Dear Bob ...Recently my office partner of 15 years retired. His replacement comesfrom another department and will be bringing along a software systemthat requires after hours support.Firstly, I don't much care for the replacement that was hired--I voiced myobjections but ultimately had very little say in the matter. Second, it nowlooks as though I'll have to have a part in providing after hours supportfor this s Dear Bob …Recently my office partner of 15 years retired. His replacement comesfrom another department and will be bringing along a software system that requires after hours support.Firstly, I don’t much care for the replacement that was hired–I voiced myobjections but ultimately had very little say in the matter. Second, it now looks as though I’ll have to have a part in providing after hours supportfor this software system that the replacement worker brings with him.Pretty much, I am now quite resentful. I realize that after hours support for systems is a fact of life in IT, but the way in which this particular situationpresented itself has me bitter.What are my options? Just refuse to do any after hours support for this software, regardless of the consequences? Demand additional compensation?Spread the misery (I’ll do it if the staff who hired this guy also does it)?– Unhappy Dear Unhappy …Generals make decisions. It’s the troops who live or die. That’s how it works. Soldiers who pick and choose when they follow orders based on whether they agree with them or not end up in the brig … if they’re lucky. (The situation when orders are immoral is more complicated and not parallel to your situation.)You voiced your objections. Management disagreed with you and made its decision. I’m sympathetic – it happened to me any number of times in my career, and I had the opportunity to say “I told you so” after many of them. Unwisely, I took advantage of the opportunity far too often. But while I’m sympathetic with your situation, I’m not sympathetic with how you’re responding to it. Do you expect management to always agree with your analysis of a situation? If so, it’s time to recalibrate. They won’t, and if they did it would just mean they’re disappointing someone else whose analysis disagrees with yours and who is just as eloquent in expressing it.What are your options? You have three. You can live up to your new responsibilities with grace and professionalism. You can find another job.Or you can give yourself a reputation as a prima donna. I don’t recommend it, though. It’s a reputation that’s hard to shake once you acquire it, and will do you far more harm than the occasional inconvenience of having to provide after-hours support. – Bob Technology Industry