Management is cutting my job after I automated 15 hours of weekly work, do I have to document it for them?

[u/Claptrap_5Z]

When I took this coordinator job, our team was losing fifteen to twenty hours every week just updating client logs and manually formatting spreadsheets.

I built a few simple macros and formula templates that cut all that data entry down to an hour. I thought saving twenty hours a week would free me up for higher-level projects.

instead, my manager called me into a meeting last Friday. She told me that because our administrative workload dropped, they are merging my role with a part-time position and letting me go. To get my severance check, they want me to write step-by-step documentation for every macro I set up.

I literally worked myself out of a salary. I should of just kept doing the data entry by hand like the last person.

Do I ACTUALLY have to document processes I created that were not in my original job description?

[u/kummerspect]

People who don't regularly work with excel don't get macros. I have one that I use at work that I've tried to get other people to use and they can't even comprehend how to get to the macro to run it. You could write the most clear instructions and it still won't make sense to them. Plus macros break, and they're going to regret getting rid of the person who created them.

[u/SadTaco12345 → u/kummerspect]

I'm pretty decent with VBA but I absolutely HATE having to read someone else's code to fix a problem. It takes like 5 times as long to find the problem in the first place, nevermind actually fixing it.

I was asked to fix one on Friday...I opened it up and...no comments. Variables declared were literally just single letters, A to Z. A is the filename we extract from, B is the number of records, C is the file path we export the results to...

I logged off for the day. But yeah that point you made at the end there is never understood by management. They think we're all wizards who use the same exact syntax and methods, and can easily fix someone else's code.

[u/crybannanna → u/kummerspect]

I wrote macros for an old job years ago. I am in the same company, but totally different role now. About once a year I get an email about something breaking. Usually it’s user error, but they forget some of the conditions needed (like words need to match and junk). It’s often an entirely different person contacting me, because the job it automated is done by someone new. I put my name in the complete message as a gag back then, something like “I’m the best!!! Don’t forget to thank me for being awesome!” Did it specifically for the guy I gave it to to take over my job, who I was cool with. Seems it paid off having that since they use it to reach out to me.