Key facts
- A former company director was laid off despite meeting performance targets.
- The company's IT systems, including multi-factor authentication for key accounts, remained linked to the former employee's personal phone number.
- The ex-CEO emailed the former director requesting assistance with the IT issue.
- A separation agreement had been signed, with both parties confirming all matters were resolved.
- Legal advice suggested the former employee has no obligation to assist and should not respond to the request.
A former company director, who was laid off over a year ago despite meeting his performance targets, has received an unexpected email from his former CEO requesting assistance with an IT problem. The issue stems from the company's multi-factor authentication (MFA) for several critical email accounts still being tied to the ex-employee's personal phone number.
The director had been with the mid-sized company before it was sold and subsequently reorganized. His departure followed a period where the company also laid off its IT lead and head of accounting. The initial severance package offered was minimal, prompting the director to engage his brother-in-law, an employment lawyer, to negotiate a more favorable agreement, which ultimately resulted in a package approximately five times larger than the original offer. A formal separation agreement was signed, with both the CEO and company controller confirming all matters, including severance and benefits, were fully resolved.
Despite the clean break, the company reached out 13 months later. The former director is hesitant to respond, unsure why the company's IT systems still link to his number, suspecting it might be due to the IT leader also being let go. His brother-in-law advised against responding, suggesting the company should have its current IT personnel handle the account reset or that the request could be a scam.
The situation has prompted a discussion on Reddit regarding a former employee's obligations after a signed separation agreement, with many commenters advising to ignore the request unless a paid consultancy role is offered.