I'm not sure why you keep referring to a singular "sysadmin"

Because you did:

Not really an expert on the topic but I don't see how that reflects poorly on the sys admin

I think not allowing people to shut down is a bit extra as there are lots of valid reasons to do so

So the admins can shut them down in this cases.

not really an option for laptops which as I said are what the vast majority of people use

And as I've said there are ways to deal with that

When there is a pending update that installed and requires a restart I think the only options it offers are "Update and Restart/Shut Down" at the last place I was at

Yes, so you know that there is an update queued, so you can check what update is that and estimate how long it will take based on the KB and the computer's specification.

Also most of the time it just does the update shit even when the options are simply "Restart / Shut Down" so you don't expect it.

Only if the admins have configured it to do that or on the extremely small chance when the update finishes preinstalling in the small window between clicking restart and the system going for halt.

If you were working in a government institution and particularly at a large bank the admins would know how to handle all those issues. With that in mind, I simple don't believe your story, especially after looking at you post history.