i was involved in a big bloody layoff years ago. i was the senior IT guy and knew how everything worked. the first round the HR VP came to me and my boss and swore us to secrecy. he said he needed to make sure no one could do anything on the systems because due to the number of people and the size of the campus, it would take all day. i had to think a little but then said ok, you tell me when and i can bring the place to its knees in a graceful manner in a matter of a minute or so with no loss, which i did. my boss followed me around while i did it and he was amazed and i think somewhat scared that i could do that. they kept me around for another 7 or 8 years and i was one of the last 11 people out of thousands to go. i was also the last IT guy, including my boss.
i used to tell my boss that the Golden Rule is actually, "Don't fugg with the people who cook your food, or admin your systems". he found out how true it was.
