Have you ever felt like you’re the only one holding a company together? I’m talking about being the sole keeper of critical knowledge, the one person who knows how to keep the wheels from falling off. It’s a heavy burden, and it’s exactly the situation I found myself in recently.
I’m leaving a company where I’m the only one who knows how most of our in-house systems and processes work. I manage critical data processing pipelines that, if not handled properly, could cost the company a lot of money. These systems were built internally and never properly documented, not for lack of trying, but because we’ve been operating on a skeleton crew for years. I’ve asked for help and bandwidth, but it never came. That’s part of why I’m leaving: the pressure has become too much.
Here’s the complication: I’m giving my notice during a vacation, which means a quarter of my two weeks will be PTO. I didn’t plan it this way; it’s just unfortunate timing. I genuinely don’t want to leave my colleagues hanging, so I plan to offer help after hours and on weekends for a few months to ensure they don’t fall apart.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation? How did you propose post-resignation support? Did you charge for your services, and if so, how did you structure it? Do you think my offer to help after hours makes up for the shortened two-week period? Is this kind of timing faux pas as bad as it feels?
I’m looking for advice from folks who’ve been in the ‘only one who knows how everything works’ position. How did you handle the transition, and what did you learn from the experience?