A former employee shared on Reddit how setting up a consulting agreement with their previous employer has created tension within their old team. After leaving a high-pressure role handling critical legacy systems, the individual drew up a formal agreement before their last day, billing at 2.5 times their former hourly wage in 30-minute increments.
Consulting Agreement Highlights Expertise and Time Value
“I started a new job about 4 months ago, after being way overworked at my old one. I was the go-to person for several critical legacy systems, and I knew my phone would be blowing up with questions from my old team after I left. To get ahead of it, I drew up a simple consulting agreement before my last day. The rate is about 2.5 times my old hourly wage, billed in 30-minute increments, minimum,” the ex-employee wrote.
The Reddit post detailed that the former boss has reacted negatively, reportedly instructing the remaining team not to contact the ex-employee except in extreme emergencies. “From what I’ve heard, he has instructed the team not to call me unless the building is on fire. Which, honestly, is exactly what I wanted. That’s the whole point. For years, I watched management treat former employees as a free tech support line. That was their main troubleshooting method: ‘Just call so-and-so, they built this thing even though they left two years ago,’” the poster added.
Billing for Expertise Sparks Tension
The post also emphasized the irony in the situation: “And the best part? Since I left, I’ve only billed them for maybe 10 hours of work. So that tells me one of two things: either it’s not about the budget and he’s just mad that I have the audacity to charge for my expertise, or he’s mad that he can’t rely on me indefinitely without spending the company’s money.”
The Reddit user concluded with advice for professionals: “Folks, know your worth. Your time doesn’t become free the moment you walk out the door.” The post has sparked discussions about employee rights, consulting rates, and valuing expertise in the tech community.
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