I was working on a rather extensive critical pilot project for our firm. It utilized standard technologies that anyone that's been working for more than 2 years should know, but which were new to our company. It also required cooperation from a half dozen teams spread out across multiple departments. After spec'ing out the work, I told my boss that we should have some redundant people (i.e. I should not be the only person who knew anything about the inner workings/purpose/etc of the project). My boss told me that he would get headcount approved and to proceeed. A year later, nobody else had been hired and I was the only person who had the slightest clue of what the system did, what still needed to be done, etc. Although I put together extensive documentation (powerpoint introductions to the technology, lists of pertinent training courses, visio diagrams showing flow, sequence diagrams, etc), it was all utilizing technologies that were new to the company and so nobody else really understood what the pictures were saying.
Then about 150 of us got laid off - to save costs - with no warning - and were escorted out of the building, so I forget about the project, and look for and find another job.
Just about that time, one of the people that still works for my former boss calls me at home, tells me he's been assigned my old responsibilities, that he has no clue what to do, and would I explain to him what he needed to do to complete the project. I told him to use the project plan that I had been working from - it pretty much had step-by-step instructions. He said that he was already reading it, but didn't understand the technology, and that they needed my help.
I feel that if I resign, that I have an ethical responsibility to answer those sorts of questions - for free - for up to about 6 months. Since I had essentially been told that they no longer required my expertise and that they didn't even let me hang around for a couple of days to show someone else the ropes, that I was no longer under any obligation to help them proceed.
A few days later, someone else (also working for my former boss) calls with the same question. I give the same answer.
A few days later, my former boss calls with the same question. I give the same answer, but suffix it by telling him that since I have direct on-point experience with this particular project, that I would be willing to help out - at the standard rate that they pay consultants - for a few days to get the ball rolling.
He thought that I should help them out for free for at least 6 months.
I hung up on him.
What would you have done?