>That's pretty much how my first foreign employment ended. I made a bet that I'd write payroll from scratch in about 50 days (and the payroll app they sold had all the bells and whistles in the menu, none of which worked). So I was to write no bells nor whistles, just get the data in, and basic reports out, so they'd know who gets what and how much cash (with detailed banknotes specification) to prepare and send out to each outpost. The app was totally parametrized, i.e. any amount which would appear in anyone's payroll had to have a code, which evaluated to a function in the metadata somewhere, and likewise any deductions (taxes, negative stimulations, internal loan installments and whatnots). They'd all run in a certain order and fill the appropriate fields - and could be easily replaced if the rules of the game changed (which they always do).
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>There was a stipulation that "the hospital app shouldn't suffer meanwhile". In the end I got that done, the payroll for 1000 workers printed to the last pengő (hungarian cent), and in the hospital app I have replaced the ICD 9 diagnoses table with the ICD 10 (BTW, US and Canadian clinics are still, 17 years after this, using the ICD 9) two weeks in advance, and set it up so that on the deadline day, any cases using the 9 will stay on the 9, any new cases will be required to use the 10, and made flipping between the two automatic, based on the date. When it happened, I wasn't even there, and it went without a hitch.
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>Yet the big honcho found that there was some other glitch in the a few weeks before that (which wasn't much, but happened in the loudest department) and used that as a reason not to pay me the bet (which was about two month's salary at the time). And then I said I'd finally take some vacation and then I'll try to return two weeks later for another two-week work. And then we'll see.
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>When I got home, my wife asked me "so ok, when you get back there, is there any reason why you think things would get better?". To which I honestly drew a blank and never went there again.

We all have some great stories, which include the position of management vs the employee. Here is but one more:

I applied for a job, and was hired as a senior programmer. We got a new Manager in IT, and we would have weekly meetings each Tuesday, at 0800. He was a good guy and tried to make things pleasant for the people around him.

One day, the CEO and CFO (who had been with the company since it started years earlier) were fired. That was a Friday. The next Tuesday we found out what had transpired, but there was no reason given. We were told that the President had hired a close friend to take over the CFO position, and he would address the 14 programmers at our Tuesday meeting.

At about 0810, in walked an old man who addressed himself as a “personal friend of the president”. He stated: “I was retired from Mission Bell in Los Angeles (they make chips), and came here to straighten out this place! I am going to fire all of you and hire 40 typists and buy 40 typewriters”! He then walked out.

I had been there for about 6 months and resolved many serious problems, as well as writing an accounting program for them. The meeting was dismissed and I went back to my area and made a telephone call. I had arranged an interview for a new position during lunch.

I had the interview, got the job, and asked for one week before starting the new position, to give notice to my then employer. At 1 PM I returned to work, gave my notice and a few minutes later was called into the CFO’s office.

“Why are you quitting”, I was asked? I reminded him of his tactics at the morning meeting. “Oh no Tom, we really need you”! I refused every offer he made to retain me. One week later I began my new position. Guess what?

Three weeks later the IT Manager and the remaining 13 programmers were fired! I tend to believe what people tell me. Too often programmers are treated like trash. I have no interest in anything anyone has to say after they have stated something that I dislike that diminishes the position of the individual.