anger - You've ruined their plans by bringing it up. Expect lots of threats and/or shouting. At least you've found the culprit.
3. True innocence - They can't believe it. They want to escalate this up the chain.

You might have a hard decision ahead

It doesn't sound like there's a government mandate to do this, just a request. As such, management might simply come clean about this and tell you

We don't think remote work is good for productivity. If people get sick, they can use sick time or go home, but we are not going to allow remote working in this company. The VPN will remain disabled.

If they do that, you're done in this endeavor. The truth is now out in the open, instead of behind a lie. Either find another job or accept it. They might even fire you over it (unlikely but stranger things have happened). Either way, you might be disappointed in your current employer when the day is done.

Answer 9

My God! This is utterly outrageous!

As someone who works at home productively and has done for a long time, I can say that as a father home office is an important part of my lifestyle that I could no longer do without, and I wish many more people had the opportunity to experience this lifestyle for themselves. You can live in the nature for example, instead of suffering a daily polluted commute.

Now with covid19 this is especially important. This arrogant demogogue is literally directly threatening the health of children and your elderly loved ones! I live in the epicenter now of this and the lockdown coming to the USA is no fun I can tell you!

Barge straight into the CEOs office and tell them what is going on IMMEDIATELY. At best, this contemptible fool will lose his job. At worst, some colleagues might visit him in a dark alley...

Answer 10

Sounds like that IT guy needs to lose his job promptly. He's definitely overstepping boundaries, doesn't understand his role in the company and thinks he's the CEO of the company by making decisions that aren't his to make. He's preventing the organization from achieving it's objectives and/or creating losses for the company. Unfortunately, IT people have too much power in a world ruled by technology.

I would casually send an email to your CEO asking him why you can't get access to the VPN on your work computer when you've always had access before. Tell him there's a message that says it's been manually disabled by the IT department. Also mention that you contacted the same IT guy you always have about it but this time he pretended he didn't know anything. Real head-scratcher.

Answer 11

My input here will be unpopular, but I am not here to win friends and influence people.

Snitch? And about what exactly? There isnt much data here to explain why this IT sysadmin was hiding this VPN disable.

And then several posters here suggest this person is a danger to the public in general in what seems contextually, (or sounds like rather) That they are mentally unsound, or carrying some type of disease? Right. Maybe they had good reason to do what they did? You cant know everything. Maybe he is running an elaborate pen-test. Who can say. Maybe he's ISIS? Maybe. Could be, this whole thing is above your pay grade.

But we all know, that wont matter when they want to throw him under the bus anyway. I wouldnt tattle, and I would have questions.

Something tells me you wont get answers from anyone there, and I wouldnt just blindly believe what you are told / advised on here either.

Cover your ass, deny, when accused. If you tell the truth, have plenty of evidence to bury your accusers and opposition in deeper mire than you. And be cold about it.

There isnt anything worse than an enemy who undermines you, while gaslighting to cause fear about something that isnt real, combined with threats of murder, and physicall harm of brutal scope.

Its time to end this.

DROP IT. Fun at someone elses costs, obfuscation, mass fiction at meta levs is fun until the Victim strikes back. And then NO ONE IS LAUGHING.

DROP IT. and move on!

Answer 12

1. Your government has asked everyone to stop going to work. Not to stop going to work once they've gone through bureaucratic steps to get permission to not go to work.

2. You should stop going into work immediately. Any harm this causes is due completely to the company deliberately sabotaging themselves. This amounts to blackmail: "I'm going shoot myself in the foot to force you to stick around to stop the bleeding".

3. The information you have is information that everyone in the office has right to know immediately, not as the company deigns to give it to them.

Any downvoters should explain why they disagree with the above, or why the following is not a reasonable email in light of the above:

cc: [Everyone]

I have recently learned that [IT guy] has disabled VPN access on our laptops, and then told the CEO that there is no VPN, to try to get us to continue coming into the office. As there is in fact VPN capability, and any lack of its functionality is due to deliberate acts by agent(s) of this company, I will no longer be coming into the office. I will be making use of whatever remote work capability is available to me. It is up to this company as to what that will be. I recommend that others follow suit.

This will get the issue resolved much faster than "raising a ticket". It is a basic principle of economic efficiency that losses should be sustained by those most capable of preventing them. As long as you're the one bearing the burden for their fuck-up (and yes, even if it was a unilateral decision on the part of IT guy, the company is still responsible), they don't have much motivation to hurry.