Can’t complete iCloud setup without old password

I went away from my job for a couple of years. After returning this week they issued me a new iPhone. I was able to log into my Apple ID to set up the phone but it won’t complete the iCloud setup without the passcode from my old iPhone, which I don’t recall. The system does not give me the option to reset iCloud because I can’t recall the old passcode from 2 years ago. Apple needs to drop this authentication feature or come up with viable alternatives. This is ridiculous.